Bill says it best (via email):

Bronx, NY – Today Bronx voters sent a clear message to Albany lawmakers with the defeat of disgraced incumbent State Senator Pedro Espada. Voters are fed up with the corrupt practices of Albany and want lawmakers to fundamentally change the way they conduct business on behalf of the people. That is why they elected New Roosevelt Initiative-endorsed candidate Gustavo Rivera. New Yorkers want to see real reform enacted immediately and are willing to send young, bright progressive-minded candidates to Albany who will get the job done.

Many said defeating Pedro Esapda, the incumbent State Senator, would be an uphill battle. New Roosevelt was the first organization to endorse Rivera, in a crowded primary field, more than two months ago and saw him as the best shot to beat Espada and bring reform to Albany. New Roosevelt built from scratch a field organization totally devoted to Albany reform and executed a targeted field and mail operation directed at Bronx primary voters as well as polling and get out the vote efforts. We are proud to help make the defeat of Espada a reality.

With this victory we are sending a message to both Republicans and Democrats that if major reform measures are not in enacted soon, they may face the same fate as Espada in 2012.

Rivera's victory comes at the end of a day apparently filled with campaign shenanigans by the disgraced loser - sounds sweet, doesn't it? - and can safely be considered a necessary step to draining the Albany swamp.

Interesting question via Twitter: With ex-majority leader Bruno's sentencing for fraud scheduled for today, will his former cohorts in the republican Senate minority return his campaign donations?

Stay tuned.

Behold the majesty of representative government.

Exhibit A: Democratic Senator Ruben Diaz about the most recent - as of this writing, no guarantee that this is current - meltdown by Democratic Senator Kevin Parker:

"He needs help," "He lost control of himself."

Exhibit B: Parker responds by calling Diaz a homophobe. Which is, you know, kinda true. Certainly the good Reverend thinks more about gay sex then do actual gay people; take it from me.

Exhibit C: Democratic Majority Leader Pedro Espada gets hit with yet another lawsuit courtesy of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, this time alleging yet another rip-off of widows and orphans, in a matching set with Cuomo's recent suit alleging the embezzlement of thirteen more than fourteen million dollars by Pedro. Needless to say, Pedro is presently howling victimhood.

New Yorkers have some hard choices to make about the people we send to represent us.

At the rate they're going, New York's state legislature, and in particular the Senate, might just as well end the farce, leave the building, and set it on fire.

If you haven't been paying attention, this is what happened: a Democratic state Senator, one Hiram Monserrate, was found guilty of slashing his girlfriend in the face last year before Christmas. However, there are degrees of guilt, apparently, leaving a hole large enough for none other than bigoted shitbag Ruben Diaz to jump through.

The New York Times:

Calls for Mr. Monserrate to resign drew angry responses from his allies, including Senator Rubén Díaz Sr. of the Bronx. “Senator Monserrate was found guilty of trying to do good by forcing his girlfriend to go to the hospital for treatment,” Mr. Diaz said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.

Actually, that wasn't the point of the whole matter. It's not as if Mr. Monserrate's companion had been in need of treatment before he, well, slashed her face with a broken glass.  read more »

Big news of the day: Senate Democrats worked out a deal with Pedro Espada, the defector who decided to vote with republicans, taking away their majority in the process and declaring himself, with questionable legality, to be President pro tem of the Senate and first in line in the gubernatorial succession.

But never mind. They took him back and rewarded him for his treachery with the Majority Leadership. This after they spent the last four weeks trashing the traitor. But surely, this time around, having been bought off with a title and power, Espada will remain loyal. What could possibly go wrong?

And people wonder why New Yorkers are cynical about their government.