New York Senate Stalemate Over: Still Rubbing Salt in the Wounds

While the New York state senate stalemate appears to be over (at least for now), the real losers continue to be the people of New York. The real winner? Probably Pedro Espada, who not only gets to be majority leader of the Senate, but also gets a pay raise (he's earned it, right?). Espada went back to the Democrats (who apparently took some convincing by future felon Hiram Monserrate) Thursday night, after being told that he would be majority leader, ending the ridiculous 31-31 stalemate that has paralyzed the state.

But Espada did not go back to the Democratic fold for the people. Sources say that a seperate Democratic faction that was getting pretty fed up with the nonsense in Albany (it only took them 31 days) were planning a deal with Senate Republicans that would have given the Republicans a clear majority and would have pushed good ole' Pedro out of contention for a leadership position in the Senate. Only then did Espada go running back to the Democrats, after he made them all look like a bunch of political eunichs.

If you listen to the rhetoric being espoused by Democrats in Albany, you would be hard pressed to find any sincerity. For example, John L. Sampson (D-Brooklyn) said "To all 19.5 million people in the state of New York, we apologize. Sometimes you have a dysfunctional family, dysfunctional family members, but at the end of the day, we understand that we are all one family and we are all home now. Home to stay." Sampson is the new leader of the Democratic caucus (not to be confused with the other two positions being doled out to Democrats: Espada as the majority leader and Malcolm Smith as the president of the Senate), and not a very good analogy maker. Dysfunctional families only hurt themselves with infighting and shame; they tend not to affect 19.5 million people.

Espada's words were even more off of the mark. "Sometimes best friends fight. I never left home. I had a little leave of absence. My brothers and sisters welcomed me back, and we come back stronger than ever." The Democrats are not best friends with Espada (and I would guess that neither are the Republicans). Espada probably ruined a lot of goodwill that the senators may have had with their constituents, as incumbency may be more of a burden for some legislators due to the laughingstock that the New York State Senate has been to the rest of the country as of late (though, as discussed previously, some senators may not have an issue with it). Espada probably thinks that he is best friends with everyone because his ego is so big, but I would venture to guess that he won't be a popular guy in the coming months.

The only statement that resembled reality came from Dean Skelos, the leader of the Senate Republicans. "There are so many factions there that would like to, quite honestly, slit the other factions’ throat. I think it’s going to be very, very difficult to lead and govern." While the whole image of entire factions of Democrats taking razor blades to other Democratic factions' throats in an Albany bloodbath is a little much, Skelos is right in that the Democratic party in New York is in serious discord. It would not surprise me at all if another Democratic faction broke off before year-end. Because, really, how long can you ally yourself with someone who compares himself to Jesus causing a ruckus among the moneychangers at the temple and another person who thinks legitimate criticism of him amounts to a jihad?

At the end of the day, the senators in Albany can be described using a popular colloquialism (in that I heard it yesterday and read it in a book that very same night): ten pounds of shit in a five pound bag. They are a complete and utter embarassment and if more than 5 total get re-elected, then we really do live in Idiot America. If Espada and/or Monseratte are re-elected, the water should be checked in their districts. I am embarassed by Espada, Monseratte, and every senator that did not unequivocally stand up and say that what was going on was wrong (which, by my count, is every senator). But maybe there's a reason no one stood up and said something; because when you shine the light on one cockroach, you shine the light on them all. Peace.

Photos - Malcolm Smith, Bill Perkins, and Pedro Espada enjoy a good laugh at the expense of New Yorkers (Washington Post)

Will Espada and Monseratte Be Re-Elected? Ask Marion Barry

With the New York state senate in complete shambles, Espada and Monseratte may be breathing a bit easier due to the actions of a former D.C. mayor over the weekend. It seems that Marion Barry was arrested for allegedly stalking his ex-girlfriend Donna Watts-Brighthaupt. Reports from Barry, Watts-Brighthaupt, and the police all seem to contradict each other, with Barry saying their meeting was mutual, Watts-Brigthaupt saying she had nothing to do with the arrest, and the police saying that Watts-Brightaupt flagged them down to arrest Barry. Nonetheless, two stark facts remain: Marion Barry is a mess, and Marion Barry continues to be re-elected.

Barry's criminal history is ridiculous, even for a public official. His most infamous arrest came after he was caught on videotape with former girlfriend Hazel Diane "Rasheeda" Moore smoking crack. Despite having videotape evidence of the former mayor smoking crack in a hotel room, Barry was convicted of only one count of cocaine possession (all other charges being thrown out after a mistrial declaration by the judge). Some members of the jury took it upon themselves to dispute facts that not even Barry's lawyer disputed. They believed that the very same government that employed most of them was conspiring against Barry because he was black. Not because he was smoking crack on videotape in a hotel with an ex-con; no. Because he was black.

I'll be the first to decry racism by prosecutors and the government, but one thing people seemed to forget is that he was caught smoking crack on videotape with a sketchy individual (this cannot be repeated too much). It doesn't matter what race you are when you're on tape smoking crack; you're guilty. One would think that a conviction for possession of crack (not to mention a highly embarassing videotape with you muttering "The bitch set me up!" as you're led away in handcuffs) would derail one's political career. Not Marion Barry. Barry continued his mayoral duties through his arrest and trial and ran for a ward seat in DC, but lost. In 1992, after being released from prison, Barry ran successfully for a Ward 8 seat, defeating four-term incumbent Wilhelmina Rolark. He won back the mayorship in 1994, served one term, stepped down, and re-entered politics in Ward 8 again in 2004. Despite several tax issues (which has led to his having probation extended because he does not file his tax returns), he was easily re-elected in 2008.

So why is Marion Barry's political career a good omen for state embarassments Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserrate? Because it shows that you can be a drug addict who does not pay his taxes and still get elected to public office. Espada should expect to get a few indictments by year's end for various misgivings (not living in his district, campaign finance issues) and Monserrate is already under indictment for slashing his girlfriend's face. With all the talk of voting out the incumbents from this year's do-nothing senate, the sad reality is that it will not happen.

So why does Marion Barry continue to get elected? He has two major advantages that alone could boost his poll numbers, but when combined are almost unstoppable (akin to Captain Planet). One, his incumbency. He held the Ward 8 seat before he became mayor the first time; he has significant name recognition. Second, Barry is black. In an area of D.C. that is 93% black, to be an incumbent of the same race of your constituents is huge. Hence, despite his long list of shortcomings, Barry continues to be wildly popular to his constituency while being a punchline of jokes for the rest of the country.

Espada has similar advantages that Barry enjoys. Espada's background (born in Puerto Rico, came to the United States as a five year-old) plays well with his voters, who are predominantly Latino (with Puerto Ricans and Dominicans making up a very large chunk of his electorate). Espada does not shy away from his roots in any way, shape, or form. For example, when he gave a tour of his Bronx "home" he was sure to sport the colors of his homeland. Espada's incumbency and his roots outside of the American mainland will help him tremendously when his reelection campaign is called upon (if he is not a convicted felon at that point and thus precluded from running).

Monserrate enjoys the same kind of demographic advantage. He represents a largely Latino constituency and while Monserrate was born in America, he is of Puerto Rican heritage and has been very active in the Latino community (notably helping to found the Latino Officers Association and winning a very large lawsuit against the NYPD). Combine this with Monserrate's keen attention to the plight of illegal immigrants and his coming incumbency and there is little to indicate that he would be voted out (again, assuming that he is not a convicted felon at that point).

Have Barry, Espada, and Monserrate done good things for their constituents? Probably. Does that give them free reign to do whatever they want (such as smoking crack, not paying taxes, holding an entire state's legislative process hostage)? Absolutely not. But one thing that separates these three from reality is shame. They have none (Monserrate recently compared himself to Jesus post-table tossing in the temple and Espada said that all the ire against him amounted to a "jihad" against him). As long as they hold a position of power, they could care less what the rest of the world thinks about them because at the end of the day they enjoy the perks of being an elected official. While their actions affect a very large group of people, the only folks they have to answer to are their constituents, and they do just enough to stay in their good graces. We're just collateral damage. Peace.

Photos - Barry smoking rock (Washington Post), Espada showing off a photo and some PR pride (NY Daily News), Monserrate (NY Post)

Why Mark Sanford Needs to Resign

I've called for resignations from less-than-faithful governors before, and now I'm doing it again. I was going to call for it earlier before everyone else began to, but the New York state senate continues to reach new levels of incompetence and pettiness and the MTA is screwing over everyday New Yorkers. But the time has come for me to say it: Mark Sanford needs to step down. the same way McGreevey stepped down and the same way that Spitzer stepped down. The writing is on the wall for Sanford.

Even as the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) finds no "misuse" of state funds by Sanford, the stark fact remains: he (or someone within his office) lied to the people of South Carolina. While he told his advisors (or, again, one of his advisors told his constituents) that he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail to recharge his batteries after a brusing legislative session, in reality he was in Argentina with his mistress. A lie about the whereabouts of the executive of the entire state as serious as this one calls for resignation.

But to top that, Sanford is a hypocrite. Not only does he not want gays to be allowed to be married, he doesn't even want them to be allowed to adopt. Meanwhile, he thinks that it's OK to break the sacred vows of marriage that he feels he has a special right to because of his sexual orientation, and to leave his kids on Father's Day weekend to get some with his woman on the side. Now tell me that kids growing up in a stable, loving environment where a same-sex couple love and are faithful to each other and are around for family holidays is more detrimental than a governor who puts his family in the spotlight for his infidelity. Sanford should resign just on the fact that he wants to dictate legislation negatively affecting millions of American citizens but does not want to follow his own reasoning.

Now many people might say that technically Sanford did nothing illegal. That's fine, but he has proven himself to be untrustworthy, a liar, and, to be frank, a scumbag. If that's the kind of guy people do not mind having as governor, then to each his own. But would Mark Sanford have been elected if his potential constituents knew about his affairs and his penchant for either lying to his staff or having someone on his staff lie to his constituents? On top of all this he is treating reporters like therapists and spilling his guts. It's cringe-inducing in its awkwardness. It's like you want to shake him by the shoulders and tell him to shut up and talk to a shrink in private.

I'll give Mark Sanford one concession: reading those emails, he was clearly in love with his Argentinian mistress. It's really no excuse, though, because the vows of marriage are "til death do us part," not "til I find someone else I fall in love with." Sanford needs to focus on his life and his family - something a little more important than him retaining power for whatever reasons he thinks he should. He's like your friend at the bar who has had too much to drink and goes into the whole "I love you guys" speech when everyone else is still semi-sober; you stop him before he embarasses himself, get him home, and let him sleep it off. Sanford needs to do just that; resign, go home, and sleep it off. Peace.

Photo - Mark Sanford (Politico)

Who's to Blame for the MTA Mess? Everyone

While the Doomsday budget was avoided thanks to yet another bailout (this one coming from New York in the form of, among other things, a payroll tax), that doesn't mean that service cuts and fare hikes were not going to happen. Today the single-ride fare for buses and subways went from $2.00 to $2.25 and the monthly went from $81 to $89. It's OK, though, because this is an economic boom time and people have money to burn. Oh, wait...

So who is to blame? Some will blame Albany for not stepping in to completely alleviate the MTA's budgetary issues, others will blame the MTA for allowing things like pensions and other costs get out of control. I, however, will take the middle road and say it is both parties' faults.

First up: Albany. Let's go back to early last year when the buzz phrase was "congestion pricing." Charge a fee to take your car into the most congested areas of Manhattan (below 60th Street) between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. It made sense; if you want the luxury of driving in Manhattan you pay for it. Let's not forget that driving is not a right, it's a privilege. The money generated from said congestion pricing (around $491 million a year) would go to mass transit improvements which are desperately needed, despite it being a great system already). But those in the city and in Albany could not muster the political stones to put it to a vote in the capital, and *POOF* it disappeared like the governor of South Carolina.

Then Albany could not pass a measure as simple and common sense-laden as tolls on East River and Harlem River bridges. Every other bridge and tunnel in the city is tolled, why should these be any different? They could not even pass a measure making it a $2 toll (the same as a MetroCard single ride). Who was one of the "gang of three" (as the Daily News dubbed them)? Pedro freakin' Espada. You can't make this stuff up.

Now onto the MTA. One thing that we hear a lot about now is pensions. Work in a public outfit (police, fire, mass transit) retire in 20 years with a fat pension. The only problem with that is that the contributions workers put into those pension programs do not equal what they receive in the end (with the latter being much more than the former). So who pays for that money? States and municipalities via (you guessed it) your taxes. Pension payments have the ability to bankrupt state and local governments - and that nightmare could become reality if something is not done about it (see California). Massachusetts recognizes the danger that an out-of-control pension system can create and have taken the beginning steps to reign it in.

So what happens when the MTA tries to reel in pension costs by (gasp) asking the future recipients of said pensions to contribute more to their future pensions (akin to a 401k)? The workers strike. Here is the one time that the MTA stood up to the unions, the unions reacted negatively, and the MTA ended up putting its tail between its legs and wetting itself. Then-chairman of the troubled authority, Peter Kalikow, later publicly admitted that it was a mistake to ask workers to put more of their money into a system that gives them money later, saving the general public millions of dollars. Again, you cannot make this up.

So here we are, paying $2.25 a ride while getting service cut during the worst recession in recent memory. We had chances to forestall or maybe even avoid something like this (pension reform, congestion pricing, tolls on untolled bridges), but thanks to a smorgasbord of incompetence from everyone involved, the citizen is left holding the bag (in this case, a bag filled with ineptitude and others' debt). Some people are optimistic, though. Take Debbie Peiser, a hair and makeup artist from the Lower East Side: "It's not like it's an extra dollar each ride. If things are going to improve, then I don't mind it." Her biggest complaint? "I swiped it, and I was expecting a round number." Oh, to be young and naive. Peace.

MTA subway (junkyardparadise's flickr), Albany, where seemingly little gets done (Tyler McCall's flickr),

Welcome to the Party, South Carolina

At 8:40 pm last night I received an excellent BBM message from a dear friend out on the left coast asking an excellent question: "My state is broke, yours is run by children. What's worse?" I told him that was a tough one, but it's nice to now know that New York and California are joined in embarrassment and shame by South Carolina, whose governor ran off to Argentina without telling anyone so that he could indulge in everything that Buenos Aires has to offer - including his mistress. That's right, Governor Mark Sanford traveled nearly 5,000 miles for a booty call (not to mention the nearly 1500 kilos of CO2 that he helped put into the atmosphere).

Of course, this is not the first time that South Carolina's public officials have made the state proud. When all of the Sanford hullabaloo broke before we found out why his wife "wasn't concerned" about him (which makes sense now), there was talk of who would run the state in his absence. Andre Bauer (a friend of the blog in that this blog has multiple posts about him), seized the opportunity for some exposure and possibly some boost in poll numbers by announcing to South Carolina that the governor's staff did not know where the governor was. Bauer and Sanford are not the best of friends (clearly) and Bauer is actually gunning for the governorship next year when Sanford is forced out due to term limits (though it seems at this point that he will not have the incumbent's support).

Sanford also happens to be one of those Republicans who opposes gay marriage. Other than being on the wrong side of history, Sanford really lays his cards out on the table here. In a May 7, 2009 CBS column laying out a case as to how the GOP could save itself, Sanford says "First, get back to the principle of saying what you mean and meaning what you say." Sanford says that marriage is between a man and a woman, yet on Father's Day weekend he flies nearly 5,000 miles to have some "secret rendezvous" as Foreigner would sing it with a woman who was not his wife. Say one thing and try to influence legislation that would negatively affect millions of Americans, but don't follow your own words and treat marriage like a joke. Sanford wants to have his cake and eat it, too.

So I guess Sanford can join John Ensign down at the end of the bar reserved for Republican 2012 hypocrites boosting Romney's and Gingrich's chances for the Republican primary. I bet Sanford is wishing he did take that hike in Appalachia rather than see his other woman in Argentina. But, in his own words, he wanted "to do something more exotic." I bet he did. Peace.

Photo - Mark Sanford (NY Times)

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Monserrate and Espada: Out of Control

Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada, Jr. have taken their egomaniacal actions to astronomical new heights today, with Monserrate comparing himself to Jesus Christ and Espada saying that he is a victim of a "jihad." Monserrate's words came while he was speaking on Al Sharpton's radio show over the weekend at Sharpton's National Action Network. Espada's came while speaking to a Latino advocacy group in the state capital.

Monserrate started his Jesus comparison by saying that he would never compare himself to anyone in the Bible: "You know, I'm never gonna compare myself to anyone in the biblical context." Monserrate went on to say that he remembers Jesus turning over tables in the temple (as if he were there) to get people to do their business correctly. Monserrate compared what he is doing in the state senate to Jesus causing a ruckus in the temples. The irony of Monserrate turning his back on his party to get back at one guy he had a personal beef with being more in line with Judas' actions than Jesus' is apparently lost on him.

Monserrate acknowledges, however, that his actions could cost him politically. He stated, "If it costs my election one day because I decided to turn over a table or two and say business gotta be done different, then so be it." I cannot ignore the horrific grammar offered up by Monserrate. I like my representatives to be smarter than I am (not a very difficult thing to do), and even I know that the phrase "and say business gotta be done different" is cringe-inducing to anyone with more than 5 years of formal schooling - and I don't even need Strunk's Elements of Style to tell me that. If, in fact, Monserrate is elected to another term (that is, assuming he is not a felon at that point and is kicked out the state senate) is elected again, I will do anything I can to avoid Jackson Heights, Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, and Woodside, as well as lose all hope in humanity.

On to moron number 2: Pedro Espada, Jr. He feels that any animosity hurled his way is simply a "jihad" against him, not due to the fact that he is an hubristic, egocentric puppet controlled by a grumpy billionaire who has brought the state's political process to its knees while he deals with some personal problems with Malcolm Smith. Let's again look at the word jihad. Because of a distortion from a radical group of Muslim extremists, many people mistake the whole theory of jihad to be death to any non-believer of Islam. In reality, jihad is an inner struggle to live one's life in the way that Allah would like. So to be clear, Espada might benefit from a jihad, in so much that it requires personal reflection and a correction of one's errors in judgment and actions.

These two state senators are out of control in terms of their egocentrism. You cannot make it up: Monserrate is comparing himself to Jesus Christ and Espada claims that there is a jihad against him. The saddest thing about all of this is that Monserrate and Espada actually believe what they are saying, and that's where things get dangerous. Almost everyone sees through these two clowns; the Daily News excoriated Espada over his living quarters after a staged tour of his "residence" in the Bronx. And no one's forgotten about Monserrate slashing his girlfriend's face open with broken glass. Jesus certainly never did that to anyone. Peace.

Photos - Monserrate at the National Action Network on Saturday (NY Daily News), Espada pulling a Vanna White in his Bronx "home" (NY Daily News)

Dumb and Dumber: Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada

Anyone in the tri-state area knows that the embarrassment that is Albany has reached new heights the past week, with two state senators defecting from the Democratic side of the aisle to caucus with the Republicans. The two flip-floppers, Hiram Monserrate of Queens and Pedro Espada of the Bronx (or Mamaroneck, but more on that later), claimed that they pulled their childish antics - which held the legislative process hostage during a crucial time for lawmakers - for their constituents, for the people of New York, to change how things in Albany are done. When you peel back the thin veneer of false justification, however, it's clear what really motivated the coup: a grumpy billionaire upset about his taxes, personal beef with fellow senators, and straight-up narcissism.

Let's start with the grumpy billionaire. His name is Tom Golisano. In a nutshell, he helped Malcolm A. Smith (the politician formerly known as state senate president) and fellow Democrats take control of the political body by throwing money into their campaign coffers. For this, he felt that Smith should not tax him and his fellow noblemen. Smith went ahead and did anyway, and that did not leave big man Golisano happy. When Smith did not pay the requisite attention Golisano thought his presence deserved, he devised a plan to oust Smith from his seat as president and majority leader.

If Golisano wanted Smith out as majority leader, he would need a new majority. That's where Golisano's top political adviser, Steve Pigeon, comes in. Pigeon is a good friend of Pedro Espada, who also had beef with Malcolm A. Smith. See, Espada had backed Malcolm Smith in his bid for the state senate presidency and when Smith gained that position, Espada wanted some perks, including an extra capital office, $100 Gs for office rent back in his Bronx district and a bunch more staff members. Smith said no.

But getting only one Democrat to switch sides would leave the state senate in a 31-31 tie. To fully ensure that Smith was dethroned, one more state senator was needed. Enter Hiram Monserrate, who is most known for slashing his girlfriend in the face with broken glass. Monserrate has made no bones about his motives for switching; he's already moved back to the Democrats' side, saying he's happy that Smith is no longer the leader.

So it's an hierarchy of puppetry going on here, with billionaire Tom Golisano holding the strings that control Pedro Espada, who, in turn, holds the strings to Hiram Monserrate. It seems that Monserrate's strings have broken a bit as he returned to caucus with the Democrats. In the end, though, Golisano could not have picked more ethical, law-abiding politicians.

Pedro Espada is under two investigations as we speak. He's already been fined over $60,000 the past few years for failing to properly document campaign contributions. On top of that, his first investigation involves a non-profit that he is in charge of. Back in 2005, three employees of Espada's Soundview Health Center pleaded guilty to diverting $30,000 in money meant for family programs and AIDS programs at the clinic to Espada's fruitless campaign for Bronx borough president in 2001. Some of the other actions the clinic had been accused of was taking food meant for AIDS patients and giving it to Espada campaign workers.

The second Espada investigation involves his legal residency. A state senator must live in his district, and while Espada has a condo in the Bronx, his neighbors say they never see him and it's reported that his district offices are not even set up yet. New York AG Cuomo is looking into whether Espada instead resides in Mamaroneck rather than the Bronx.

Now onto Monserrate. He is currently under indictment for slashing his girlfriend's face, which required 20 stitches to close (and now has him facing felony assault charges). While he says it was an accident and that he tripped and fell while getting her a glass of water, there is supposedly videotape evidence that will convict him (according to law enforcement sources) that also caused a judge's "blood to boil." His girlfriend originally said that Monserrate beat her, but then did a 180 and now will not cooperate with police. As if beating a woman is not enough, Monserrate is also under investigation on whether a nonprofit group financed by Monserrate used city money to help campaign for him (which cannot be determined because, as the Times says, its books "disappeared.")

So don't get confused; Monserrate and Espada aren't doing any of this for you, the taxpaying resident of New York. They're doing it to get back at Smith, they're doing it to get their names in the paper and feed their hubristic self-images, they're doing it because they're some billionaire's puppets. As if we did not get this message clearly enough, they decided to take in a Mets-Yankees game in the city while Albany lay in chaos because of their actions. I mean, these are two people, one of which whose workers took food from AIDS patients for his campaign workers and the other who beat up his girlfriend. John Liu, a Queens councilman, sums it up nicely while referring to Monserrate's antics: "I personally think he's having the time of his life." Yeah, but at our expense. Peace.

Photos - Monserrate and Espada taking in a Mets-Yankees game (NY Daily News), Grumpy billionaire Tom Golisano (NY Times), Monserrate and Espada debating whose hubris is more out of control (NY Daily News)