At the risk of irritating my friend Mole and interrupting his jihad against the Working Families Party, let me point you towards the party's Mayoral forum tonight. All three major-party contenders have confirmed attendance.

The Forum begins at 5:30 today, and you can watch it either here or on WFP's web site, here. The lineup per Liz is Mayor Bloomberg at 6 PM, Councilman Avella at 6:25, and Comptroller Bill Thompson at 7:25.  read more »

The new Marist Poll came out today - results here - and the numbers are devastating. There's no upside here for anyone. Democrats and republicans are damaging the very fabric of government.

Who's to blame?

When it comes to pointing a finger at who’s to blame for the current Senate fiasco, voters divide. 38% say it’s the Democrats while 39% put the onus on the Republicans. 23% are unsure. Not surprisingly, majorities within both the Democratic and Republican parties blame their rival party. Non-enrolled voters divide. Breaking down the numbers by region, a plurality of voters in New York City — 47% — blames the Republicans. A plurality in the suburbs — 46% — points a finger at the Democrats. Upstate voters divide with 40% blaming the Republicans and 37% blaming the Democrats.

How is the Senate performing?

65% of New York State registered voters say the job the New York State Senate in Albany is doing is a poor one. Just 11% of the state’s electorate says the legislative body is doing either an excellent or good job. And, while Democrats and Republicans may not agree about their overall political ideas, they do agree that the Senate’s performance is shoddy. 64% of Democrats and 66% of Republicans view the Senate’s performance as poor. 67% of non-enrolled voters agree.

Long-term effects:

Looking down the road, 61% of the New York State electorate believes the Senate will be less effective in the future as a result of the current battle in the chamber. 31%, however, believe the body will be more effective. 61% of Democrats and 57% of Republicans view the impact on the Senate’s future actions as negative while 66% of non-enrolled voters concur.

The Senators need to wake up and realize that at this point, it's not about control, power or their member items anymore. It's about the institutions of the state and the legislative body they serve in.

Update: a reader emails and points out another key data point: A whopping 84% of registered voters report that, from what they have heard, the situation is nothing more than a political power play. In fact, just 12% view the wrangling as a serious effort to bring reform to Albany. Considering that the "Bipartisan reform coalition" or whatever the Espadaites are calling themselves these days derive their sole justification for overturning an election from claims to reform, that's devastating.  read more »

Mayor Bloomberg wades into Federal waters with an op-ed in today's Daily News. Key grafs:

The principles that President Obama has outlined for national health care reform are driven by a goal that I share: universal access to affordable health care. Last week, I went to Washington to speak with members of Congress about an idea that can help make that goal a reality: a public health insurance option.

Today, most Americans get their health coverage from private insurers. A public health insurance option would create a competitor to private insurers that could potentially drive down costs across the board. I support the concept of a public plan, because if it's done right, it means introducing exactly the kind of competition our system needs.

Snip, snip.

A public option would be particularly beneficial to areas where just a few insurance companies control most of the market. This is especially true of cities. According to the American Medical Association, 94% of metropolitan areas in the United States are dominated by one company or a small group of companies. This kind of anti-competitive concentration protects private insurers from ever having to feel the urgency to provide more for less. When you don't have to find ways to cut costs and produce a better product, you tend not to do it. The public option offers the opportunity to force the system to innovate, evolve and improve.

It's very Bloombergian to make this argument by pointing out cost and efficiency benefits. It's also worth thinking about the potential financial benefits to the City from a Federal solution to the healthcare crisis; a report from January by the Citizens Budget Commission attributes rising City personnel costs in part to the increasing cost of healthcare for the City's 280,000 employees.

Nice going, Mr. Mayor. It's appreciated.  read more »

The New York Times:

In a landmark ruling Thursday that could usher in an era of greater freedom for gays and lesbians in India, New Delhi’s highest court decriminalized homosexuality.

Homosexuality has been illegal in India since 1861, when British rulers codified a law prohibiting “carnal intercourse against the order of nature.”

Now watch Ruben Diaz, noted bigot and Democratic Senator in good standing, put together a protest rally. Diaz is always good for the crazy, after all.

Via Gawker, more dismaying news from the media landscape: Vibe, the New York City based bible of Hip Hop, shut down yesterday.

As Vibe says on its web site:

VIBE magazine is the definitive voice of urban culture, influencing global music, life, and style engaging more than nine million people around the world, each month. The award-winning publication is the nation's leader in reporting entertainment, fashion, politics, and culture features for a multicultural audience in print and online. VIBE's innovation, journalistic integrity, brand equity, and overall swagger make it the No. 1 reference choice among male and female trendsetters in small and large cities in the U.S. and abroad.

One by one, our publishing icons fall by the wayside.