Dems regain control of Senate, Espada named majority leader

[bemildred]

Source: The Business Review (Albany)

Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. has returned to the fold, giving the Democrats a 32-30 majority in the state Senate—again—and taking the title majority leader.

Espada (D-Bronx) said during a news conference this afternoon that his disagreement with fellow Democrats on June 8, which led to a Republican-led coup, “has never been about titles,” though he received the title of temporary president as a result of the coup.

“Today I stand here with another title,” he said. “I tell you very clearly, I have always been a Democrat. I will continue to be a Democrat. I never left home. I had a little leave of absence.”

The move comes a day after Gov. David Paterson appointed businessman Richard Ravitch lieutenant governor.





Read more: http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2009/07/06/daily41.html

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As a Californian, this makes me feel better.

[billyoc]

1. "As a Californian, this makes me feel better."

Yeah, y'all are still WAY ahead in the crazy race. :hi:

[burning rain]

2. A Democratic majority has been a long time coming in the NY state senate.

Did Republicans gerrymander their electoral districts like champs, or what?

[Libertas1776]

3. The Dems won the majority in November

and had it until that worm Espada and his crony paisano Hiram flipped to the Repubs no doubt for political quid pro quo. Of course Hiram slinked back not too long after.

And now after weeks of stalemate that prevented dozens of desperately needed relief bills and whatnot, the stalemate was broken only when that rat Espada cross back to the Dems for what? wait for it...........Majority Leader! For fucking up the state for 2 weeks this crumb bum gets a reward.

He doesn't give a shit about party (and apparently not his district either as he his now under investigation for not even living in it)

I hope the voters kick that scum to the curb when the time comes...but who are we kidding, this is NY where money talks and bullshit walks.

[burning rain]

5. I meant, what enabled Republicans to hold on to the majority in the NY state senate....

until so recently despite NY long being a deep blue state?

[George II]

8. NY has had a Republican majority in the Senate up until last year because....

...unlike the House, the Senate is more geographic-based while the House is more population based. That's an oversimplification, but the general idea. NYS is bizarre - outside of the City, Long Island (to a degree) and the northern NYC suburbs, NY is a relatively conservative state. The Democrats maintain a majority in the House because of the population-based weighting of the seats. The Republicans have maintained a majority in the Senate because the seats are less (althoug not entirely) based on population.

[Nite Owl]

9. And they hang in and

keep getting reelected until they die, get way too old or have some big scandal brewing on the side and quit before it hits.

[George II]

4. Democrats won the majority last election. Two democrats switched to become "republicans"...

...although they claimed they were still "democrats", just as Espada did today. The result was that there was a 31-31 split, rendering the NYS Senate impotent.

This came about because NY has had no Lieutenant Governor since Spitzer resigned and the existing Lieutenant Governor, David Patterson took office as Governor. There is no provision for a special election or appointment of a replacement Lieutenant Governor, at least for now.

I guarantee that next session, once things get back to normal, the Legislature enacts a bill that either sets up a special election or provisions for appointing a new Lieutenant Governor.

[Libertas1776]

6. No need

Governor Patterson appointed one last night. The Repubs got a judge on LI to put an injunction his appointment but today a judge in Albany (where only such a case can be brought) threw it out. So as it is right now, NY has a Lieutenant Gov.

[ejpoeta]

7. all i know is.... we need some damned term limits here in NY.

on my local station they found that the reelection rate is 99%. no wonder these people aren't worried about losing their seats. it just ticks me off!!! i wish we could kick every damned one of them out at this point. then i have to watch mike ratzenhoffer and other republicans on the local tv talking about a bunch of bs about the dems, as if they had nothing to do with any of this mess.

[bertman]

10. "I had a little leave of absence". Voters of New York, give the s.o.b a permanent

leave of absence, please.

Surely there is a REAL Democrat who can take this butthole's job.

[secondwind]

11. YES!

[quakerboy]

12. Wait... what?

So if you just take your toys and go home, they make you Majority leader?