One of the fundamental problems with Albany politics, whether it is in the past with the Four Amigos, or currently with the IDC, is that Dems don't act like Dems. This has meant that even when we control both houses of the legislature, incompetence and/or personal ego swings control back to the Greedy Oil Party.
From Senator Valesky earlier this year:
The 29 current Republican senators share control of the upper house thanks to the five rogue IDC members who caucus with them. Another Democrat, who is unaffiliated with the IDC— Simcha Felder of Brooklyn—also caucuses with the Republicans, giving the coalition a 35-member voting majority....
“For the Republicans this race is existential. They’re in a fight for their lives. They can’t afford to lose anything,” said Larry Levy, the dean of Hofstra’s National Center for Suburban Studies. “That adds a level of energy and effort on the Republican side that you may not see on the Democrats’ side. Even if they pick up seats, there is still no guarantee that they will control the house on the possibility that they would lose the Independent Caucus to the Democrats.”
So we HAVE to treat this as our best chance to defeat the Republicans and marginalize the IDC. THIS is the year that could bring the Dems back in power.
That is the bottom line. Whatever dancing the folks who are elected as Dems but caucus with the Repubs do, the bottom line is that there have been times when they could have given the majority to the Dems but refused to do so. They are currently saying they will now, but I am a cynic and doubt them, and I also figure they got something in a back room deal to entice them to switch. That kind of dealing didn't work well when it was the Four Amigos, and I am cynical about it working now. PLUS there are weird, potentially illegal deals going on to actually strengthen the Dems who caucus with the Republicans.
So, the IDC is untrustworthy. I would love if if they did the right thing, but prefer not to rely on their integrity. We failed to defeat the IDC in primaries. Well, that is our failure and kudos to them.
But it leaves us with ONE AND ONLY ONE route to reforming Albany. And anyone who has complained about Albany has to get on board and fight. We have to flip some Greedy Oil Party seats to Dem. If we do that we marginalize the IDC, improve our position in Albany, and may well force the people elected as Dems who caucus as Repubs to caucus with the party that elected them.
Reform is not a magic word. It is a goal that takes a fuck load of effort to achieve. THIS is what we need to do RIGHT NOW if we want to talk reform. Make the IDC obsolete!
These are the race we need to win...and you can donate to them through my Reform Albany 2014 Act Blue site.
Dave Denenberg NY-SD-08
Endorsed by Social Justice PAC, Empire State Pride Agenda, National Organization of Women, New York League of Conservation Voters,Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood Advocates of New York, Naral Pro-Choice, and UAW.
Donate to Dave Denenberg for State Senate.
James Kemmerer NY-SD-22
Jamie Kemmerer is running against Republican Marty Golden. This is one of our top chances to flip a State Senate seat from Repub to Dem and Kemmerer is already building a strong campaign. I have met Jamie Kemmerer and found him intelligent, articulate, and very much ready to take on the corrupt Marty Golden.
Jamie has been endorsed by NYC Americans for Democratic Action, Democracy for New York City, Brooklyn Young Democrats, Brooklyn-Queens NOW PAC, 504 Democrats (disabled rights), Lambda Independent Democrats, Empire State Pride Agenda, NOW, Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and Jim Owls Democratic Club. This is our next step to making Albany actually functional!
Find out more on Jamie's website:
http://jameskemmerer.com/
Donate to Jamie Kemmerer's run for State Senate.
Justin Wagner. NY-SD-40
Endorsed by NARAL Pro-Choice New York, Empire State Pride Agenda, Communications Workers and Grocery Workers, and the NY Times.
Donate to Justin Wagner for State Senate.
Terry Gipson, NY-SD-41
Endorsed by New York League Of Conservation Voters, AFL-CIO, NARAL Pro-Choice New York, Empire State Pride Agenda, and Planned Parenthood Advocates of New York
Donate to Terry Gipson for State Senate.
Cecilia Tkaczyk, NY-SD-46
Endorsed by League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, New York State Nurses Association, Empire State Pride Agenda, Planned Parenthood, and MoveOn.org.
Donate to Cecilia Tkacxyk for State Senate.
Marc Panepinto, NY-SD-60
Endorsed by NYSUT, UAW, UFCW Local One, SEIU 32BJ, 1199 SEIU, Laborers Local 210, CWA, National Association of Letter Carriers #3, Local Union 97 IBEW, Western New York Community Action Council Region 9 UAW
Donate to Marc Panepinto for State Senate.
These are the critical races for taking the State Senate, defeating the reactionary Republicans, and marginalizing the unreliable IDC.
Donate or volunteer now because THIS is the moment we have all been waiting for to flip the State Senate.
