Two Assembly races in Brooklyn had some interesting results, according to the NYS Board of Elections results.

Steven Cymbrowitz, a Democrat, got almost as many votes on the Republican line as on the Democratic line (he also got a few hundred votes on the WFP line -- the totals are: 11,015-10,320-538).

Dov Hikind, ostensibly a Democrat, actually got A MAJORITY of his votes (55.6%) on the Republican line (10,521 vs. 8,397).

In both cases, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by slightly more than 3-1. It appears that the "base" for these guys doesn't lie with their official party affiliation.

It seems to me that in a body that is more than 2-1 Democratic, in a state governed by a Democrat, the party can afford to push harder, especially in "safe" districts, for Democrats who don't appeal so much to Republicans.

The supporters and endorsers of Sheldon Silver's bid to retain his seat, and therefore the Speaker's chair, generally maintain that we may finally have the opportunity to pass major bills such on marriage equality, education finance reform, rent regulation, and so on. The underlying threat is that if Silver loses then those bills won't pass.

How's that again?

Suppose, just for the fun of it, that lightning strikes, the earth shakes, and Silver loses. The immediate result would be a mad scramble for leadership in the Assembly, and the only guarantee is that nobody knows who would win. Well, almost the only guarantee -- for whoever wins will have to promise to push forward exactly those reforms that Silver's supporters are talking about.  read more »