Meanwhile...
As the dust settles from Super Tuesday, leaving the Democratic race in an unsettled state - who's the frontrunner today? - it's worthwhile to take a look at what's happening sub rosa in our own state.
The biggest political question for New Yorkers, if not necessarily top of mind, is not whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama secure the Democratic nomination, or how either of them will take on John McCain or, haha, Mittens Romney. It is, rather, the scandalizing condition of our own state government, run by a bi-partisan legislative incumbency whose last interest is in the wishes of New Yorkers themselves. The dividing line between reactionary rot and the will of the people in New York is not a partisan one. It runs, rather, between meticulously protected incumbents and everyone else, including you.
And on that front as well, we finally see change, with a welcome convergence between the national and the state narrative of change. As Barack Obama said, "the world as it is is not the world as it has to be."
Consider this: Sheldon Silver, iron-fisted Albany patriarch of things as they are, elected to his seat in 1976, finally has a challenger in the Democratic primary. That challenger is Paul Newell, who made what can and should be considered a first major foray into the electoral arena yesterday, reaching out to core Democratic primary voters at polling places; Shelly, meanwhile, was presumably as always absent in Albany, polishing the levers of the machine that keeps him in power and the State Assembly a joke that ceased being funny a generation ago.
Also new on the horizon is one Dan Squadron, running to unseat Marty Connor. Now, the State Senate is characterized by a special kind of rot, remarkable even in the gangrenous universe of New York State politics. Ruled by republicans, it has a fair number of decent Democrats, and a larger amount of what can charitably be called time-serving, check-collecting deadwood. Among the Democrats, Connor is neither the best nor the worst, and like all of them, he is essentially powerless. This should be a real point of debate - how does one evaluate a Senator who, even with the best of intentions, or the worst, has to count the acquisition of office supplies as a major victory, wrung with cost from a republican majority?
Whether Connor is sufficiently in touch with a rapidly changing and developing district is another question up for debate. Judging by Ken Diamondstone's showing last time around, the answer to that may be no. And, if it's posited that what elected Democrats in this state really need is a healthy fear of being ousted from their larded perches, that may well be a rather good thing.
The fear of the gallows has a remarkable way of sharpening the mind. The fear of defeat may prove similarly productive; and New York Democrats need a wake-up call.
As Atrios says: more and better Democrats, please.
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Albany Reform | Progressive Movement | Dan Squadron | Paul Newell
Connor and Shelly
Submitted by mole333 on 6 February 2008 - 11:02pm.
There is no question that Albany needs reform. Our first priority is of course is to win the State Senate. That puts Jimmy Dahroug as one of our main candidates (latest here). Our second priority is to pick a couple more State Senate seats to target beyond backing Dahroug. I am not as up on what other State Senate seats are best to target, though I have heard of a couple of Republicans who seem vulnerable (e.g. Maltese). But I don't know much about our candidates going up against Republican State Senators other than Dahroug.
Beyond atrgeting those two or three State Senate seats we need to ensure a Dem majority, we really do have to weed out some of our own dead wood. Shelly Silver may be better than his Senate counterpart, Joe Bruno, but he is still an obstacle to good government. Replacing him with some new blood would help a lot...if we can do it. The Albany constipation would be eased considerably without Joe Bruno and Shelly Silver.
Marty Connor is one of those politicians that I wish I could like. As a nerdy guy myself, I appreciate brainy, cynical, sarcastic people. But Marty's problem is he has lost perspective in when cynicism stops and getting things done starts. I have heard him brag about things that really aren't great accomplishments and comlpain about problems in a way that comes off far more whiney than I think he intends. I think he has the brains and know how to be a great legislator...but somewhere along the way he lost any inclination or enthusiasm to do anything. Albany probably does that to people. I see Marty as a casualty of the Albany constipation. And his reaction to Diamondstone's challenge was not encouraging. Rather than recognizing that he needed to reconnect with the community, he got angry that anyone would dare challenge him. Had he reconnected with the actual PEOPLE in the community, he might have done better. Ken did excellently in Brooklyn, but has no pull in Manhattan.
Dan Squadron strikes me as having more credibility in Manhattan. Am I right that that is his main focus? Or is he also Brooklyn? If he challenges in Manhattan, and Ken challenges in Brooklyn (and he seems to be running if the Act Blue site is any indication), and Marty once again fails to actually interact with the hoi polloi and be FRIENDLY, then Marty might have a very hard time holding his seat. In that circumstance Dan seems to have the best shot, I suspect. If Ken and Dan are splitting the same pool of voters, though, Marty should have no problem holding on.
Can Marty rediscover enthusiasm for his job and lose the cynical, off-putting attitude? Can Ken and Dan team up to hit Marty in both ends of the district? Maybe some who know the principles better than I can answer.
Some perspective
Submitted by Gothanonymous Reader (not verified) on 7 February 2008 - 11:31am.
1) Squadron won't run for Yassky's seat; he lives in DeBlasio's district, which might actually be a good place for him, since his Jewish connections might be more useful in Borough Park against a pack of Brownstone liberals, than in a race against an incumbent with a strong base among the Orthodox Jewish leadership.
2) I'm not sure Squadron is particularly Manhattan oriented; he's lives in Carroll Gardens Brooklyn, and has had little or no civic involvement in either Borough. At any rate, Brownstone Brooklyn is less than a quarter of this district; almost 2/3rds of the vote comes from Manhattan, and it the district has heavy populations of Latinos, Asians, Seniors and Orthodox Jews, all hard to penetrate, and all likely to remain loyal to the incumbent.
3) A divided race ensures Connor's re-lection. He will hold his base, with little but minor erosions. He could be beat if someone runs strongly outside that base, but not if those outside his base divide.
Most of his contributors come from Manhattan...
Submitted by Gothanonymous Reader (not verified) on 7 February 2008 - 1:18pm.
...or Westchester, but mostly not from the ditrict itself. Even there they scew to thewhite wealthy or gentrifying areas. The district is not much more than half white, if that, and some of that is Orthodox Jews or seniors living in Mitchell-Lamas.
Silver, Squadron, Etc.
Good post, but wasn't Shelly at the Giant's celebration in his district yesterday? Also, wouldn't residents in his district lose out if he is replaced?
As for Squadron, I think his major obstacle will be the Senate district itself, which covers several areas outside of Brownstone Brooklyn. Usually, a campaign of that sort requires ground troops in each neighborhood. Not an easy task, but one that will be interesting to watch.
Not to take your post away from its initial subject, the State Senate, but do you think Squadron joins the race to replace Yassky if he loses the Senate race? Also, does Diamondstone run in either race?