Did Senate Co-leader Jeff Klein's last second attempt to hijack a bill sponsored by State Senator Golden break other GOP-IDC agreements that had been made to pass 9/10ths of the Cuomo Womens Agenda?
Senate co-leader Jeffrey Klein’s surprise last-minute push to get a vote on Gov. Cuomo's measure to strengthen abortion rights may have helped the one group he detests the most in the state senate - his colleagues among the NYS Senate's Democratic Caucus (See "Sen. Jeff Klein's Abortion Push May Actually Help The NY Senate Democrats" by Ken Lovett, 6/24/13, NY Daily News/ Daily Politics [http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2013/06/sen-jeff-kleins-abortion-push-may-actually-helped-the-ny-senate-democrats]).
Jeff Klein made some of his "GOP partners" furious when, on the last day of the legislative session, he tried to implement a little-used state senate procedure to force a vote on the abortion plank of The Cuomo Womens Agenda .
For those not familiar with the arrangement of the New York State Senate, Klein, along with three other Democrats had formed the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC); and those Democrats, and a couple of others who came on board later, entered into an unprecedented bipartisan coalition in the New York State Senate. The handfull of IDC Democrats, along with all the senate Republicans to run the chamber instead of the Democratic majority caucus.
Now, some Democrat insiders are saying that, because Klein's recent abortion rights amendment actually failed by only one vote — with no GOPers backing it — Klein has now given Senate Democrats a major issue with which to target a few vulnerable Republicans around the state heading into next year's crucial election battle for control of the chamber. Meanwhile, there are also questions whether the unexpected move by Klein irreparably harmed the 2013 bipartisan coalition running the State Senate.
Senate Deputy GOP Leader Thomas Libous says it hasn't, arguing that the two sides knew they would never agree on all issues. But Klein didn't seem quite so sure, saying, "I hope it can recover."
4 comments:
I feel that if I live another 100 years Marty Golden and Chuck Schumer will still be around. Always around.
Their nicknames should be "Death" and "Taxes" !
And remember, death does not excuse you from the duty to pay taxes if they are due.
I get the feeling:
1- Sal Albanese will be the next Mayor
2- John Gangemi will win the BP by a landslide
3- Sofia Vegara will start stalking me.
UPDATE: The same "hostile amendment" tactic was used on another Golden-sponsored bill to get a vote on a proposed statewide campaign financing law (the proposal was attached as a "hostile amendment" to State Senator. Martin Golden’s bill allowing NYC to return to the old lever machines for the upcoming citywide elections). The effort was defeated only because three Democrats – Sens. Ruben Diaz Sr., Malcolm Smith and Simcha Felder – voted “no” along with the GOP caucus on the question of whether the amendment was "germane." (See "Fair Elections Protestors To Greet Skelos, Klein & Grisanti" by Liz Benjamin, 6/27/13, YNN Capital Tonight [http://capitaltonightny.ynn.com/2013/06/fair-elections-protestors-to-greet-skelos-klein-grisanti/]).
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