Soundpolitic

Rolling Stone: Schneiderman vs. Obanker

2011-08-26T11:01:00.000-04:00

Has Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi been keeping tabs on our very own Phillip Anderson's continuing TAP coverage of Attorney General Scheiderman's refusal to cave in to Obama's bank cartel settlement deal?

I would assume both citizen journalists came to it themselves, but the new RS blog by Taibbi is a welcome addition to the voices bringing this issue up. I recieved it from former State Senate candidate David Weiss in an e-mail, and I hope this gets more attention. Fat chance it will break through Very Important Nonstop Hurricane Updates, but I implore you, check out Taibbi's full article if these choice quotes mean anything to you:

Obama Goes All Out For Dirty Banker Deal

::

The idea behind this federally-guided “settlement” is to concentrate and centralize all the legal exposure accrued by this generation of grotesque banker corruption in one place, put one single price tag on it that everyone can live with, and then stuff the details into a titanium canister before shooting it into deep space.

This is all about protecting the banks from future enforcement actions on both the civil and criminal sides. The plan is to provide year-after-year, repeat-offending banks like Bank of America with cost certainty, so that they know exactly how much they’ll have to pay in fines (trust me, it will end up being a tiny fraction of what they made off the fraudulent practices) and will also get to know for sure that there are no more criminal investigations in the pipeline.

::

So this deal being cooked up is the ultimate Papal indulgence. By the time that $20 billion (if it even ends up being that high) gets divvied up between all the major players, the broadest and most destructive fraud scheme in American history, one that makes the S&L crisis look like a cheap liquor store holdup, will be safely reduced to a single painful but eminently survivable one-time line item for all the major perpetrators.

::

Why? My theory is that the Obama administration is trying to secure its 2012 campaign war chest with this settlement deal. If Barry can make this foreclosure thing go away for the banks, you can bet he’ll win the contributions battle against the Republicans next summer.

Which is good for him, I guess. But it seems to me that it might be time to wonder if is this the most disappointing president we’ve ever had.

Emphasis mine - SP

The same fellow who e-mailed this to me began calling him Obummer a couple years back. Now, with this, it's worth it to add "Obanker" to the list of worthy aliases attributable to this mockery of a president.

Why I Stand With Senator Sanders

2010-12-12T20:03:00.000-05:00

It's currently being suggested that the "compromise" between President Obama and the GOP is a good deal. The mainstream media, which of course is owned by incredibly monied interests with a huge stake in this deal, has all weekend been trumpeting a brief appearance by former President Clinton in support of this "compromise." This is the same mainstream media which ignored a much longer appearance by a much more heroic figure which captured the hearts and minds of this nation via internet streaming and social networking sites.

By now, you must have heard of The Bernie Sanders Filibuster. Yes, I know, it wasn't a real filibuster because it wasn't actually blocking a vote. But what it was was a super-human, super-progressive display of endurance and speaking truth to power. At over eight and a half hours, it was not only the truth, but it was the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Senator Sanders stood on the floor on the Senate and kept going, explaining why this "compromise" is a very bad deal.

He explained why the tax cut extensions were bad, why the free trade deals are bad, why the reduction in estate taxes are bad, why everything that you and I know are bad are bad. Essentially, it was the progressive platform that any progressive should be in agreement with 100% and should be getting behind 100%.

Because Senator Sanders said it so well, I'm compelled to simply let Bernie speak for himself. Up here, you may view the beginning of the speech in video form. Below the fold, I'll simply snip the best of the best from the transcript as it was entered into the Congressional Record, all 124 pages of it. But before that, let me tell you how I heard this was happening and how I experienced the speech myself.

It was Friday, and I did not get a call to work that day as a driver helper for UPS. I was just finishing my first week back to work in nearly two years. So around noon-time I picked up my first paycheck in two, proud to see that I was finally contributing state and federal payroll taxes again, and decided to hop over to my father's to get my laundry done in preparation for another week of work. Naturally, I was trolling about the internet, checking my Facebook page and the news sites. Suddenly, I was altered that Senator Sanders, who I heard speak on a conference call with Democracy for America earlier in the week, had been filibustering the tax "compromise" deal for the past four hours. I found the feed on C-SPAN2 and was instantly captivated. Any progressive should have been. I then headed over to my fathers, and had him and his fiancee (a Vermont constituent of Sen. Sanders) turn the feed on as well.

I tell you now: sharing that event with my struggling family meant far more to any of us than when we watched the Democratic convention in 2008, or the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009. We were finally seeing a representative doing their job the way it was meant to be done, not just speaking in political platitudes to win an election or rise his standings in the polls. We saw a Senator just telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time Senator Sanders got to the point of reading letters from his constituents telling how they are freezing because heat oil is too high and having to choose between groceries for their children and gasoline to drive to and from work, there were tears in our eyes. The same tears that nearly well up in a strange concoction of anger and sadness now that I hear some of my progressive friends proclaiming that, somehow, this is a "good deal."

Here's the beginnig of the speech from YouTube. Below the fold, excerpts from the speech's transcript as it appears in the Congressional Record. Watch it; read it; then ask yourself if you stand with the GOP and Obama...or with Senator Bernie Sanders.

(Cross-posted on The Albany Project)

All emphasis added is my own. The excerpts are in chronological order. All I ask if you wish to comment is that you don't address my own words in the introduction; do you best to argue with Senator Sanders' words, and see if you can do better.

But here we are today with a $13.8 trillion national debt, a $1.4 trillion deficit, and almost all Americans are in agreement that this is a very serious issue. So the first point I would make is that it seems to me to be unconscionable--unconscionable--for my conservative friends and for everybody else in this country to be driving up this already too high national debt by giving tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires who don't need it, and in a number of cases they don't even want it.

We have been told not to worry too much because the extension of these tax breaks for the wealthy will only last 2 years--not to worry. Maybe that is the case. But given the political reality I have seen in Washington, my guess is that 2 years from now these tax breaks for the wealthiest people in this country will be extended again. What happens around here is that the argument will be made that if you end these tax breaks you are raising taxes. That is what we are hearing right now. I see no reason why, in the middle of a Presidential election, those arguments will not be made again and I see no reason not to believe that those tax breaks will be extended again.

This agreement between the President and the Republican leadership also calls for a continuation of the Bush era 15-percent tax rate on capital gains and dividends, meaning that those people who make their living off their investments will continue to pay a substantially lower tax rate than firemen, teachers, nurses, carpenters, and virtually all the other working people of this country. I do not think that is fair. That is wrong.

Here is the important point I think many people do not know. I have to confess my Republican friends and their pollsters and their language people have done a very good job. This is the so-called death tax. I think all over America people say this is terrible. I have $50,000 in the bank and I want to leave that to my kids and the Government is going to take 55 percent of that, 35 percent of that. What an outrage.

Let us be very clear: This tax applies only--only--to the top three-tenths of 1 percent of American families; 99.7 percent of American families will not pay one nickel in an estate tax. This is not a tax on the rich, this is a tax on the very, very, very rich.

The above quotations are all available in the YouTube video above the fold, in case any of you are unable to access it. From here on out, it's part of the 8 hours and twenty minutes that Senator Sanders continued speaking, continued fighting, continued to tell the truth.

On the Social Security payroll tax "holiday:"

What the President and others are saying is not to worry because that money will be covered by the general fund. That is a very bad and dangerous precedent. Up until now, what Social Security has been about is 100 percent funding from payroll contributions, not from the general tax base. Once again, this is a 1-year program. The loss of revenue going into Social Security can be covered by the general fund. But we have a $13 trillion national debt. How much longer will the general fund put money into Social Security? Is it a good idea for the general fund to be doing that?

I would argue this is not a good idea.

Even though Social Security contributed nothing to the current economic crisis, it has been bartered in a deal that provides deficit-busting tax cuts for the wealthy. Diverting $120 billion in Social Security contributions for a so-called ``tax holiday'' may sound like a good deal for workers now, but it's bad business for the program that a majority of middle-class seniors will rely upon in the future.

On better things to spend the money on:

Economists on both ends of the political spectrum believe that if we are serious about addressing the horrendous economic crisis we are in now, 9.8 percent unemployment, there are far more effective ways of creating the jobs we have to create than those tax proposals. With corporate America already sitting on close to $2 trillion cash on hand, it is not that our friends in corporate America don't have any money, we have to help them. They have $2 trillion cash on hand. The problem is not in my view that corporate taxes are too high; it is that the middle class simply doesn't have the money to purchase the goods and products that make our economy go and create jobs.
I think if our goal is to create the millions and millions of jobs we need, and if our goal is to make our country stronger internationally in a very tough global economy, I would much prefer, and I think most economists would agree with me that a better way to do that, to create the millions of jobs we have to create, is to invest heavily in our infrastructure.

On the myth of this being a compromise:

But here is the point I want to make. Some people say this is a compromise. Well, the Republicans gave on unemployment; the President gave on extending tax breaks for the rich, et cetera. But here is the point. I do not believe, honestly, that the Republican support now for extending unemployment benefits constitutes much of a compromise because the truth is, for the past 40 years, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, under the leadership in the Senate and the House of Democrats or Republicans, it has been bipartisan policy that whenever the unemployment rate has been above 7.2 percent, unemployment insurance has always been extended. So what we have had is longstanding, bipartisan policy. That is what we have always done. That is what we should be doing in the future. I do not regard Republicans now supporting what their party has always supported, extending unemployment benefits when unemployment becomes very high--I do not see that as a compromise. I see that as what has been going on in this country and in the Senate for four decades.

On why the precendent this "compromise" sets is terrible:

I think what we will be seeing is--if this proposal negotiated between the President and the Republicans is passed, what you will be seeing within a few months are folks coming on the floor of the Senate, and this is what they will say: You know what. The deficit is high. The national debt is too high. And, yes--oh, yes--we drove the national debt up by giving tax breaks to millionaires. That is the way it goes. But we are going to have to deal with our national debt.

The Republicans will tell you: Oh, we have a great plan to deal with it. We are giving tax breaks to millionaires. But now what we are going to have to do is start making deep cuts in Social Security, and that deficit reduction commission started paving the way for that, very substantial cuts in Social Security.
:: I would suggest their argument is that we have a high deficit and a high national debt; that if we pass this agreement and the national debt goes higher, it only gives them more impetus to go forward to cut programs that benefit working families and the middle class.

Let me also say there is no doubt in my mind what many--not all but many--of my Republican colleagues want to do; that is, they want to move this country back into the 1920s when essentially we had an economic and political system which was controlled by big money interests; where working people and the middle class had no programs to sustain them when things got bad, when they got old, and when they got sick; when labor unions were very hard to come by because of antiworker legislation. That is what they want. They do not believe in things like the Environmental Protection Agency. They do not believe in things like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Federal aid to education. That is the fight we will be waging.
I think to surrender on this issue is to simply say we are going to be waging fight after fight, starting within a couple of months.

On why we, the people, shouldn't be calling this "a good deal":

This fight is not going to be won inside the beltway in a Senate debate. It is going to be won when the American people stand and say: Wait a second. We cannot continue to give tax breaks to people who are doing phenomenally well right now. We cannot give tax breaks to the rich when we already have the most unequal distribution of income of any major country on Earth. The top 1 percent earns 23 percent of all income in America, more than the bottom 50 percent. They don't need more tax breaks to be paid for by our kids and grandchildren.

The vast majority of people are behind us on this issue.

On what's really going in America and what kind of nation we have become if this deal goes forward:

We have to look at it within the context of what is going on in the country today, both economically and politically. I think I speak for millions of Americans. There is a war going on in this country. I am not referring to the war in Iraq or the war in Afghanistan. I am talking about a war being waged by some of the wealthiest and most powerful people against working families, against the disappearing and shrinking middle class of our country. The billionaires of America are on the warpath. They want more and more and more. That has everything to do with this agreement reached between Republicans and the President.

While people are working harder and harder, in many cases their income is going down. The fact is, 80 percent of all new income earned from 1980 to 2005 has gone to the top 1 percent. Let me repeat that because that is an important fact. It explains why the American people are feeling as angry as they are. They are working hard, but they are not going anyplace. In some cases, in many cases, their standard of living is actually going down. Eighty percent of all income in recent years has gone to the top 1 percent. The richer people become much richer, the middle class shrinks. Millions of Americans fall out of the middle class and into poverty.

That is not apparently enough for our friends at the top who have a religious ferocity in terms of greed. They need more, more. It is similar to an addiction. Fifty million is not enough. They need $100 million. One hundred million is not enough; they need 1 billion. One billion is not enough. I am not quite sure how much they need. When will it stop?

Today, in terms of wealth as opposed to income, the top 1 percent now owns more wealth than the bottom 90 percent. When we went to school, we used to read in the textbooks about Latin America, and they used to refer to some of the countries there as ``banana republics,'' countries in which a handful of families controlled the economic and political life of the nation. I don't wish to upset the American people, but we are not all that far away from that reality today.

On where the money from this tax cut is going to go:

What happened last year, as I think most Americans know, is the Supreme Court made a very strange decision. The Supreme Court decided that corporations are people and they have the right of free speech and the right without disclosure--all of this is through the Citizens United Supreme Court decision--to put as much money as they want into campaigns all over the country. In this last campaign, that is what we saw: Billionaires, in secret, pouring money into campaigns all over the country. Does that sound like democracy to anybody in America; that we have a handful of billionaires probably dividing up the country?

One of the manifestations of that is, in fact, the agreement reached between the President and the Republican leadership. The wealthy contribute huge sums of money into campaigns. The wealthy have all kinds of lobbyists around here through corporate America. What they are going to get out of this agreement are huge tax breaks that benefit themselves. That is not what we should be supporting.

And now I see that it is quite and impossible task to do what I'm trying to do. So I will make one final highlight while only halfway down the first of twelve pages of Senator Sanders' speech in the Congressional Record. Conveniently, it's the only point you could possibly take away from reading any portion of his speech or looking at this deal:

We should understand this agreement is just the beginning of an assault on legislation and programs that have benefited the American people for 70 or 80 years

It's just the beginning. So I say we kill it before it sees the light of day.

NY-20: RepubliCorp to Endorse Gibson!

2010-10-25T13:30:00.001-04:00

Massive Mutant Combination of Right-Wing Pols and Greedy CEOs to Drop Huge Checks at Dinner, Continues Eating Working American's Finances for Breakfast

There's a lot of creative progressive activists in the Capital Region, concentrated in the Saratoga MoveOn chapter, and these good folks have been instrumental in getting Scott Murphy to Congress. To help keep him there, they've devised an ingenious mock press conference where they will endorse Republican Chris Gibson in the spirit of the approaching holiday: by dressing up as corporate fat cats and highlighting how corporate interests and the Republian party have become indistinguishable.

Here's the official announcement, complete with clickable social network links for you to rsvp:

Please join us at a Press Conference where RepubliCorp will officially endorse Chris Gibson - Please sign up to attend: on MoveOn.org also Facebook

Join Protesters posing as representatives of fictitious new merged entity—RepubliCorp—outside the Saratoga Republican Dinner, Tues. 5:30pm, at the Holiday Inn, Broadway and Circular St, Saratoga Springs.

We will stage a mock press conference and present Chris Gibson with the official RepubliCorp endorsement, to highlight how he stands for the interests of the largest multi-national corporations, and against the interests of middle-class families in New York.

The RepubliCorp theme emphasizes the close allegiance between corporate interests and their Republican allies who together plan to spend at least $400 million this election cycle to try to take back control of Congress. We will present also Gibson an -sized checks from RepubliCorp intended to reward service to corporate interests/pay for future votes. Come dressed as a CEO or Lobbyist, or dress casual & come to take photos & video.

Any questions – please call (518)583-4326.
Please pass this on to your friends & lists.

Emphasis mine - SP

Sad to say I won't be able to attend. It's going to be my first day back to work in nearly two years, so I doubt I'll be asking the boss for any time off. But I absolutley love the concept because laughter is, after, the best medicine, and the Republican/Corporate alliance is worth taking seriously enough to make a public mockery of it. This also reminds me of what Stephen Colbert and John Stewart will be doing down in Washington later this week, and tomorrow you can get even more into the spirit of Halloween.

Because at the end of the day, the thought of Chris Gibson serving in Congress is very, very scary.

Oh, and did I forget to point out that they will be doing all of this just outside the Republican's real-life fat cat dinner? MoveOn's totally punking these freeloading lobbyists and executives tomorrow! Here's hoping you can make it if you're in the area. Go show your support for Scott Murphy while having a guaranteed blast doing so.

SD-46: Breslin Debates Republican, Independent Challengers on Gay Rights

2010-10-21T17:52:00.000-04:00

After Close Call in Primary, Breslin Will Cruise to Victory Against Lackluster Conservatives

After fending off the toughest inner-party challenge of his 14 years in the legislature, Sen. Neil Breslin faced off against his two general election challengers in what will likely be the campaign's only debate. The Republicans have nominated an army guy who is, of course, a small business man by the name of Bob Domenici. Michael Carey, a mental health reform advocate has started his own party to seek the seat after he discovered he wasn't a Republican after all.

I had meant to attend the debate, but determined that not much that was said there could affect the outcome of the race. It might have had humorous value, as have other recent major debates in New York state politics. The Times Union's headline and lead in to the story confirmed this:

Candidates talk morality

Thursday, October 21, 2010

COLONIE -- In a state in which the rising property tax burden is supposedly prodding voters toward revolt, the three candidates vying for Albany County's state Senate seat spent a lot of time Wednesday talking about morality.

Breslin will of course win the debate now that his third party opponent has proven to be an ultra-religious nut despite his good intentions. And Albany County's Democratic registration advantage is 2-1 over the Republicans, so he's had the general in the bag since winning the primary challenge mounted by Luke Martland last month.

But by surprise, this usually stomach-turning issue of religion and morality in politics lead this anti-Breslin partisan to actual decide to do the unthinkable and -pull the level- fill in the oval for Breslin this year. The candidates' discussion on the issue of same-sex marriage detailed below the fold leaves me no choice...

(Cross-Posted on The Albany Project)

The Tu Local Politics live debate tweets summarized the race as well. The debate wasn't carried live and I don't understand why. The Rent Too Damn High Show did pretty well with viewers earlier this week...

But getting back to the point. Here's the exchange from the debate that finally made me determine that I'd support Breslin for re-election in the general:

While Domenici, a South Colonie school board member and businessman, tried to keep the exchange focused on the economy and the state's fiscal woes, Carey repeatedly steered the discussion back to religion and faith -- at one point appearing to question how Breslin, as a Catholic, could be pro-choice and support same-sex marriage.

"You don't teach young children ... that it's OK to have sex with whoever you want," said Carey, 48, of Bethlehem. "It goes against the holy Scriptures and the written word of God."

::

All the chatter about faith prompted Breslin to remark that he "didn't expect to come to a debate on religion."

"I'm not elected to serve Catholics," said Breslin, 68, of Bethlehem, who is seeking an eighth term in the 46th state Senate District. "I'm elected to make judgments for the entire population."

Domenici, also a Catholic, said he opposed same-sex marriage on religious grounds. But the retired Army lieutenant colonel called the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prevents gays from serving openly the "dumbest policy."

Empahsis added - SP

I like that quote, a lot. And of all the complains one could make against Neil Breslin, lack of support on the issue of gay rights is not one of them. He's voted for civil rights for homosexuals before without any question for his entire career, and it's the one of the only truly important social issues of our time.

Too bad the independent candidate's reasoning is so out of line with American values. He might have won an election in Salem in the late 1600s, but not Albany in the early 2000s. And the Domenici is even more confusing. Let me get this straight: if you wouldn't ask your soldiers to lie about the fact that they are gay, why would you want two gay people who've made a lifelong commitment to each other to lie and say they are in a "civil union" when they are just as married to each other as you are to your wife?

My guess is that Domenici is a good guy, but he just can't say what he believes because he has to try and get Republicans to vote for him. Talk about a rock and a hard place. Carey problem is simple: he's gone to too much church. That's what I have to say about morality and politics.

So I'm going to suck it up and support the party this year. I'm a notorious ticket splitter who would otherwise never vote for somebody who've I've spent hours canvassing against. But the thought of two ignorant "morals" politicians representing me at a time when gay marriage has to be enacted (and when the Democratic majority of the Senate is in question) I have to put myself above my own convictions and do my part to make sure the Senate stays blue.

See you at the polls on November 2nd.

NY-Gov: Libs Continue the Smack Down on Crazy Carl

2010-10-16T15:51:00.000-04:00

Redlich and Paladino Continue Battle of Wits Before Big Debate

(Cross-posted on The Albany Project)

Is everybody excited for the big gubernatorial debate coming up on Monday? I know I am, because I have a weird affinity for third party candidates. As the Wall Street Journal observed earlier this week (ew, I hate linking to that paper) all the third-party candidates have been invited at Crazy Carl Paladino's insistence.

And probably to his detriment. His borderline insanity becoming more apparent with each passing day, he's apparently too foolish to concede defeat in the battle of wits currently being instigated by Libertarian candidate Warren Redlich. Last week, Redlich went for the jugular with this YouTube parody of Paladino's infamous encounter with New York Post reporter Fred Dicker. It was the funniest thing I've seen all season.

Could the debate on Monday be even funnier? If Paladino continues taking the bait the way he did in the Journal...

Mr. Redlich said he is "the only real choice for anyone who is toward the right of center," asserting that Mr. Paladino "has made himself difficult to vote for." (A spokesman for Mr. Paladino, Michael Caputo, said Mr. Redlich is "so busy leering at teen girls and pushing for legalized narcotics that Carl wouldn't want his vote anyway.")

...which gave Redlich the in to release this response today...

Mr. Redlich admits to reading Mr. Paladino's e-mails. However, he does not "leer" at them and more importantly, he doesn't forward them.

On the drug issue, Mr. Paladino should be among the first to recognize the problems with our current policy. It failed to prevent his own son Patrick from "struggling with an addiction to drugs and alcohol," as reported by the New York Times.

Mr. Paladino might want to learn that well-known saying: "People who own taxpayer-funded glass office buildings shouldn't throw stones."

...then we could have quite the LIB vs. GOP smack-down on Monday.

This is what I like about Warren Redlich. He knows how to deal with Paladino in a way Cuomo doesn't want to. Redlich's strategy appears to be to instigate Crazy Carl into even more public mudslinging, and so far it's working. The Paladino campaign is bleeding votes thanks to it's candidates lunacy, and Redlich's libertarianism is probably the most attractive alternative.

How does this help the Democratic Party? By syphoning votes away from the Paladino Party (or whatever he's calling his new for-sale party line), Redlich is giving us some extra help by making sure the Tea Party dies a quick death in New York State. If Redlich's campaign ends up leaving Carl's for-sale Tea Party line short of the 50,000 votes it needs to rear it's ugly head again, he will have done much better by us Democrats than most of us are currently giving him credit for.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it. And stay tuned to see if anything like this goes down at the debate.

NY-Gov: Libertarians Make A Laughing Stock of Paladino

2010-10-13T19:09:00.000-04:00

Libertarian Gubernatorial CandidateUses Dino-Dicker Confrontation to Hilariously Frame His Issues

Remember a few weeks ago when Carl Paladino flew off the handle in a confrontation with New York Post political guru Fred Dicker? And do you recall the observations earlier this week that it might be the Libertarian's year thanks to the alienation of 'Dino supporters as a result?

Libertarian Gubernatorial candidate Warren Redlich has just posted what I consider to be the most hilarious political satire video of the year to take advantage of the fallout.

Just for the record, that's not really Fred Dicker in the video. Redlich confirmed that it's a fellow LP activist. But I still think this is a classy dig at Paladino.

Even more classier, Redlich did what Paladino should have done in real life by issueing a public "apology" to Mr. Dicker for the fictitious indcident:

In light of the recent confrontation between journalist Fred Dicker and Governor candidate Warren Redlich, the Redlich campaign today issued the following statement:

We regret that the incident turned ugly. "I apologize for losing my temper, and for my colorful language," Mr. Redlich said.

Honestly, I was laughing my ass off. Finally, I thought, a candidate willing to stick it to Paladino the way it should be done: with humor. Paladino is not worth taking seriously, and many of his antics, while patently offensive, are also laugh-out-loud stich-worthy.

I also like the way Redlich uses the dig to frame his two main sticking points agianst his two strongest opponents, Paladino himself and our guy, Andrew Cuomo. I had the pleasure of eating lunch with Mr. Redlich earlier this week. My main intention was to simply get face time with another Albany area attorney who might need my services as a paralegal. But he's glad enough to have a firm that's shrinking, and was even more proud to say, and I quote: "I'm the only candidate who's not full of crap."

I like how he ran with this so much, that I'm even going to give you the rest of the release below the fold; he ties the joke into some serious questions for both major party candidates.

(Cross Posted on The Albany Project)

Despite the negative nature of the moment, the Redlich campaign continues to support its statements about Andrew Cuomo and Carl Paladino.

Andrew Cuomo has received over $51 million in special interest contributions over the course of his political career. In this election cycle Cuomo has taken nearly 900 separate contributions of $10,000 or more. This includes a $55K contribution from a small parking lot at 318 West 37th Street in Manhattan. The parking lot is owned by West 37th Street Parking LLC, a Delaware corporation of unknown ownership. If Mr. Cuomo really wants to promote transparency in campaign finance, he should start by telling the voters of New York who's behind the parking lot.

The evidence is available at:
http://www.elections.state.ny.us/ContributionSearchA.html

Meanwhile, the supposedly conservative Carl Paladino has given thousands of dollars to liberals including Al Gore, John Kerry, and David Paterson.

When the 2008 presidential primary season was heating up, when Warren Redlich was giving money to conservative Ron Paul, and when other conservatives were supporting Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, Carl Paladino gave the maximum contribution to that well-known conservative, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

When the health care debate was brewing, Carl Paladino gave $1000 to another well-known conservative, Chuck Schumer, five days after Schumer announced his support for "public option."

The evidence is available at:
http://fec.gov/finance/disclosure/norindsea.shtml

Finally, we have the evidence that Warren Redlich is the only candidate in the Governor's race who is not full of "it".

Feel free to confirm or deny any Mr. Redlich's accusations in the comments. Personally, I was leaning towards Cuomo...but I'm now probably voting for Warren. I'm a weirdo, here: I always split my ticket. But only if it doesn't hurt my own party. I don't see Cuomo really needing my help this year. I am confident he will not noly be the next Governor, but that he will be one of the best the state has ever seen.

But I also care about the health of third parties in New York, and while I'm a Democrat I do feel that the Green and the Libertarian parties both have better stances on a few of my pet issues better than the more centrist-dominated Democratic party does. This year, I think it's Redlich who needs my help. With Paladino bleeding support from the very people apt to support Redlich as well, this could be the year that the Libertarian Party gets some clout in New York. And for me, that's a good thing.

To get the same reasoning right from Redlich's mouth, check out his candid interview earlier this week on Captiol Tonight. And then, stay tuned...I've a hunch the Redlich is going to do something this year, and the lead-up is already interesting and entertaining thanks to his good humor. Enjoy!

SD-46: State of the Race, 9/9 to 9/12

2010-09-12T18:41:00.002-04:00

Final Push for Albany County State Senate Seat

Breslin Relies on Big $$ Advertising, Martland on Shoe-Leather and Big Momentum

Welcome back once again. It's been only a few days since our last update to the hottest political contest in Albany County this year. But with incumbent Senator Neil Breslin and primary challenger Luke Martland in the final push of what has become one of the most expensive primaries in the state, the news of Breslin's defense of the status quo and Martland's defiant stand against the established order continues to draw more attention.

A neat synopsis of the above-mentioned qualities of the race was presented by the local cable news channel YNN, formerly Capital News 9. For those looking for a quick wrap-up of where things stands, this is a good entry. Luke Martland gives a great interview while barnstorming the area, nicely juxtaposed against quoted text responses from a Breslin campaign spokesperson.

The rest of the story, including the Times Union' weak endorsement of Senator Breslin and continued debate over this race's relationship to Senator Pedro Espada, lies below the fold...

(Cross-Posted on The Albany Project)

Luke Martland

"Take Albany Back"

The best indicator of what's really going on in the Martland camp might not be coming from the media. They are doing good job at letting voters know a race is on this year, and have been covering Martland's campaign and Breslin's service in the Senate closer than ever before.

Still, its the tone in the most recent e-mail to supporters that tells me this is campaign that is doing better than expected against very heavy odds. It may be a longshot challenge, but you get the sense of serious momentum here:

In 2 days you will make a very important choice

For the first time in many years, voters in Albany County have a choice for State Senate. On one hand the status quo and a legacy of late budgets, ever-rising taxes, jobs fleeing the area, corruption, incompetence and dysfunction. On the other hand what I will fight for: responsible budgeting, term limits, a tax cap, and bringing jobs back to upstate. And, an end to the corruption and dysfunction that has made our State Senate an embarrassment.

As we all know, in Albany County the primary is what matters.

Updates: door to door blitz and TV ad

Over the last 7 days we continued our door to door efforts. I have walked every day, usually from 10 or 11 a.m. until the sun sets. Thank you to all the volunteers who have helped out! We will continue our door to door blitz Sunday and Monday. As always the response is fantastic and people deeply appreciate a candidate personally knocking on their door. In the last email blast I asked for support to place our second ad on TV. We received more then enough contributions, and were able to extend the ad's run. Thank you everyone.

Now it's time to bring it home. Now it's time to win

This will be a very close and important race and your vote will make a difference. Remember to vote next Tuesday. Polls are open from 12 noon to 9 p.m.

The focus on the the last-second uptick in advertising to counter the nearly 10 to 1 funding advantage Breslin has over Martland is key here. So, too, are times the projected closeness of the race as mentioned.

Yes, yes, it's an e-mail to supporters meant to drum up enthusiasm....but given the recent attention given to Breslin's lackluster performance as Senator and the jolt of energy it gave Martland's upstart campaign, I wouldn't be surprised if either candidate's internal polling was giving them the message that things are in fact looking very close.

It would explain just why Breslin has spent more on this primary campaign than any campaign he's ever run. Martland made not of this yet again in the YNN coverage, and he continues to repeat messages like this each day on the campaign trail:

Martland Accuses Incumbent Neil Breslin of Trying to Buy the September 14th primaryTimes Union says Breslin spent $184,449 in July and August

(September 9, 2010, Albany) State Senate candidate Luke Martland today accused 14-year-incumbent Neil Breslin of trying to buy the September 14th primary election by spending $184,449 between July 12 and September 3, 2010. (Times Union)

“Neil Breslin can’t run on his record so he is trying to buy the election,” said Martland who has campaigned door to door for 90 days to win the primary on September 14th.

“I don’t have a huge campaign war chest funded by insurance companies, lobbyists and special interests,” added Martland. “Instead, I have knocked on doors and spoken to voters everywhere in Albany County from Albany to Altamont, from Colonie to Coeymans, from Watervliet to Westerlo and every place in between."

The only thing I have to add to that is that I'm sick to death of adding the link to Breslin's fundraising contributors to remind you that all that money is coming from the likes of AIG, Morgan Stanely, Geicko, Bank of America, and all sorts of other big Wall Stree lobbying firms and political action committees. That should be old news to anyone who's been paying attention to Breslin for any period of time, and people really need to start looking this stuff up for themselves. Maybe that will happen eventually...

More recently, these two direct responses to Breslin's recent attempt to distance himself from Senate dysfunction luminaries like Pedro Espada and make claims that he's one of the good guys in the State Senate. The general Martland theme is Neil Breslin Says One Thing and Does Another:

Neil Breslin says he is a fighter for the people of Albany County –
Wrong!

Breslin voted to increase state taxes by $9 billion in the last two years.

Higher taxes cause suffering for middle class people, seniors and small businesses.

One in four people in Albany live in poverty according to the NYS Community Action Association. (TU March 18, 2010)

Neil Breslin voted to furlough public employees.
Health insurance premiums in Albany County went up nearly 15% in the past year according to the NYS Insurance Dept. (TU March 18, 2010)

Neil Breslin is not a fighter for the people of Albany County. He is a leader of the status quo that raises taxes harming middle class people, seniors and small business. He takes campaign contributions from insurance companies, lobbyists and special interests.

Luke Martland will fight for budget reform, to hold down taxes and state spending, create jobs and put the people of Albany County first.

::

Neil Breslin says he is a reformer and “has made cleaning up the Senate a top priority.”

Wrong!

Neil Breslin opposes term limits for legislators.

Neil Breslin refused to disclose his tax records, law firm client list and salary.

Neil Breslin voted for an ethics bill that would have protected lawyer legislators from revealing their outside income and would have prevented the creation of an independent body to oversee the Legislature.

Neil Breslin refused to return more than $125,000 in contributions from insurance companies and lobbying firms he accepted in the last 18 months while he was chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee.

If you support the status quo in the state Senate, vote for Neil Breslin.

Luke Martland supports term limits, legislative oversight and full disclosure.

If you want meaningful change, vote for Luke Martland.

These have been appearing daily in my inbox, and I wouldn't be surprised if more were to follow in the final days of the campaign. Interestingly enough, the main source the Martland campaign is using to prove Breslin is not the squeakly clean champion of the people he claims to be is the local newspaper...

Neil Breslin

"For All The Right Reasons."

...which this week gave Senator Breslin their endorsement for re-election. The Times Union editorial board on Friday presented what I consider to be one of the worst cases for returning Breslin or any incumbent to office I've ever read.

In fact, I think they've endorsed Breslin for all the wrong reasons.

Judging by the commentary on the TU's own Capitol Confidential blog, I'm clearly not alone in my assessment that this endorsement pandered to a powerful incumbent, ignoring key issues to Martland's detriment and highlighting inconesequential and previously unmentioned minor issues to count towards Breslin's favor. For crying out loud, one section of the endorsement even makes note that the paper's publish and editor sits one several boards of directors that (surprise!) recieved regular support fromthe Senator.

Read the endorsement for yourself and make up your own mind, of course, but as I read it, I wasn't surprised by the fact that the establishment rag endorsement the establishment bum. It was the weakness of the reasoning behind it that knocked me flat. I get the impression both reading responses and talking to voters that this is how the endorsement has fallen in the public's eye.

But Breslin is still trying. In the past few days, the mailer pictured below has been distributed arond Albany County, attempting to make a guy who voted for Pedro Espada for Majority Leader look like a guy who actually stood up to him:

It looks pretty effective to the untrained eye or uneducated voter at first glance. The fact is that Breslin is appealing to just that kind of thing with this mailer; not only did Breslin have the gavel in his hand during the 2009 Senate Coup that gave Espada the Majority Leader's post, but his was one of many Democratic votes that gave it to him in the first place. If any Democratic Senator wanted to take a meaningful stand against Espada, that was the time. Breslin is now one of several Senators statewide, including Espada himself, spending lots of money in their primary re-electionc campaigns trying to convince the public otherwise.

They might buy it, and they might not. But either way, this is still just the primary. With the polls opening in just two days, perhaps it's time to wonder a little about the general election. Smart money still goes to Breslin thanks to his long tenure in office and his family ties to the the County Executive and one of the County Judges, all three of then brothers, but Breslin's electoral fight may not be over after that. While Albany County is overwhelmingly Democratic, it was a first-term Republican Senator and County Executive that Breslin and his brother suceeded to start their decades-long powerhold here. In such an anti-incumbent year, and with a noisy Tea Party segment in the Capital Region, I wouldn't be surprised if probably Republican nominee Bob Domenici couldn't present a serious challenge to Breslin after what has become a bruising primary for the Senator.

Indeed, opposition to Breslin from the right and right-of-center has already begun, and they aren't waiting for the general election to target him. This week's TU Inside Politics columnist sees reporter JOrdan Carleo-Evangelist follow-up on earlier reports that the state-level pro-gun rally has been sending fliers around Albany County encouraging Democrats to vote against Breslin in the primary.

Gun-rights group can't think past primary

The state's biggest gun-rights advocacy group trained its sights on state Sen. Neil Breslin this week, dispatching postcards to its members in Albany County urging them to vote against Breslin in next week's Democratic primary.

The Breslin camp, for its part, wasn't much sweating the ire of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, which accused the 14-year-incumbent of consistently sponsoring and voting for "all gun control measures."

The group's PAC, the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association Political Victory Fund, paid for the mailing.

Breslin's campaign said the senator is proud of his record on gun control -- and for many Democrats generally, the association's distaste is something of a badge of pride.

And that's where it gets weird.

While the rifle and pistol association was imploring its members to vote "against" Breslin on Sept. 14, the group is not endorsing Breslin's lone Democratic opponent, Luke Martland.

Tom King, the association's executive director, explained the mailing this way: "We're saying that we just don't think that Neil Breslin is the man for the job anymore."

Astute observers (or conspiracy theorists) noted that the group might just be trying to weaken Breslin in hopes that he'll lose the primary to Martland, who would make an easier mark for Republican candidate Bob Domenici.

So we asked whether the NYSRPA would be backing Domenici come November, but King said no decision has yet been made.

Given that Dominici is throwing in his lot with the local Tea Party -movement- standstill (something that doesn't make any progress can't be called a movement, after all) and that he's touting former military experience (at least I think he is...don't all Tea Party types?) I'm guessing the gun nuts will go his way eventually. But what's interesting here is, as Carleo-Evangelist's headline points out, they are focusing on Breslin's primary election, not the general.

This speaks to two truths. First, given Albany County's current thirty-plus point registration advantage for Democrats, winning the primary is essentially rubber stamps a general election victory. We're certainly not unique in that respect, but toss in the County's history as being the deathbed of the last of the great urban Democratic machines in just the past generation and you get both a boost to that argument and a second angle that better explains this tactic against Breslin.

See, I make a lot of noise here as a progressive, but I can acknowledge that the Albany County Democratic Party is just that, the Democratic Party. It's not the Progressive Democratic Party, not at all. In fact, the party power players have a conservative bent if you ask me, and most others would probably agree it's most firmly grounded in the center. Such is the nature of self-perpetuating powerful political establishments, but that's beside the point. It's a Democratic environment where the right-wing Guns, Gods, and Gays arguments could work to the tune of a few thousand votes. Trust me: you would be amazed at the language I hear come out the mouths of some of the old white dudes in past committee meetings. Especially during the 2008 presidential campaign. And this contingent certainly can't use the Gays part of the argument this year...

In any case, the ultimate thing to take away from this is that even if Breslin does walk away with the Democratic nomination, his margin of victory may end up mattering in his fight againt the Republcian nominee. It will remain an anti-incumbent year, and if Breslin demonstrates weakness in a primary after 14 years as an incumbent, you can probably prepare for continued and increased media coverage as the big story shifts from Martland's to Domenici's outside chance of taking the Senate seat away from Breslin.

Such is the State of the Race just 48 hours from the closing of the polls, and such are the reasons why I'll have pulled the level for Luke Martland by then. If I can't encourage you to do exactly the same, I at least hope you enjoyed reading and encouraged you to go to the polls this coming Tuesday and vote for somebody, dammit :-) Stay tuned...it's not over until it's over.

SD-46: State of the Race 9/5 to 9/9

2010-09-09T17:12:00.000-04:00

Sen. Breslin's Political Future In Question Thanks to Martland's Spirited Primary Challenge

Welcome to another edition of State of the Race for the Albany County State Senate seat. Incumbent Senator Neil Breslin and his challenger Luke Martland are both in the fight of the thier lives as Breslin seeks to defend his seat of 14 years and Martland looks to turn years of public service experience into his first elected position. It has evolved from a safe-bet for the Senator to an outside chance that Albany County might just get a new State Senator.

The Times Union's Jordan Carleo-Evangelist profiled the race for newspaper readers at the one-week-to-go mark. If you missed the previous editions of the State of the Race or are just tuning in as many voters may be, this article is a great summary of how things look and how we got here. Everything is covered, from Breslin's place as one of three ruling brothers in Albany County to his widely publicized gaffe on prior-approval to Martland's crticisms of his insurance lobby bankroll and even a testament to just how well Martland is doing with voters. It is highly recommended reading for those hoping to catch up in the last few days before the primary.

For regular readers, welcome back! And get ready for the biggest update yet, in the shortest time frame since our
previous edition, as we head into the home stretch in the most important Democratic primary in the Capital Region this year...

(Cross-Posted on The Albany Project)

Luke Martland

"Take Albany Back"

The biggest development for Martland's campaign was the release of his second television advertisement, this one entitled Good Question, Mr. Breslin:

The ad once again attempts to turn this now infamous footage of the Senator's flub into a haymaker, and I can't fault Martland for it at all. The fact that Senator Breslin was caught on camera not knowing the actual contents of a bill he sponsored in his committee in what is supposed to be his area of expertise after months of talking it up for months would have been a godsend to any challenger. The fact that Martland is the first Democratic primary challenger to Sen. Breslin in his 14 years to have the funds to re-broadcast what was already the most damaging new story in his career is another reason the Senator is pulling out all the stops (and the full contents of his substantial war chest) to defend Martland's spirited first run for office.

Funding for avertising campaigns was a topic explored in the TU Local Politics report on the ad. It reveals that Breslin is has spent over $120,000 in broadcast advertising for last month alone...for a primary race. The funding advantage averages out to about ten to one in Breslin's favor, but today, Martland pointed out that the amount of money Breslin is pouring into this thing is just ridiculous:

Martland Accuses Incumbent Neil Breslin of Trying to Buy the September 14th primaryTimes Union says Breslin spent $184,449 in July and August MARTLAND

(September 9, 2010, Albany) State Senate candidate Luke Martland today accused 14-year-incumbent Neil Breslin of trying to buy the September 14th primary election by spending $184,449 between July 12 and September 3, 2010.

“Neil Breslin can’t run on his record so he is trying to buy the election,” said Martland who has campaigned door to door for 90 days to win the primary on September 14th.

“I don’t have a huge campaign war chest funded by insurance companies, lobbyists and special interests,” added Martland. “Instead, I have knocked on doors and spoken to voters everywhere in Albany County from Albany to Altamont, from Colonie to Coeymans, from Watervliet to Westerlo and every place in between."

Martland's campaign claims he has spent the past 90 straight days campaigning door-to-door. This is an impressive feat, and no doubt Martland's advantage in that department is increased physical endurance thanks to his time spent serving in the Marines. But he's been fighting with words, too, and yesterday he unveiled an extensive list of state problems he'd combat as State Senator. His press release and press conference yesterday was a policy wonk's dream and should leave no doubt whatsoever as to where Martland stands on economic issues. The entire platform is included below in full:

Martland Unveils Plan to Revitalize New York’s Economy

((September 8, 2010. Albany) – State Senate candidate Luke Martland today unveiled his plan to revitalize New York’s economy by reforming the budget process, cutting taxes, spending and borrowing, freezing the growth of state government, remaking government and reducing mandates.

“New York’s Government is broken and is failing New Yorkers,” said Martland. “Budgets are late every year, taxes keep going up, jobs are fleeing Albany Co. Now we know one of the reasons why – our Senator, Assistant Majority Leader Neil Breslin can’t even be bothered to read or understand the bills he votes on.”

“If elected, I will propose the following plan to get New York’s budget and fiscal house in order. These five steps will provide the foundation to address our State’s chronic budget problems,” said Martland.

STEP ONE – REFOM THE BUDGET PROCESS

New York’s budget, when the legislature bothers to pass one, is riddled with accounting gimmicks and untrue revenue projections intended to mask the budget’s true cost. For example, the 2010-11 budget has been described as “…riddled with cheating and basic math errors,” and relying on “… at least $5 billion in gimmicks and dubious assumptions.” Over the last few years the legislature has consistently counted revenue projections that are clearly false.

If we want to ensure that the State budget is truly balanced, then we must change the budget process so that is transparent, accurate and free of the accounting gimmicks of the past. I will push for the following changes:

Creation of an independent budget office which will produce an independent analysis of any legislation and its true cost to the taxpayers. If legislation has a cost, the sponsor of that legislation must delineate specifically how that cost will be paid for.

Adoption of Generally Acceptable Accounting Principles (GAPP) in preparing the budget.

Adoption of a five year financial plan to better plan budget decisions.

End to sweeps where funds collected for one purpose are taken to pay for general government operating expenses.

The debt of public authorities should be reported as a financial obligation of the state and incorporated into the budget process.

Consider a certification requirement so that the independent Budget Office, or Comptroller’s Office must certify that a budget is truly balanced.

These reforms will help ensure that the budget is accurate, transparent and that legislators can no longer use gimmicks, “… cheating and basic math errors …” to hide their irresponsible borrowing and spending.

STEP TWO – CUT AND LEAD BY EXAMPLE

In a time of crisis, true leaders lead by example. New York’s elected officials must step up and set an example by making sacrifices and curbing some of the most egregious examples of governmental waste. As State Senator, I will propose a series of steps, including:

An immediate 10% cut in salary for all legislators. I will propose this, and even if it is not adopted I will take a 10% cut myself.

Sharply reduce salaries for political appointees throughout the government. New York Government is rife with political appointees who are paid excessive salaries. The Authorities Budget Office recently released a report detailing some of the inflated salaries at State Authorities. For example, some of the examined authorities were paying top earners between $230,000 and $580,000 in salary. A large proportion of staff of some authorities are paid over $100,000 a year. And, at least $6.6 million in bonuses were paid out to public authorities across the State according to the same report.

I will propose legislation that no one who works for the State government, no matter what the position or title can make more then the Governor in total compensation.
Force dramatic reduction of pork and member items: I will push for a 50% reduction in member items for the 2011 – 12 fiscal year. In addition, all member items should be included in the regular budget and voted on as part of the regular budget process.

These measurers can produce substantial savings, especially going forward. Even more important, these measures will show leadership by example and help eliminate the most notorious misuses of taxpayer money.

STEP THREE - TOP TO BOTTOM GOVERNMENT REORGANIZATION

Everyone agrees that New York’s government is inefficient and bloated. To truly shrink and rationalize State government and help balance the budget, we need a fast and complete reorganization. This reorganization must encompass not only agencies, but also public authorities – in other words all parts of New York’s sprawling governmental apparatus.
I will propose legislation establishing a two-step process that will revolutionize State government within two years:

First, I will propose legislation authorizing an independent top-to-bottom review of the structure of state operations, agencies, authorities and other entities. This review, to be conducted by outside efficiency and business experts primarily of the Governor’s choosing, will focus on how to deliver government services more efficiently and at less cost, and how to streamline and rationalize State government. Specifically, the study should recommend:
Major restructuring, including merging and eliminating agencies, authorities and other entities to shrink the size of State government.

Rationalizing how government works, for example, by consolidating support functions to eliminate redundancies and by bringing New York’s government into the 21st Century.
How to sharply reduce the number of public authorities (there are currently 500), fold their operations into agencies in order to eliminate redundancies and reduce the role of the “shadow government”.

Using performance and cost / benefit measures in accessing use of state funds and which projects will continue to be funded, and how to quickly adopt existing technology to save taxpayer money.
The study should be completed in six to nine months, and its findings will be used to inform the Governor’s decisions to restructure government.

Second, I will propose a law giving the incoming Governor broad authority to carry out the suggested reorganization. Under this legislation, the Governor will have authority to order, without legislative approval, the merger, restructuring or elimination of any agency, authority, office, board, commission or other entity. The governor’s emergency powers will end in two years.
The goal of this two-step process is to quickly provide an overall blue print on how to shrink and improve State Government and then give the Governor emergency authority to carry out this fundamental change. If successful, within two years, New York’s government will have been restructured to be smaller, more efficient, less costly and to provide better services.

STEP FOUR - FREEZE THE GROWTH OF STATE GOVERNMENT

The next step to restoring New York to health is to freeze government to create a breathing period until the broad restructuring plan is in place. Starting in January 2011, I will propose a temporary, but total hiring freeze, lasting approximately six months. This hiring freeze will cover all State positions, including consultants, so called “essential” positions and public authorities, and the only exceptions would be for the new Governor to bring on his immediate staff and new agency leadership. There should be a similar freeze on any new projects and the issuance of new debt.

This hiring, contract and debt freeze is intended to bring the seeming never ending growth in New York’s government and debt to a stop and allow the new administration time to develop and implement the re-organization plan discussed in Step III. Once the reorganization plan is in place, the freeze can be lifted as the plan is implemented.

STEP FIVE - SWEEPING MANDATE RELIEF

New York State’s ever growing bureaucracy has resulted in more and more regulation that stifles businesses and opportunity. Local taxes, including school taxes, have been driven higher by unfunded state-imposed mandates that increase local costs. I will introduce legislation to establish a two step process to lessen this regulatory burden.

I will propose legislation to establish the temporary Office of Mandate Relief and give the head of that office - the “Repealer” - authority to repeal and invalidate any existing regulation or rule. This office will be in existence for two years and will be headed by a gubernatorial appointee and staffed with personnel drawn from existing State agencies on temporary assignment. The head of this office - the Repealer -will have authority to strike down any regulation and rule imposed by a State agency, authority or office without the necessity of going through the normal process and without the consent or approval of the agency or the Governor’s Office of Regulatory Reform (GORR).

The actions of the Repealer should complement the process of restructuring State government and within two years the Repealer should be able to dramatically cut down the thicket of State regulations and rules, at which point the office will cease to exist.

The most important step in solving our budget crisis is something intangible – competence.
Writing a bill, negotiating a bill, and complying with the law is what legislators do. It is their job. We now know that Neil Breslin – Assistant Majority Leader, 14 year incumbent and one leaders of Senate – doesn’t care enough to do his job. He cannot be bothered to read or understand the bills that come out of his committee and that bear his name, bills that he boasts about. That was his decision – a decision to not do his job because he did not care if what he said was true or not.
The same holds true for why the budget was late. It’s not that Neil Breslin and his colleagues couldn’t pass a budget on time. They are required to by law and that is why they serve in the government. It’s that they decided to not even try. They ignored the law, did not schedule committee hearing or negotiating sessions, refused to put forth proposals and made no attempt to meet the April 1st deadline. Then they did nothing for four months, only worked 3 days a week, take long weekends off and took weeks of vacation time. Our legislators – especially our Senators – intentionally refused to do their most basic job because they are incompetent and lack the back bone to make any tough decisions.

##

We have yet to see anything so substantive or specific from the Breslin campaign. Speaking of which...

::

Neil Breslin

"For All The Right Reasons."

Breslin has gone from being a sure-bet for re-election in the last cycle to a very vulnerable long-time incumbent in a rapid period of time. The general air of anti-incumbency across the country combined with the recent negative media spotlight cast upon him has cause Breslin to become one of the biggest primary spenders this cycle. In fact, according to this report, Breslin is protecting his seat more vigorously than Pedro Espada:

An analysis by the New York Public Interest Research Group found that 10 of the state's 30 costliest legislative primaries since 2000 are taking place this year, with candidates rapidly spending six-figure sums to fight challengers or take on incumbents.

"They are shaping up to be the most expensive," said Bill Mahoney, NYPIRG's legislative operations and research coordinator. He analyzed financial documents that detailed spending from July 12 through Sept. 3.

For example, state Sen. Neil Breslin, a Delmar Democrat, has spent more in this time period -- $184,449 -- against challenger Luke Martland than he did in all of the 2008 election cycle. Martland has spent $33,773 so far.

In the Bronx, Pedro Espada, who has been shunned by many fellow Senate Democrats due to last year's coup in which he briefly joined the Republicans, has spent $130,978 while his primary challenger Gustavo Rivera has spent $91,875.

Emphasis mine - SP

Those numbers present Sen. Breslin's greatest advantage over his upstart opponent. For years, Breslin has been the largest recipient of contributions from lobbyists for the insurance and banking industry. My conventional wisdom tells me that he's been saving it up for a raining day, and if he's spending this amount of money then somebody must be making it rain. I can recall Breslin's war chest exceeding $400,000 and edging towards half a million in the several terms I've been watching him. Never once has he had to drop this much in so short a time. Nor did I ever expect he'd be running a campaign that will go down in history as one of the top twenty most expensive primaries in State Senate history.

If there were any naysayers in the Breslin camp that insisted their candidate would win with a 75% margin and virtually no campaigning like in 2008, the Senator's actions in the past few weeks of 2010 should have them hard pressed to admit that the Senator has never felt as threatened in his political life and that he is, in fact, fighting for his political life.

For all of the talk of money influencing politics, a situation like this presents a problem to the well-funded incumbent: you aren't going to get as much bang for your buck against your upstart challenger. There's only so much pro-incumbent sentiment going around in an anti-incumbent year. You're going need as many political endorsements and cross-constituencies as possible.

But Breslin hasn't bagged any good news like that recently. Just today, CBS6 News added another bruising tale to their archives of Breslin revelations: Rep. Scott Murphy will not endorse the Senator in the race. Of course, he's not endorsing Martland either, but he does note that the 46th State Senate district and his own 20th Congressional District don't actually overlap. Still, politicians from nearby districts are typically brought in to make critical endorsements when things get tight.

The fact that Murphy is witholding any involvement in the race will probably speak to Martland's advantage, even though he doesn't throw in a good word for Martland either. Why? Because even though Murphy's office represents area outside Albany County, he is still a well-known and popular local leader. Thanks to his Murphy's own amazing ascendacy to Congress being a national political story last year itself, he's also probably a better-known and recognized commodity that the area's own Congressman, NY-21's own Paul Tonko. So what we have here may not be as inconsequential as this cute little news piece looks. It may be a revealing indicator that support for Breslin isn't only eroding door-to-door, but office-to-office in the halls of government. In other words, the smart sailors don't board sinking ships.

Is Breslin's ship truly sinking, though?

"Duh....good question."

In all seriousness, we'll know the answer in five days....and counting. Thanks for voting, thanks for reading, and stay tuned...the next State of the Race update is coming soon.

SD-46: State of the Race 8/31 to 9/5

2010-09-05T10:37:00.000-04:00

Post-Debate Media Narrative Solidifies as Candidates Hit the Airwaves

In our pre-Labor Day update to last week's installment, the State of the Race moves from previewing a defining debate between incumbent Senator Neil Breslin and his Democratic primary challenger Luke Martland, to rounding up how the arguments played out at the event and in the media.

Needless to say, the debate itself has garnered plenty of coverage. So has the recent meetins of the candidates with various editorial boards around Albany County. The candidates have moved from establishing a narrative in the media to having to build upon it, re-shape it based on how their opponents have shaken things up.

In that sense, Senator Breslin this past week has finally summoned his deep political power in the district and has been campaigning more actively. This lead Martland to continue sharpening his criticisms of his opponent, and evena few other sources echoed these concerns. And the race continues to attract deeper local and more prominent statewide attention.

Below the fold is your pre-Labor Day wrap up on anything and everything happening in this fast-developing race.

(Cross-Posted on The Albany Project)

Luke Martland

"Take Albany Back"

This week, Luke Martland continued bothering Breslin, as Capital Tonight put it, by responding to Breslin's first television advertisement (available in last week's update) by releasing a commercial of his own. Not surprisingly, it features footage of what has become the most defining news story of the campaign thus far:

Not a bad first start, if you ask me. Neither was Martland's performance at his stop at the Times Union editorial board. Breslin went as well, and both candidates sounded off on a couple of statewide issues. At least, these are what the TU chose to highlight. In Martland's case, he shared his view that opposition to the proposed mosque down The City is equivalent to outright bigotry. The article reveals that Martland was actually at Ground Zero on 9/11, and did his part to save lives that day. It also goes on to note that this isn't an area where the two candidates disagree, and offers Breslin's stance on the issue as well as Martland's personal opinions.

On a more relevant political note, Martland took some time in an interview with the Troy Record where he admitted that he has a tough fight ahead if he wants to defeat Breslin. It's a candid article released just before the debate that sums up the political realities and the strategies of the candidates quite well for those just joining us.

At the end of the week, and at the start of the post-Labor Day home stretch, Luke Martland's ground work is complete. He's now officially in the public eye, even if he is a newcomer, and the next weeks' news will be even more pivotal to his chances of success.

Neil Breslin

"For All The Right Reasons."

If Luke Martland came out swinging in the last couple of weeks, then this was the first week of Senator Breslin's full-blown attempts to save his seat. Up until the last update, the Senator would mostly brush aside his opponents persistent attacks. But after the big news report, his re-election campaign went into high speed.

This week, one of the more interesting stories is from the blog of Libby Post, former Empire State Pride Agenda coordinator. In this post, she reveals that she will be supporting Breslin despite the fact that he is being opposed by Martland, who is openly gay. The post is very thoughtful and again reveals one of the tighest and toughest splits in the Albany County electorate in this race. Breslin certainly has supported LGTB rights in the past, but this post is not without it's reply from Martland himself on why continuing to support Breslin in this regard may be flawed given the alternative Martland himself represents.

In official news, Breslin's performance in the newspaper room resulted in a little sparring match between the Senator and the Governor's office. Breslin was quoted as saying Paterson is total failure, goin so far as to say he had "no moral compass." He also used the opportunity to continue to rail on his colleagues Sens. Diaz and Espada, something he's been doing more frequently since Martland began to criticize Breslin for voting to give Espada that Majority Leader's post.

The comments drew a response from Gov. Paterson's office via an aide which turned things around rather nicely:

Gov. David Paterson’s top spokesman Morgan Hook said the governor is supportive of Sen. Neil Breslin but “sensitive” to stresses that may have led Breslin to criticize him.

::

“That being said, this is an election year, and the governor certainly appreciates that many elected officials who have never faced a primary before are fearful and anxious about their upcoming elections,” Hook continued, “and he is certainly sensitive to those concerns."

I'm sorry...I thought this tongue-in-cheek response was actually the best political comment to come out of the lame duck Governor's office in a while. Like Martland's comments on the mosque, I don't see much coming out of this story beyond some political junkies getting their jollies. The big stories that people are going to be talking about over the barbeques this Labor Day weekend will probably continue to be guided by the extensive coverage of the recent debate and the continued spotlight on Breslin's negative press from last month's prior-approval bill mix-up.

I think I got all those covered for this week. Thanks for voting, thanks for reading, and stay tuned...the next State of the Race update is coming soon.

SD-46: State of the Race 8/24 to 8/30

2010-08-31T13:01:00.000-04:00

Media Coverage of Dark Horse Challenge Intensifies

Breslin Accepts Challenge To Debate Martland

In the race between 14-year incumbent Assitant Majority Leader Neil Breslin and his primary challengerLuke Martland news has been constant and consistent in the past week. So much so that infrequent as-it-happens or after-the-fact updates are implausible.

So begins the SD-46 State of the Race 2010 series, much in the same manner I ran the series for the 2008 Democratic Primary for Congress in NY-21 two years ago. While this one isn't quite that big, and no political story around this area is this year, Albany County's primary for State Senator has taken center stage along other major local races.

This entry will wrap up the last seven days activity on the campaign trail, and there was quite a bit of movement on both ends. To start, I no longer have to link to Sen. Breslin's official State Senate page; his name in blue now takes you to the campaign website that finally appeared this past week. The biggest news for me is that now both candidates finally have my interview questions, and their answers will be forthcoming.

But the biggest news for the voters is the big debate about to happen between the two candidates. Shortly after Martland challenged Breslin to return insurance-industry related donations, Martland then took his moment in the spotlight to challenge Breslin to a debate too.

It's happening tomorrow. So that's the setup for what's happened up until now, and a little bit of what to expect to come.

For what transpired in between, click below the fold for the state of the race...

(Cross-posted on The Albany Project)

Luke Martland

"Take Albany Back"

As mentioned, it was a little less than a weeks' time before Sen. Breslin accepted his opponent's challenge to debate publicly. The League of Women Voter's will be holding that debate tomorrow, and coverage will surely follow and likely define next weeks' news cycle.

This week was still dominated by various fallout from this story in which the incumbent was featured in a prominent television news broadcast that revealed he misunderstood the Prior-Approval Insurance bill he's been touting for months. This was a gift as good as gold to the Martland campaign, and once in the spotlight, he made continued use of the media to make his calls, both for Breslin to return campaign frunds from insurance companies and to debate him publicly.

He did this by traditional media outlets and some newer means. Over on the Martland Campaign's YouTube Channel, you can find his recorded versions of his two telephone town hall meetings he's conducted already. This was used by Congressional primary candidate Tracey Brooks two years ago, and it's notable that she ended up with the most votes in Albany County, if only by a slim margin. It may indicate that this method of outreach may work well in this area, and Martland is making use of it.

He's also using YouTube to archive two major radio interviews. First with the ultimate inside scoop guy, Fred Dicker, on his morning radio show last week:

And also with rising local media luminary Susan Arbetter on The Capitol Press Room:

Naturally, both interviews cover much of the same material that will likely be covered in my own forthcoming interview with the candidate. But they serve as good introductions with little fanfare over the public airwaves. If anything, this Martland's "name recognition week," and yes, while no polls have been conducted, I'd be surprised if all this media attention both on the newcomer bucking the system and the old-timer messing things up hasn't given Martland the m-word in all this.

That was this week in Luke Martland's campaign. Stay tune for next time...this week, Martland will be meeting with editorial boards from several major local publications.

Neil Breslin

"For All The Right Reasons."

Before the media circus, I was searching daily for a new Neil Breslin for State Senate website. It's no surprise that it's up now and that Team Breslin is in full campaign mode. For the longest time, that domain would take you to his old 2008 page, which simply said "Thanks for voting!"

But a little negative media attention for you coupled with a positively exponential increase in attention for your opponent with less than a month to go will kick things into high gear. The Breslin campaign has already started television advertising, and is also posting stuff to YouTube:

And so the race moves into Air Wars mode. Breslin has quite the cash advantage on his opponent, and for that reason alone I'd guess he is unlikely to meet Martland's challenge to return campaign funds from donors with insurance industry ties. But will Martland have enough to compete in the expensive realm of broadcasting and even cable?

It remains to be seen. But the campaign funds issue was synopsised, complete with Breslin's response to Martland's challenge, printed in this Friday's Inside Politics column of the Times Union:

The Democratic primary for Albany County's state Senate seat heated up this week when challenger Luke Martland called on seven- term incumbent Neil Breslin, the chairman of the Senate's Insurance Committee, to give back tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the insurance industry.

Breslin brushed aside Martland's claims of a conflict of interest, saying his legislative record makes it clear he's no friend of Big Insurance.

Both men say they favor publicly financed elections. But Breslin said legislation to that effect would never pass now as the state's economy continues to founder and that he is forced to operate within the system that currently exists.

Besides, it's not just about him, he said. "I'm on a team," Breslin said, referring to the Senate's Democratic conference, which is trying desperately to hold onto its three-seat majority after a tumultuous two years in power.

Breslin, who is assistant majority leader, said some of the money he raises can help defend Democratic seats elsewhere.

As of earlier this month, Breslin had a robust $420,619.73 banked. That's roughly 10 times more than Martland's $42,727.76.

Emphasis mine - SP

Statements that I believe to be poor excuses have been italicized, simple facts bolded.

The fact is that this race has heated up to temperatures that conventional-wisdome and, for lack of a better word, political-groupies would have predicted a few months ago. Yet Breslin's significant cash advantage, while not quite as exponential as last time, is much much larger than Martlands.

The poor excuses? I've covered that before. Like this past week, it's history now, and all opinions are just rough drafts in response to changing situations anyway.

The Primary is Tuesday, September 14th. Thanks for voting, thanks for reading, and stay tuned...the next State of the Race update is coming soon.

SD-46: Martland's Stand: Breslin's In Good Hands

2010-08-24T16:47:00.000-04:00

Challenges Committee Chairman to Return Industry Contributions
Cites Conflict of Interest Challenge to the Tune of $125K

In the past week, Senator Neil Breslin has been the subject of widespread scorn and scrutiny thanks to heavy play of this embarassing story. It revealed that Breslin, now Chairman and longtime ranking member of the Seante Insurance Committee, did not know what was in his own bill.

Yesterday, Luke Martland took full advantage of the recent scrutiny and held a press conference. Since the root cause of fiasco's like this is the influence of lobbyist money on both legislators and of lobbyists being the real writers of legislation, Martland has called on Breslin to return $125,000 in campaign funds, saying this money presents a conflict of interest to any Senator.

The story once again made broadcast headlines. For the record, CBS6 is still reminding folks of Breslin's "huh, wha?" folly in it's promotional spots. This video comes care of competitor WNYT, and other stations are also picking up the storyline. This is a huge change for the district: two years ago when Breslin faced his first primary challenge, nothing was ever braodcast on the race; this year, I have to hop between channels!

Here's the news coverage:

The full uncut Martland statement is below the fold.

(Cross-posted on The Albany Project)

Martland Challenges Breslin to Return Insurance Contributions

State Senate Candidate Luke Martland Challenges Incumbent Neil Breslin to Return His Insurance Company Campaign Contributions
Cites Conflict of Interest for Senate Insurance Committee Chairman Breslin

(August 23, 2010. Albany) – State Senate candidate Luke Martland today called on 14-year incumbent Neil Breslin to return the more than $125,000 in campaign contributions he has accepted in the last 18 months while serving as chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee.

“As chairman of the State Senate Insurance Committee, Neil Breslin has accepted more than $125,000 in campaign contributions from the very same companies that his committee controls legislation over,” said Martland. “He should return all of those contributions so that there is no possible conflict of interest or appearance of improper influence.”

“It’s simple,” said Martland, “if you are in charge of passing legislation that will determine how much an industry makes in profit, you should not be accepting contributions from that industry.”

Breslin accepted more than $125,000 in campaign contributions from Aetna, Empire Health, CDPHP, Met Life, New York Life, Empire Dental and other insurance companies from January 2009 to June 2010 according to the New York State Board of Elections.

CBS6 Albany broadcast a series of stories beginning on August 18, which found that Neil Breslin did not know the contents of a prior approval insurance bill he sponsored and touted.

“We now know that Breslin, the Chair of the Insurance Committee, does not understand his own bills,” said Martland. “Legislation like the prior approval bill that Breslin did not understand have a huge impact on insurance company profits. If Neil Breslin does not understand these bills, who does? Who produces these bills? Who influences their content? Even if it is currently legal under New York’s “Swiss cheese” campaign laws to accept money from the same companies you oversee, it is unethical and Neil Breslin should return these contributions so there is no appearance that insurance companies are buying access or influence.”
Martland has already shown leadership on ethics issues. In May, Martland released his own tax and salary records and called on Breslin to release his tax records, law firm salary and client list. Breslin refused.

Luke Martland was raised in Albany, graduated from Albany High School and Princeton University and worked his way through Brooklyn Law School. He has served as an Assistant District Attorney and Assistant Attorney General in the New York State Attorney General’s office. He also ran the State’s sex offender registry at the Division of Criminal Justice Services in Albany.

Luke Martland’s stand on issues can be found at www.lukemartlandsenate.com.

Luke Martland is also on Facebook and Twitter.

###

Emphasis mine - SP

I find the bolded statements by Luke Martland extrememly hard to disagree with. The only thing I might add is that Breslin has accepted far in excess of $125,000 from the insurance and banking industry since he's been in the Senate. The Martland campaign might have also added the American Insurance Group, (aka AIG) to the list of companies Sen. Breslin has been in bed with, considering that this company played such a devastating and integral role in the recent financial meltdown.

It turns out that a solid media frame has evolved around this race that has completely turned that tables. Now instead of Luke Martalnd looking like an upstart challenger, Neil Breslin is looking more the defensive old-timer. And frankly, Breslin is making it worse for himself by failing to respond to the charges in story after story. To my knowledge, he still hasn't agreed to publicly debate Luke Martalnd under the watchful of the League of Women Voters, and that challenge was made weeks ago.

What does all this mean for a guy like me who's wanted change in this Senate district for some time?

Actually, it means that change has arrived. Even if Luke Martland's efforts don't get him into the Senate, the biggest problem in this district has been the combination of an unaccountable politician and an unaccountable press. In light of these new media events, I can say that we've finally got some a decent showing of accountability in the Capital Region press corps, and with that accountable politicians will follow. Whether that means we get a change of Senators or if it means a current Senator changes his ways, that is still the improvement I've been looking for all along.

Therefore, continued blogging on this race is getting more and more enjoyable. Stay tuned...my interviews with both candidates have been delayed a week, but are still forthcoming, and nowadays you never know what will make the airwaves!

SD-46: Sen. "What's In My Bill?" Breslin Caught on Camera

2010-08-19T18:08:00.002-04:00

Media Pile-On Begins as Insurance Committee Chairman Misinterprets His Own Law

Earlier this week, I reported that Autism awareness advocates were about to pile on the criticism of Senator Neil Bresln. I expected some kind of follow-up in the mainstream media, but last night, both Senator Breslin and I got more than we bargained for.

Check out this incriminating report first aired on CBS 6 News last night. It turns out the Insurance Committee chairman's big prior approval insurance bill that he's been saying covers all of us really only covers 25% of New Yorkers, and when broadcast journalist Jerry Gretzinger brought this up to him, it was news to him.

Put simply, Breslin has never looked worse on the news: Because he doesn't actually know what's in the bill he sponsored, pushed through his committee, and has been touting like WonderBread for months, he's stuck on camera having to call one of his aides for clarification. Watch for yourself:

Here's another good question: how long before this goes away with only four weeks until your primary against Luke Martland?

And the best answer will be: this isn't going away. Not only has Luke Martland's campaign already pounced, but immediately after the broadcast, CBS 6 started running promotional spots with highlights from this reel. Immediately! They've been running with it ever since, local radio stations are picking it up, and the follow-up even mentions Breslin's primary opponent. From the looks of tonight's newscast and Martland's response, this could be the spark that lights the powder keg. The story touches on nearly all the arguments Martland has been raising against Breslin.

Below the fold, Martland's full response to Breslin being caught with his pants down, and some additional video from the one television news broadcaster that has been giving this race the coverage it deserves.

(Cross Posted on The Albany Project)

Be honest...if you were running against Breslin, would you waste this opportunity to send out a release like the one below. Not only that, as I type this, CBS 6 News is following up not only by quoting the release...they've even got Fred Dicker on it! My God...and he's reminding people of everything else in addition to this new prior approval fiasco...anyway, here's what Martland had to say about it:

Confused Incumbent Neil Breslin Doesn’t Know the Contents of Prior Approval Insurance Bill He Sponsored in State Senate

(August 19, 2010. Albany) – Incumbent State Senator and Chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee Neil Breslin could not explain to CBS6 News yesterday the contents of the bill he sponsored and touted to force insurance companies to seek prior approval from the state Insurance Department for rate increases.

When asked by reporter Jerry Gretzinger why he voted for this bill Breslin replied, “That’s a good question.” Gretzinger’s story appeared on CBS6 News on Wednesday, August 18, 2010.

Gretzinger reported that Breslin touted that the bill will cover everyone in New York. It turns out that only one person in four will be covered and protected from unregulated insurance rate increases. Breslin had to call an aid to respond to Gretzinger’s questions.

“Neil Breslin is out-of-touch and poorly informed about the issues that affect middle class families, seniors and small businesses in New York,” said challenger Luke Martland, who is running to defeat Breslin in the September 14th Democratic Party Primary. “He sponsors and votes for a bill he does not understand. We should not be surprised then that New York State is in the mess it’s in. Neil Breslin is part of the problem and we must change Albany’s leadership on September 14th if we are to fix our government.”

Luke Martland was raised in Albany, graduated from Albany High School and Princeton University and worked his way through Brooklyn Law School. He has served as an Assistant District Attorney and Assistant Attorney General in the New York State Attorney General’s office. He also ran the State’s sex offender registry at the Division of Criminal Justice Services in Albany.

Luke Martland has been making points about Breslin's ineptitude when he was acting president of the Senate during the 2009 coup; the possibility of his private law practice taking up too much of his time while serving as Senator; the fact that the Insurance Committee chairman takes more campaign contributions from the insurance industry lobby than any other; the list goes on...and the mainstream media last night, tonight, and probably tomorrow and well into next week, are now saying the same thing.

And if this isn't perfect timing for Martland's efforts, I don't know what is. This story is certainly giving Martland supporters cause to celebrate and kick things into high gear; in my own humble opinion, it should give Breslin's supporters serious pause, and reconsider their favorable opinion of a Senator who's been on the job for fourteen years, is a committee chairman, and Assistant Majority Leader

The media pile-on is sure to continue....the 5:30 news cast is almost over and they're still recapping. I'll update the video from last night with the follow-up broadcast. In the meantime, here's the first piece CBS 6 ran on the race just a week ago. It was the first time any local television news station ran a story featuring both Breslin and a primary opponent of his within a month of the election, and it touches on the possible split in the LGBT community:

Glad you enjoyed that bit of last week. It's 6:00 on Thursday again, and the prior-approval mixup is the freakin' lead story. Some folks want Breslin to resign over this....

Stay. Tuned.

SD-46: Breslin To Face Opposition from Autism Families

2010-08-17T19:48:00.000-04:00

Advocates State-wide Say Breslin Bill is Detrimental -- Local Activist to Form Third-Party

With only about a month to go before Sen. Neil Breslin faces Democratic primary opponent Luke Martland, I was expecting an "October-in-August" surprise to come from either camp soon. Earlier this week, I thought that Martland challenging Breslin to a series of debates might be it...

But today, I recieved news from sources unnaffilliated with either campaign: Several autism advocacy groups are not-too-happy about a piece of legislation sponsored by Senator Breslin. While he called the legislation a landmark back in June, today groups like the Foundation for Autism Information and Research are calling on Gov. Paterson to veto the legislation.

They're not stopping there, either. Tomorrow at noon, fifteen total groups affilliated with this cause will be holding a rally in opposition to the Breslin autism bill at locations all over New York, including in front of the Capitol.

The full press release and the final wrinkle in all of this are below the fold.

(Cross-posted on The Albany Project)

Below, the press release from FAIR hammers Breslin almost as badly as the several statements Luke Martland has been making for months:

Autism Advocacy Groups Call on Governor Paterson to Veto Breslin Autism Bill.

Advocates Say Breslin Bill Favors Insurance Companies and Hurts Autism Families.

(August 17, 2010. Albany ) Fifteen New York-based autism advocacy groups and parents of children with autism today called on Governor David Paterson to veto the autism insurance bill sponsored by incumbent State Senator Neil Breslin. A bill that the groups say will deny insurance coverage and treatment for people suffering from autism spectrum disorders.

The bill would shift early intervention reimbursements costs from the insurers back to the counties and taxpayers. "S7000-B is a step backwards, not a step forward, in insurance coverage for Autism,” said Kathy Eiss, president of the Western New York Chapter of the Autism Society of America.”

“Insurance Chairman Neil Breslin’s bill does not provide insurance coverage for people who suffer from autism,” said Michael Smith, chairman and northeast regional director of the Foundation for Autism Information and Research. “Breslin’s bill actually does more harm than good because it discriminates against people who suffer from autism and makes it nearly impossible for them to get treatment prescribed by their doctors.”

News conferences with other autism groups are being held across New York State .

“The first line of S.7000 (Breslin’s bill) mandates that health insurers cover treatment for people with autism. Unfortunately, the remainder of the bill wipes out the mandate and protects health insurers,” said Thomas Abinanti, in a letter to the editor he wrote to the Journal News. Abinanti is a parent, attorney and member of the Westchester Board of Legislators. “The bill is another example of ‘Albany Speak’ – that is, to say you are solving a problem, then make it worse.,” he wrote.

Autism advocates oppose the Breslin bill because it sets a standard for treatment for autism that must be “evidence-based, clinically proven and peer reviewed,” which is not required for any other medical disorder or disease. S7000-B sets a standard that treatment for autism must be "evidenced based, clinically proven and peer reviewed," which is not required for any other medical disorder or disease. “Chemotherapy for certain conditions often does not meet these criteria, especially “clinically proven,” but individuals are not denied coverage of chemotherapy.” said Mary Shuetz, a Board Certified Developmental Pediatrician from East Aurora . “Even the use of antibiotics, which is much more of a
common occurrence, rarely follows these requirements.”

Advocates also say that the Breslin bill will shift early intervention reimbursement costs from the insurance companies back to the counties and taxpayers.

Breslin is the chairman of the State Senate’s insurance committee and has accepted thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from insurance companies and lobbyists in
New York and elsewhere.

“If I told you that a legislator who receives hundreds of thousands of dollars from insurance companies sponsored a bill that was co-authored by a powerful lobbying firm that represents insurance companies your eyes would widen,” said Chris Petrisino, parent and vice president of the Nassau-Suffolk Chapter of the Autism Society of America. “But that is what happened. And if this bill passes, our kids get screwed.’

Emphasis added - SP

Strong words from people who know what it means to be strong. This is a completely unexpected new wrinkle to this race and it will be interesting to see how it affects Breslin's bid for re-elction and the efforts of others to unseat him.

Which brings us to our final wrinkle: Autism could remain an angle of attack against Breslin depending on the outcome of the GOP "primary." Bear with me on the quotes there, but today, independently registered Michael Carey filed petitions to to run on a newly created third-party line in the general election. A short excerpt from today's Times Union Local Politics blog:

Carey Says He'll File 6,000 Signatures For REFORM Line

Bethlehem resident Michael Carey said he plans to file 6,000 signatures this afternoon with the Albany County Board of Elections to get on the ballot in the race for the 46th state Senate District.

Carey wanted to run as a Republican only to find out he was registered to vote but not enrolled in any party. Instead, he’s mounting his campaign on the REFORM line, a ballot line he created using independent nominating petitions.

Carey only needed 3,000 signatures — which was still three times as many as the major-party candidates.

If he does indeed file twice that many, it will be heavy lift for anyone trying to get him knocked off the ballot. Invalidating 3,000 signatures is no easy task.

Carey’s most likely opponent would be Republican Bob Domenici.

Seven-term incumbent Democrat Neil Breslin already faces a challenge within his own party from attorney Luke Martland. Whichever Democrat prevails in the primary would likely welcome the competition between Domenici and Carey for votes.

Emphasis added - SP

What's this got to do with autism? Well, Carey's son was named Jonathan, he was autistic, and New York State has Jonathan's Law because he died while under the care of health care aides three years ago. That sort of thing would turn me into a big activist, too, and Carey took that path and gained some local notoriety thanks to it: It was the lead of the story when he declared his candidacy for the GOP nomination.

Now I have to admit it was funny to watch Carey first insist that he'd be a Republican all his life then find out he actually wasn't when he first declared his candidacy against GOP-establishment-backed Domineci. But now the area's best-known autism activist has just formed The 2010 Third Party to challenge the a Senator on the same day his autism bill comes under heavy fire. That's a different story. And quite the surprise...

Stay tuned as this race continues to develop at it's new, improved rate of speed.

SD-46: What Would You Ask The Candidates

2010-08-13T14:41:00.002-04:00

(Cross-posted on The Albany Project)

The race for State Senate in Albany County sees Sen. Neil Breslin is seeking his eighth consecutive term as primary challenger Luke Martland makes his first run for public office. I've been watching events unfold and reporting them here for the past few months, always reserving the right to inject my own opinions.

But at least once a race, I like to give the candidates the opportunity to speak for themselves without any of my spin. In the coming days, both candidates have agreed to submit to an extensive series of questions from arguably their toughest constituents: myself, and my fellow TAPpers. Before I get my microcassette recorder prepped and ready (and it's been hell chasing down blank tapes in this digital age!) I'd like to give you guys the chance to sound off.

Sen. Neil Breslin

After winning election in 1996 and joining his two brothers in county-wide elected positions, Senator Breslin has risen to become Assistant Majority Leader and continues to enjoy wide support in this heavily Democratic county. But all State Senators these days are struggling with a strong general air of anti-incumbency, and have to answer for the specific troubles of this past term, from the 2009 Senate coup to this years wildly late budget. What issue would you ask Neil Breslin about?

Luke Martland

Luke Martland, on the other hand, is a political newcomer in the 46th. He is so far Breslin's best-funded and most-covered Democratic challenger in the press, but certainly faces an uphill battle. He is running as an openly gay candidate and has so far been persistent in his criticisms of the Senator, while also racking up some criticisms against himself. What critical questions might you ask Luke Martland yourself?

Here's you chance to get your answers straight from the horses mouth. The interviews will be conducted early next week and will appear here the two following weekends. Thanks for the input, wish me luck, and keep up the good work!

SD-46: A Three-Ring Circus No More

2010-08-10T12:55:00.002-04:00

Tim Carney is Knocked Off the Ballot for Invalid Signatures
Luke Martland Stands Alone in Challenge to Incumbent Sen. Neil Breslin

In early spring, Albany resident Tim Carney created two websites. The first was called timcarneyforassembly. The other was called timcarneyforsenate. Then, an Albany attorney named Luke Martland announced that he would challenge Senator Neil Breslin in a Democratic primary for sure. Carney's Assembly website dissappeared, and soon the local blogs were full of his wild assertations that he would win a three-way race against the 15-year incumbent with over $450K and his first well-funded Democratic challenger, Martland.

In the months between then and now, Carney lived up to his name, and gave me every reason to believe that his campaign for Senate would fail. We saw him post comical YouTube videos that nobody could take serious, and even his "official" campaign announcement was a grade B political stunt. And while I'd love to share them with you for pure entertainment value, I feel I really should just hang on to those crazy e-mails Carney sent me when he didn't like me sharing my opinion that his campaign was, well, a joke.

As of this Friday, it isn't a joke anymore. It's history. The Times Union is reporting that Tim Carney has been removed from the ballot. While Carney was able to survive an initial challenge to his nominating petitions a week ago, this time the Martland campaign sued in State Supreme Court for a second review, and the ruling left Carney short...by two signatures.

Head on over to the TU article to see Carney lose it if you like. For the length of the time I've been watching this, I've known the real race was between Luke Martland and Neil Breslin, despite the overwhelming odds Martland may face. From the beginning, Tim Carney's campaign has been a sideshow, an example of what can happen in any district when an opportunistic, unqualified noise-maker decides they have what it takes to run for high office. Such campaigns are useful only for entertainment value so long as things end up like this. Had Carney remained on the ballot, he would have split the vote of those who want progressive reform in this district. Now that he's off, things can return to where they should have been all along: a serious challenge between a powerful incumbent with both big money and the family political machine on his side...against an energetic new voice with naught but the courage of his convictions and just enough resources to get it done. Stay tuned for more as this two-way race develops.

SD-46: The Down-Low on the "Uprising"

2010-07-23T08:25:00.000-04:00

There's a lot of chitter-chatter regarding this New York Uprising pledge that Ed Koch has tossed together. I'm of the opinion that the whole thing is a dumb stunt meant to benefit Ed Koch more than New York voters.

But it's got people's lips flapping, alright. Candidates of all stripes are coming out with their reasons why they did or did not -sign their names- point and click to get one the list, and of course jumping at the chance to explain why their opponents did or not do the same. Political theater, if you ask me, and today all the state's a stage.

Below the fold, the Democratic primary for State Senate in Albany County offers an interesting way to look at how three different candidates are taking three different approaches to this charade:

(Cross-posted on The Albany Project

The manner in which each of the candidates deal with the NY Uprising has them each playing roles surely being filled in your home district.

Sen. Neil Breslin

Incumbent Sen. Neil Breslin has not signed the pledge. He was apparently considering it:

“No one’s asked me to sign it, but it would seem to me to be a good idea, but I want to make sure that pledges are a minor detail. I’m more interested in getting legislation that mandates it and I sponsor that legislation."
- Sen. Neil Breslin to Capitol Confidential, 7/21

Well, the deadline's passed before he could make up his mind. But honestly, and this is coming from a huge critic of the Senator, ignoring this thing completely is correct. Plus, he's got more important things to worry about.

Know your role: If you're an incumbent, or even a challenger, the best thing to do with NY Uprising, is just not worry about it. In this, Senator Breslin plays the role of the experienced politician who knows a campaign ploy when he sees one. Role-playing advice: Get a press release out about how dumb NY Uprising is.

Luke Martland

Primary challenger Luke Martland is probably close to the top of Breslin's worry list. Martland's campaign has grown in strength and visibility in recent weeks, and continues to use every opportunity to expose the Senator's shortcomings. This time is no different. Some excerpts of what Martland has to say about this from a press release yesterday:

“In June,” Martland continued “I was glad to sign NY Uprising’s pledge, which includes many of these same goals. But, I will go beyond the minimum in NY Uprising’s pledge. For example, I will also fight to fix New York’s Swiss-cheese campaign finance laws by lowering contribution limits, banning unlimited donations to “house keeping” accounts, and other reforms.”

“How could anyone,” Martland asked, “who truly believes in fixing our State’s broken and corrupt government be against meaningful ethics reform? How could anyone who cares about New York’s sky high taxes be against balanced budgets and an end to the excessive spending and debt that leads to ever rising taxes and jobs leaving our State? How could anyone (unless you are a 14 year incumbent running for reelection yet again) be against ending the Senate’s ‘life time employment club’?”

“The fact that Neil Breslin has refused to pledge to fight for these basic principles of balanced budgets, an end to corruption and real ethics reform says a lot about Neil,” continued Martland. “The stark differences between me and Neil Breslin get clearer by the day. I will fight for reform. Neil is trying desperately to claim that he is a reformer, but the fact is that he has been in power for 14 long years, represents the status quo, and has refused to commit to the most basic changes necessary to fix our dysfunctional government.”

Even though I support Martland's campaign, I find it hard to support this one. There are so many angles from which to expose Breslin's failure as a legislator, and Martland has consistently pointed these out during times that mattered. When the Senate continues to take long weekends while the budget goes unpassed, Martland called Breslin out for it; when Breslin flip-flopped on education spending, Martland took Breslin to task for it; lather, rinse, and repeat is a common refrain for the Martland campaign, and most of the time rightfully so...

Yet this episode breaks the string of effectiveness. Perhaps voters who don't pay much attention will filed into Martland's camp because of this, but personally I think the points to be scored here are too small as well as too meaningless to bother with.

Know your role: I hate to admit it, but Luke Martland's role here is that of an anti-incumbent politician who got a little over-eager and fell right into NY Uprising's stupid. What's worse is that he was doing just fine. Role-playing advice: Get back to what you were doing.

Tim Carney

Finally, Tim Carney appeared on the blogs for his statements on the matter. His comments over at Capitol Confidential have him brushing aside the pledge entirely. An advisable move...

...but aligning yourself with the Tea Party? And still trying to exploit the NY Uprising Pledge by lying about one of your opponents? Not so much:

From the Friends of Tim Carney for Senate,
July 22, 2010 – Albany, NY – Tim Carney has not sought endorsements or support from any political group except the Independence Party and the TEA Party Movement. The Independence Party went with Neil and many members of the TEA Party movement are passing out palm cards across Albany County for Mr. Carney.
::
::
We would like to know if Luke ever advocated for any type of reform in Albany in the past 20 years? Oh, yea he hasn’t lived in Albany for the past 25 years.
:
Tim Carney does not need to be on this list to be considered a reformer.

What else do we have to expect from a Tea Party Democrat but cheap political exploitation by way of ignoring the facts? Luke Martland was born and raised in Albany. He lives a short walk from the Legislative Office Building for crying out loud. And where Martland has been consistently giving progressives reasons to consider him as a serious option to replace Senator Breslin, Tim Carney has been consistent only in his ability to force us to not take him seriously at all.

Know your role: You know that one guy in your district who's always running about trying to get elected any way he can and only ever making himself look ever more unelectable? Role-playing advice: Get back to where you once belong.

That's the down-low on the "uprising" from where I sit. Who's playing what role in your neighborhood?

One thing's for damn sure: nobody's a "hero" or an "enemy" when it comes to Ed Koch's phony NY Uprising.

SD-46: The Press and the Picnic

2010-07-20T04:00:00.000-04:00

Or, The Gubernatorial Candidate Came To Town And All I Got To Talk About Is This Lousy State Senate Primary

It's been two years since I first attended the Albany County Democratic Party picnic. This weekend it was actually back in Albany County, but alas, I was unable to afford a ticket. Nevertheless, I revelled in the memories of having been the only volunteer for the first challenger to State Senator Neil Breslin there, and two years ago I paid close attention to the press coverage of the State Senate primary...which amounted to a single print story published less than a fornight prior to primary day...

But this year, the Albany Times Union made up for my lack of attendance in their prominent print story about the picnic published in this weekends' widely-circulated Sunday edition. And even though Democratic gubernatorial candidate and surefire newsworthy victor-to-be Andrew Cuomo was there, instead the biggest paper in SD-46 lead with this:

You couldn't get into the Albany County Democratic picnic Saturday without passing Tim Carney.

The Albany man pressed laminated palm cards into the hands of his fellow partisans, telling them he has a plan to lower property taxes by raising income taxes. Nearby, blue-shirted volunteers handed out stickers touting Luke Martland, a former prosecutor. The men have one thing in common: They believe Sen. Neil Breslin, a Bethlehem lawyer seeking his eighth term, has become part of the problem in a problematic chamber.

"We have some good visibility, and people see that we're a serious campaign who can turn out volunteers and turn out people," Martland said. "I've met a lot of people, and just talking to them about the dysfunction, and how the current Senate can't even pass a budget while their taxes are up as a result and jobs leave the state, and how I'm going to fight to change that. Is it Breslin's fault alone? No. But partly his fault? Absolutely."

Emphasis mine - SP

There's eight weeks to go in this primary cycle, two years later, and if it ain't in print, then it ain't real. This challenge may be controversial, but I've never seen press coverage like this, so it's definitely real.

So for the next eight weeks, get ready for a fit-to-print, real campaign (and for more details below the fold).
=====================================
The local mainstream media's history of either giving the Breslins a pass when they weren't simply fauning over them, State Senator Neil and County Executive Mike both, make the next bit of the story all the more shocking to me:

Breslin was a few feet away, wearing a plaid shirt and resting between chats with voters beneath a blue tarp. His supporters -- including some Senate staffers wearing white shirts emblazoned with his name -- handed out buttons, but most of the loyal partisans in the group knew Breslin and came over to say hello.

"The picnic is all the hard-working people in Albany County who work for the party or participate in Democratic politics," said Breslin, who was backed by the committee. "I tell voters we'll begin to turn the state around, the economy's picking up, (and) I continue to be a major part of the purge within the Senate."

Aside from the less-than-flattering description, I'd say the quote choice is poor as well. Or perhaps it's the only stock campaign rhetoric Breslin had to offer.

Honestly, if it's been 14 years, then his tense is wrong. He should be talking about how he's already helped turned the state around. He's made earlier statements about running on his record...but this seems off-message and hollow.

I prefer Luke Martland's analysis, as quoted by the TU:

Which is exactly Martland's point: "He's part of the leadership of the Senate that can't pass a budget and now is taking weeks off. They're not even trying to do the job. Is that partly his fault? Yes. When they do come up with ideas to balance the budget, it involves raising taxes. Is that partly his fault? Yes."

All opinions aside, the main thing here is that the local mainstream press is actually giving the race the attention any race deserves. Openng up with a candiate who raised less than $1,000 but is still getting himself out there (and giving Breslin's best funded challenger so many inches) is a far cry from the reporting of last go round.

And good newspapers make for good democracy.

SD-46: Petitions, Financials Filed; Breslin-Martland Race Is On

2010-07-18T14:08:00.000-04:00

The Thursday deadline to get your signatures and balance sheets has come and gone if you're a New York State Senate candidate. In Albany County, three candidates have been at it, asking people for their John Hancocks and Ben Franklins to get them on the ballot and keep them well funded, and we have three very different results.

Defending incumbent Neil Breslin is in the upper echelon's of Senatorial cash hoarders. The Friends of Senator Breslin is reporting a haul of over $200,000. This was added to an opening balance in excess of that amount, for a grand total of over $414,000 cash on hand, one of the largest Senate war chests in the State.

Challengers Tim Carney and Luke Martland both handed in greater than the required amount of signatures to get on the ballot in the September primary. But only Martland has filed a financial report, since Carney's pull of less than a grand puts him in the "don't bother to file" category. It also very likely places him in the "non-competitive" category despite his grassroots tenacity. Luke Martland, on the other hand, has reported over $140,000 in total reciepts and has already outspent Breslin's campaign two to one, leaving him with about $55,000 in the bank.

Speaking of expenditures, I feel these items get a little lost when we all focus on how much people are taking in. I'm curious about what these candidates are doling out. Reports show that Breslin has been spreading the wealth to local Democratic committees and community associations. I'm not sure if this is common practice, but even if it is it sure looks like good old fashioned political patronage to me, and I find it inronic that Breslin is using all that insurance money to buy, well, more insurance.

On the other hand, Martland's spending reads like a virtual shopping list from a step by step how to run a local election instruction manual. These reports show us a candidate building a serious campaign from the ground up, and they prove beyond all doubt that Breslin has a truly serious challenger this year.

The Times Union's Capitol Confidential also lets us know that the Republicans, in Robert Domenici, have just $8,000 under their belt so far, which is, of course, not enough. But Martland's amount might be enough in such an anti-incumbent year and even against such odds when one considers where Breslin's cash comes from. Even CapCon and the other mainstream-media run blogs are running that meme now...

From CapCon:

Breslin’s haul includes tens of thousands in corporate donations from insurance companies and affiliated political action committees, a fact that you can bet Martland — who has already assailed Breslin of being too cozy with the insurance companies he’s supposed to be regulating as chairman of the Senate’s Insurance Committee — will try to hammer home over the course of the summer.

...and that's the fact more significant than any dollar figure or signature count. If Martland's message is able to catch hold, it could very well make up for Breslin's monstrous financial advantage. Either way, this looks like it will be Breslin's toughest re-election fight of his career, his race to lose, and will remain the biggest political news story of Albany County in 2010.

SD-46: Breslin STILL Refuses Ethical Disclosure Despite Calls from Martland, Cuomo

2010-06-03T16:52:00.000-04:00

A full month after Luke Martland called on Senator Neil Breslin to fully disclose his list of clients, citing numerous credible sources, the Senator continues his refusal to confirm that there is no conflict of interest in his being an of counsel attorney at a union-busting and insurance-lobby law firm while the Senator sits as Chairman of the Insurance Committee in the Senate.

Today, Luke Martland adds gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo to his list of sources to bolster his argument:

BRESLIN IGNORES MARTLAND’S CALL FOR FULL DISCLOSURE OF TAX RECORDS, LAW FIRM CLIENT LIST AND SALARY

Andrew Cuomo Called for Full Disclosure in Acceptance Speech

June 3, 2010

(Albany) – Thirty days have passed since Senate candidate and former prosecutor Luke Martland called on 14-year incumbent Neil Breslin to release his tax records, law firm client list and salary. Martland released his own state and federal tax records to the press on Monday, May 3, 2010.
::
“It has been a month since I called on Neil Breslin to release his tax records, law firm client list and salary,” said Martland. “If Breslin has nothing to hide, why doesn’t he simply disclose this information,” questioned Martland.

Martland’s call for Breslin to release this information has been echoed by the Attorney General, the press, a large bar association and a federal judge.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo called for full disclosure of outside sources of income for lawmakers at his nomination acceptance speech last week.
::
Despite these calls for full disclosure, Breslin has repeatedly refused to divulge his law firm client list and law firm salary.

For the record, Cuomo's statement reads as such, from the transcript of his campaign announcement video:

My Clean Up Albany Plan will enact strict new ethics laws, require full disclosure of all legislators' outside income, and have a real independent monitor, because self-policing is an oxymoron.

I'm assuming Sen. Breslin is supporting the future Governor's election. But will he actually take action and reveal his client list, or will he prove Cuomo's axiom that "self-policing is an oxymoron" is true? A recent interview in the Legislative Gazette by Faith Burkins-Gizmet reveals Breslin's arrogance:

Martland recently called on Breslin to release his 2009 tax forms, including income from the law firm where Breslin is of counsel, Hiscock and Barclay.

Breslin maintains he has already done that, providing the documents to the Albany Times Union in January after the newspaper asked all lawmakers to disclose their finances.

Martland also demanded that Breslin release a list of his law firm's clients, citing that the public has a right to know if there is a possible conflict of interest.

Breslin said he finds this argument "absurd." He said none of his clients have any business with the Legislature, and they are guaranteed confidentiality by law. He said it would be an ethical violation if he were to disclose his clients' names.

There's nothing to be read from this except arrogance. Breslin seems to believe if he keeps on ignoring these calls that they'll simply go away. How he sees this stubborness helping his campaign is something I simply can't fathom. If he would only reveal the client list as Martland and Cuomo are saying, his challenger and this blogger would have to find something else to write about, right?

As it stands, without a list of names to confirm there is no conflict of interest, there's no proof there is none. But there is proof that, as Cuomo said, self-policing is an oxymoron:

Breslin's continued refusal to provide full disclosure. And that's only one of the reasons Senator Breslin needs to be offerred a retirement package in September's Democratic primary.

On The Web

Luke Martland for State Senate

Donate to Luke Martland for State Senate.

Soundpolitic Sundays: Look On The Bright Side Edition

2010-05-16T06:22:00.001-04:00

This column has been nothing but doom and gloom and demanding apologies and giving them for the past couple of weeks. This is not at all what I intended...and subsequently readership has fallen.

Friends, it's time to rememdy this lot.

My most popular post was a look at how a certain British sketch comedy troupe of yore could still be relevant to politics as well as tickle your Sunday funny bones in between bouts of talking heads.

Dear readers, I may be slow, but by popular demand (and out of spiritual necessity), this week on Soundpolitic Sundays, I'm going get back to looking on the the bright side:

Below the fold, more Python videos than should probably be allowed, coupled with some tidbits on their relevance to satisfy the political junkie in us all...

(Cross-posted on DailyKos and The Albany Project)

As with my last Python themed post, I feel a bit of background information is an order for those poor souls not yet privy to the fully Monty. The last blog has a bit. Wikipedia has a smidge more with regard to today relevant film, Life of Brian:

Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as Life of Brian, is a 1979 comedy film written, directed and largely performed by the Monty Python comedy team. It tells the story of Brian Cohen (played by Graham Chapman), a young Jewish man who is born on the same day as and next door to Jesus Christ, and is subsequently mistaken for the Messiah.
::
The film was a box-office success, grossing fourth-highest of any film in the UK in 1979 and highest of any British film in the United States that year. It has remained popular since then, receiving positive reviews and being named 'Greatest British comedy film of all time' by several magazines and television networks.

As you can guess, the film is soaked through with satire, both religious and political. Our last subject, Holy Grail is also the same, but is traditionally more popular here in the States. Brian, as you just read, is often cited as the best British comedy ever made. After another viewing, I've determined that we Americans may have things backwards...

...but that doesn't mean several of the best clips from Life of Brian can't be Americanized! Indeed, the best political satire is timeless precisely because political history often repeats itself, no matter what country you're in.

Take, for example, this country's recent dealings with Hot Beverage Parties: The Tea Party is now a force to be -reckoned- heckled with in conservative Republican circles, and the Coffee Party is it's progressive -counterpart- opposite. Both come under scrutiny from both sides for undermining the goals of the "real" parties, Republican or Democrat. But really, folks, have you not read the Federalist Number 10 and Madison's words of wisdom regarding factionalism? And wasn't there a Democratic-Republican party at one point in time? And what about...

...fiddlesticks. This bit explains it all so much more elquontely:

JUDEAN PEOPLE'S FRONT

That's right! You're all splitters! Just like the only people the Tea Partiers hate more than us liberal communist socialis Democrats are the not-conservative-and-libertarian-and-fascist-enough Republicans they're splitting from. And just like some of us Kossacks hate the Republicans...but not as much as those Democrats in Name Only, that's for bleedin' sure!

That's not meant as criticism, of course. But it does go to show that such cinematic silliness can be quite thought provoking. If the Tea Partiers had any capacity for thought or reason, they >might realize that some of their revolutionary positions really don't make sense. Remember those "Keep Your Government Hands of My Medicare" signs at their rallies? Tell me that doesn't remind you of this meeting of the People's Front of Judea:

WHAT HAVE THE ROMANS EVER DONE FOR US?

And that's the way it goes. All those women at the Tea Parties who plan to vote their representatives out of office might have been progressive suffragettes a century ago. And all those protesters who marched on Washington (all fifty million of them, or so they claim) had quite the easy time getting there thanks to all those interstate highways, didn't they? The list goes on and on...

Ah, but try talking reason to those types and your excercisng your futility muscles. Why is it we can't seem to get them behind the idea that collective government action is useful...especially when they're so excited about the fact that their own collective action can be used to "take back" their country? Maybe they need a leader for their "individual rights" movement. Maybe they should take a page from the man himself: Brian, mistaken for the Messiah:

YOU'RE ALL INDIVIDUALS!

Of course, in the interst of being "fair and balanced," a Tea Party fool might get just as much enjoyment by reading into that scene a little bit differently. Is this an allegory for Dems and progressive chanting "Yes We Can!" at another Barack Obama speech (as opposed to Repukes and 'baggers chanting "Drill Baby Drill" in front of a Sarah Palin appearance...in New Orleans)?

No. It's exactly what it is. We are all individuals and we shouldn't allow ourselves to be lead as such, no matter what side of the aisle we are on. The difference that Obama brings to the table is that he, too, encouraged us to think for ourselves. Now if he could just get the rest of our leaders to think for themselves instead of just thinking about the next re-election battle, we might get somewhere. Of if we didn't have all sorts of whackjob conservative reactionism to his Presidency we might get somewhere.

Y'know, I feel sorry for those Tea Party types sometimes. For one thing, they happen to be stuck being compared to sweaty testicles being shoved in your face by your college roomate after a night of hard drinking. This is something that I don't approve of (but am tired of scolding y'all about, so carry on if you wish). They might have caught a lucky break if somebody might have warned them about the phrase, though. Brian got a little help from his enemies, and learned a little bit about Latin verb conjugation in the process:

LATIN GRAMMAR LESSON

Ahh, the powers and the pitfalls of civil disobedience. All of us might do well to study a non-English form of verb conjugation, by the way. With all the new Americans of Hispanic descent that came (have come? are coming?) to American by the day, we might do well to start thinking of ours as a bilingual nation. I'm told that Spanish might have a little bit to do with Latin...

Blasphemy! Says the neofascist nationalist Limbaugh-Hannity-Savage crowd! This is America! We speak American here, dammit! How soon until those Arizona folks declare English the official language of the state and makes any human being suspected of not being able to conjugate (or define) the word "is" to prove their American grammatical abilities?

I wonder what the penalty would be for such blasphemy? The Right would probably prefer the harshest punishment possible. In the interest of saving the best for last, here it is: by far the funniest clip from Life of Brian, the Stoning Scene!

Ouch. And they say Joe Biden is gaffe prone! See that? No matter what side your on, if you say the wrong thing at the wrong time in front of the wrong crowd, your entirel political career is on the rocks. But only because the rest of the country is completely off its...

Before I end up saying something I shouldn't have and paying the ultimate price for it, I'm going to have to wrap this up by encouraging you all to do a few things:

First, check out Life of Brian if you haven't already. There's plenty more in the film where all this came from, and much, if not all, of it relates to todays current political culture. Commenters, feel free to suggest snippets I may have overlooked.

Second, I'm hoping to lead by example here. I've been rather stressed out by both my joblessness and by the political dysfunction here in New York in the past couple weeks (months...years) and it's very easy to get cynical, angry, depressed, and you can get really close to just throwing your arms up and giving up the ghost sometimes.

But life's a piece of shit when you look at it, anyway, or so goes the wisdom of Python. So if that's all you've got to look forward to, then you might as well just jump back face-first into the manure and try to get something to grow out of it, right?

Right. Third: Always look on the bright side of life.

So concludes this weeks' edition of Soundpolitic Sundays. Thanks for reading and tune in next week for...erm...whatever strikes me as irreverant, musical, and political all at once next Saturday night.

By the way...I feel better already. So...may all beings be free from suffering, too.

SD-46: Breslin Votes For Furloughs...Before Voting Against Them?

2010-05-15T22:38:00.001-04:00

Though I may be a day or two late on this, Senator Breslin appears to be playing a dual role in the ongoing furlough fiasco.

As we know, all of our wonderful Democratic Senators voted for Governor Paterson's budget extender on Monday, which contained language to furlough about 100,000 hard-working state employees. Then, on Wednesday, a federal judge ruled that a restraining order on this measure was an order when considering a lawsuit filed by PEF.

AS it turns out, Breslin authored a resolution condemning the furloughs around the same time he voted for them. The Times Union reported this yesterday:

Cutting sting of furlough vote

Sen. Neil Breslin inserts poison pill cited in order delaying governor's plan

ALBANY -- Sen. Neil Breslin voted to furlough 100,000 state workers, including thousands who live in his Albany County district.

But Breslin, a Bethlehem Democrat, also got the Senate to pass a poison pill.

A resolution passed unanimously by the 62-member chamber Monday deemed the furloughs "contrary to the law and public policy of this state" and that "this legislative body believes it is not reasonable or fiscally necessary to impose furloughs on unionized state employees in violation of their existing collective bargaining agreements."

It was classic political defense for a legislator stuck between a rock and a hard place[...]

::

But will it serve as a political shield? Breslin denied politics entered into his calculations, but it seems he was working closely with PEF all along. Officials on both sides acknowledged they spoke continuously throughout the process, and when asked by Breslin was not attending a rally of over 2,000 state workers yelling at legislators about to vote for a furlough, PEF President Kenneth Brynien jumped to Breslin's defense.

"Neil said he's working right now to put together a resolution to send to the governor to stop the furloughs," said Brynien. "So, we gave him an out because he's working on our behalf. That's more important than standing in the crowd."

In addition, Breslin is facing two primary challengers who are attacking his stance on the furloughs.

Emphasis mine - SP

Below the fold, Breslin's defensive press statement and a bit of analysis...

(Cross-posted on The Albany Project)

Breslin explained his rapid about-face in a press release Monday, available on the Senator's official website:

For Immediate Release: May 10, 2010
Kelly Conboy | kconboy@senate.state.ny.us | 518-455-2225 518-455-2225

(Albany, NY)-“It is not reasonable or fiscally necessary to impose furloughs on unionized state employees in order to address the budget crisis.

Today, I submitted a resolution on the floor requesting that the Governor resubmit the emergency legislation for the period of April 1, 2010 through May 19, 2010 without including language that authorizes him to impose furloughs.

Unfortunately, in order to avoid shutting down many of the state's essential services, the Legislature has little choice but to vote for the provisions in the current emergency bill.”

###

Sounds pretty agreeable, doesn't it?

But really, this is just another one of those non-binding, feel-good resolutions that really doesn't get anything done. The judge did cite it in his ruling, but according to the Times Union, it was likely to take place anyway. So what's really going on here, in my own humble opinion?

I think the important point to remember is that Breslin is facing two primary challengers, Luke Martland and Tim Carney. Couple that with the fact that the Senator from Albany County most likely represents far more state employees than any other Senator, and it makes sense that he would be the one to craft such language, not for the purpose of actually getting anything binding passed...

...but for the purpose of political damage control.

Of the two challengers, it is Luke Martland who's been hitting Breslin the hardest, on furloughs specifically as well as on ethics, generally. So it's only natural that the Senator would find a way to squirm his way out of that "rock and a hard place," as the TU described it. Frequent commenters on the TU Local Politics blog, including myself, took this as the most important issue and the most obvious flip-flop during the weekly wrap-up.

I'll allow my re-posted comment to stand on it's own to express my opinion:

10.The Breslin furloughs fiasco presents an obvious non-quandry.

Any legislator could have “voted against furloughs” before voting for them. But it’s clear as to why it was agreed that Breslin offer up this flip-flop of epic proportions:

He’s facing two primary challenges in a tough anti-incumbent year. One of these campaigns (Luke Martland) is well organized and has been hitting Breslin hard week after week. As the Senator who represents probably more state workers than any of his colleagues, it makes sense that the Senate Democrats let Breslin take “credit” for this little stunt. In fact, this was almost as bad as Tim Carney’s little fake campaign announcement earlier this week.

Bottom line: If a measure is illegal, then don’t vote for it. That’s called principle.

It’s time we had a State Senator who we can be proud of so we can be proud to be Democrats once again. Check out Luke Martland for that opportunity

That's my opinion, and I'll stick to it unless I hear something really compelling.

As for shutting down state government...well...just how much of a change would that be? Nothing seems to be working with this batch of constantly re-elected goons anyway. And perhaps a full shutdown is just the thing needed to get their chaps back in the saddle again. Yes, it would be disastrous...

...but aren't they already a disaster?

Of course they are. And they are because nobody in their home districts hold their own two-faced "progressive" representatives to account.

I really hope that changes this year...in September.

SD-46: Show Me The Money!

2010-05-12T14:30:00.001-04:00

Luke Martland Continues to Demand Full Disclosure of Unresponsive Sen. Breslin

More than a week after State Senate candidate Luke Martland called on Senator Neil D. Breslin to fully disclose the amount of money he makes and who he represents at his second job at a union-busting and financial industry lobbying law firm, the Assistant Majority Leader has failed to respond.

Undeterred, Martland yesterday brought forth the issue again, and vowed to continue doing so until he succeeds in getting Albany County voters the full disclosure we deserve. One thing Martland's press releases never fail to do is hammer the secretive Senator while tying his attacks in with recent legislative events:

“Instead of caring about New York’s families that are suffering pay cuts and job losses, Breslin is more interested in hiding his pay increases and multiple side clients. If only working families were as important to him as his secret clients, maybe the state budget would get passed and the furloughs avoided.”

- Luke Martland, Democratic candidate for New York State Senate, 46th District

Breslin's response to last week's inquiry from Martland was to shrug it off entirely. One supposes he was too busy authoring a resolution condemning the very furloughs he himself voted for. Perhaps the Senator considers himself so untouchable that Martland and his press releases might simply go away...

...but that clearly isn't going to happen. Luke Martland has been good about backing up his request with evidence to thwart Breslin's bogus claim that such disclosures are unnecessary. He cites a January finding by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York which came to the following conclusion:

“...all lawmakers, including attorney-legislators, should be required to disclose information about their sources of outside income, including the identity of their clients, their fees and a clear description of the services rendered.”

Emphasis mine - SP

Not content to simply cite a Bar Association report, Martland follows the perennial "rule of three" to further bunker his demands. He cites last Friday's Times Union editorial which echoed his own opinion, saying that all Senators should "be subject to full disclosure of their sources of income and actual or potential conflicts...which they have for too long refused to do." Additionally, he reminds us of what U.S. District Court Judge Gary Sharpe told disgraced former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno in court: “Why is anybody worried about disclosure? Disclosure gets rid of the entire problem of conflict. How can there be a conflict if you’ve disclosed? That’s the whole function of disclosure. Let the public know...And then they can make their own judgments.”

I find it refreshing to see a State Senate candidate leading by example, as Martland has already released all his tax and income information of his own volition. And I say three cheers to Luke Martland for reminding the entrenched Senator of the lessons all legislators should be taking away from the recent conviction and sentencing of Uncle Joe.

"I believe in leadership by example," Luke Martland told me the first time I met him. It's also what Luke Martland says directly to Senator Breslin in a letter dated May 6th, which was also released to the press yesterday.

Interested? The letter is quoted in full below the fold.

The ball is in Breslin's court on this one. Stay tuned to see if all he does is keep dribbling.

(Cross-posted on The Albany Project)

Below is the full text of the letter Luke Martland sent to Sen. Breslin.

May 6, 2010

Senator Neil Breslin
Assistant Majority Leader on Conference Operations
502 Capitol Albany, New York 12247

Dear Assistant Majority Leader Breslin,

On Monday, May 3, 2010, I gave to the press copies of my state and federal income tax returns for 2009, my W-2, and a dividend form. The only information that I redacted from those forms was my social security number, my bank account number, and the street address of my home. I have also promised that, if elected, I will not have any outside job (in order to be completely free of any potential conflicts of interest) and to release my tax returns and W-2 every year.

I released my tax information because I believe that the voters have a right to know how much a candidate earns, and how he or she earned it. I believe that the voters have an equal right to know how much a Senator earns, and how he or she earned it. This includes a right to a full disclosure of any outside job(s) or sources of income, and any resulting potential conflicts of interest.

When I released my own tax information I requested that you do three things. First, follow my example and also release your 2009 tax returns and reveal your salary from your second job at the law firm Hiscock and Barclay. Second, reveal your client list so that the voters can know if there are any potential conflicts of interest. Third, reveal your time records so that the voters will know what general services you provided to these clients, and know when you are working at the law firm, as opposed to working on Senate duties.

Senator, you have so far not responded to any of these requests or released any of this information. As Assistant Majority Leader of the New York State Senate and Chairperson of the Senate Insurance Committee, you are one of the most powerful and influential people in State Government. Yet, you also work simultaneously at Hiscock and Barclay, and you have so far refused to reveal your specific salary or your clients. Without the release of your tax information and client list it is nearly impossible for the public to know if there are any potential conflicts of interest from the clients that you represent at Hiscock and Barclay.

As I am sure you know, this information is not covered by the attorney-client privilege. In January 2010 the Association of the Bar of the City of New York issued a report on “Reforming New York State’s Financial Disclosure Requirements for Attorney-Legislators.” In that report the Bar Association noted that under existing law the identity of an attorney’s clients and amount of income are not confidential and are subject to disclosure. The Bar Association also stated in its conclusion that “...all lawmakers, including attorney-legislators, should be required to disclose information about their sources of outside income, including the identity of their clients, their fees and a clear description of the services rendered.”

This is the exactly the same information that I am requesting that you release: 1) your outside income, including at your law firm, 2) the identity of your clients, and 3) time sheets or some other clear description of the services your provided to those clients. Not only do voters have a right to know this information, but, if there are no conflicts of interest then I fail to see how releasing this information would be a problem.

I want to make clear that I am only asking you to do what I have already done. I believe in leadership by example. As a result, I first released my tax returns and W-2, which reveal all of my sources of income for 2009 (which consisted of my state salary and approximately $40 in interest that I earned from one investment). I do not have, and did not have, any second job or outside source of income. I do not have, and did not have, any outside clients. Therefore, I have already released all of the information that I am requesting that you disclose. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Luke Martland

Since we're on the topic of "show me the money," I think it's time I started doing this:

Donate to Luke Martland for State Senate.

SD-46: Carney Makes It "Official"

2010-05-11T15:20:00.000-04:00

Announces Intent to Challenge Sen. Breslin in front of Albany County Legislature

And then there were three. Yesterday, Albany resident Tim Carney made a public comment to the members of the Albany County Legislature and citizens in attendance that he will be challenging Assistant Majority Leader Sen. Neil D. Breslin in the 46th district, which encompasses all of Albany County.

During his address, Carney summarized his listening tour of all county municipalities and proposed that school taxes transition from property-based to income-based before stating his intent to run for the seat. This received an objection from one Legislator, sustained by the Chairman only after another Legislator offered an on-the-spot endorsement.

If that's not what you were expecting, then you're in good company. This blogger was expecting something completely different, and in that sense I got exactly what was coming to me. Carney's prepared statement and a full account of the miniature legislative circus it inspired below the fold...
=============================
Carney used two online venues to announce his "announcement" last month and last week. First, there was his comment on the TU Local Politics blog that he would be "making a major announcement with many elected officials standing by my side." Second, there was a press release where Carney again informed members of the local press corps (and this blogger) that he “will be making a formal announcement to his intentions for this year's race for New York State Senate,” distributed last week.

When I arrived at the Albany County offices at 112 State Street, I hung around outside to see if anything had been set up. Nothing. So I went inside to find the Legislature preparing for its session. Carney entered as County Comptroller Mike Conners (who ran against Senator Breslin himself in 2004 on the Republican line) was giving his annual Fiscal State of the County address.

Once Conners was finished, I asked Carney if he would be making his announcement outside. He shook his head. It was then I realized, when Chairman of the Legislature Dan McCoy (also Chairman of the Albany County Democratic Party) announced that once a month the Albany County Legislature allows for citizens to sign up for five minutes of public comment on the floor.

At this, my brief conversation with Carney regarding the numbers he crunched after the 2008 primary in the 21st Congressional District ended and he signed up to speak. This was his campaign announcement.

Before I finish my thoughts on this, here is the prepared “bullet-point style” outline Carney used during his public comment, provided to me by the candidate himself:

Intro
Lifelong resident of the Capital Area

Moved to Albany 20 years ago

Raised Daughter - Graduated from U-Albany

Mother retired and moved in to downstairs Apt

Volunteer for St James Church/School Bazaar

Co-Founder DANA - 1st President

Ran for Albany County Legislature

City of Albany Charter Reform

Board member of Downtown Merchants Assoc

Helped with the formation of the Downtown BID

NFIB - Intro the Small Business works for America

ACDA - Property Manager - HUD/Home Store -GIS

Worked as Poll Watcher, Election Inspector, Committee Person, Campaign Worker & Manager,

4 years ago Upstate Co-Tom Suozzi for Governor

Last three years running Lester Freeman’s races

Over the past 4 months I have attended all the Board and Council meetings of the 19 Municipalities across

Albany County.
Village of Colonie is concerned about Landfill

Westerlo is buying a new town Hall needs funding

Voorheesville needs a new Fire Truck

Coeymans needs Rt 143 fixed

New Scotland wants to change it’s zoning

Watervliet is going to take a big hit in Tax sharing

This year most of them managed to tighten their belts, however they know there is going to be major budget problems. Change in Census Data and the sales tax distribution from the county worry many board and council members. They can’t raise property taxes any higher, the people don’t have it.

The three main subjects the average people are concerned about are:
Furloughs or layoffs - State Parks

Property Tax Reform

Albany County owned nursing home

Reform of state government
Property Tax reform = School Tax reform

Eliminate the way school taxes are collected through property valuation. All property owners who qualify for the STAR Tax program and their home qualifies for the Homestead provision they would not pay any school taxes. Homeowners and especially seniors would save on average $200-500 dollars every month. Most school taxes are 60% of someone’s monthly tax on their home.

Create an income based system to have a bigger and less intrusive and more fair system. The current system for commercial and land valuation would remain the same the balance of the school budget would be made up of an income tax based system. Similar systems are working in 5 states, including Ohio.
This would also jump start the Real Estate Industry.

I will be having a press conference on this soon with more details.

The city of Albany is not getting their fair share as the Capital of New Your State and in comparison to the other major cities in the state. We need our PILOT money increased or adopt a commuter tax to offset the city for services rendered.

The second biggest topic of discussion with county residents is the Albany County Nursing Home. Everyone see the benefits of a county owned nursing home.

I believe that we need a county owned nursing, however we need to take it a step further. I think we need a new idea like the Albany County Elder Care Center. At the Livingston School on Northern Boulvd is the land and the space needed to build a new Nursing home behind the school. Then build a new Assisted living home next to the nursing home and turn the school building in to a new senior services center. Move all the not for profit agencies that help our seniors into the school to create a one stop for our seniors to apply for benefits.

Emphasis added for readability – SP

After running through these points, Carney brought it all together and stated that, because of these issues, he would be running for State Senate in the 46th district.

At this, things got interesting when County Legislator Bryan Clenahan objected. "Is this the proper forum?" Clenahan asked the Chair. He continued, "This is the only time citizens have to address the Legislature and should not be used for making political statements."

Before Chairman McCoy could sustain the objection, another Legislator stood up. Known for his scruffy hair, blue jeans, and cowboy boots (among other things that make him less than reputable for holding public office), County Legislator Brian Scavo rose in Carney's defense.

"It takes a lot of guts," said Scavo of Carney's comments. Scavo then said he would support Carney's campaign, right there on the floor of the Albany County Legislature. Scavo had arrived to the session late, missing the Fiscal State of the County address, but was strangely just in time for the public comment period...

But Chairman Dan McCoy would have none of it. "Mr. Clenahan, you are correct. This is not the place to do that," said McCoy. The objection was sustained, so I'm assuming Carney's big announcement was stricken from the record. Or something. I asked Carney about this, and he didn't seem to care.

"I don't let that sort of thing bother me," said Carney. "I came to do what I said I would do." He maintained that Clenahan was a Breslin hack in the first place, and also worked for the New York State Senate in the second place, so it was he who was making the inappropriate political remarks.

I entertained that idea at the time, and I could continue to. But perhaps I cannot. I'm actually rather torn by it:

It makes a certain amount of sense to me that a Breslin ally in the Legislature would object to Tim Carney's public comment simply to inflict damage on an opposing candidate. It makes sense to me that the Chairman would sustain the objection because he, too, is a Breslin supporter: As Chairman of the Democratic Party in Albany County, McCoy made headlines last month when he publicly embraced and endorsed Senator Breslin when he made his bid for re-election official. This move came just days after the candidate review committee blew things wide open by not endorsing Breslin or either of his two challengers, the first major news item of the campaign.

Put it all together, and one could argue that the sustained objection to Carney's public comment proves that Albany County is firmly in the Breslin Machine's grasp. Carney didn't receive any such objection when he visited the town, village and city legislative bodies, that's certain. And he continues to make the excellent point that Senator Breslin has never made such rounds in his 15 years in office. But when Carney comes to the county level, suddenly there is resistance from Breslin supporters, who make an attempt to strike his existence from the record.

I do somewhat disagree with the objection on the following principle: that Tim Carney is a resident of Albany County and was commenting about ways to improve the situation in Albany County through his own action as a citizen running for public office.

Yet there is this one problem nagging at me as an Albany County voter and as a blogger. Carney's earlier statements about his planned announcement indicated to me something different than what actually occurred.

Again, his blog comments and amateurish presser told us he would be making a “formal announcement” as if it were an event entirely in and of itself all about him and his campaign...

What Carney actually did was make a public comment at an already scheduled public meeting that is supposed to be about the public.

That, and Carney earlier stated that he would make his big policy proposal "with many elected officials standing by my side" as if these were officials who would attend out of declared support for Carney...

In reality, Carney made his statement standing in front of an entire body of local elected officials who were required to attend for an entirely different reason.

In that sense, the objection does make sense to me. I can't craft any conspiracy theory that Carney's announcement was infiltrated by seedy pro-Breslin forces, because in fact it was Carney who had infiltrated, in a sense, a regularly scheduled session of the Albany County Legislature where many members and the chairman himself have already offered their support to the sitting Senator. So what did he expect?

I suppose Carney is correct in not letting this bother him. It does take guts and thick skin to do something like that.

But something bothers me about Carney leading me to believe I drove across the county to cover a formal campaign announcement and all I had to blog about when I got back home was a public comment period. If Legislator Clenahan hadn't objected and an accused sexual stalker hadn't objected to the objection, I wouldn't have had anything fun to write about, nor would there be any pertinent material to cover that took away from the substantive issues Carney raised.

The whole ordeal made it very difficult to focus on Carney's proposal, which I actually do like. Two years ago, Congressional candidate Darius Shahinfar proposed to stop using property taxes to pay for public education, instead using a Federal income tax to implement the federal education mandate. It's a proposal that I think really ought to be considered, and Carney does make excellent points about New York State's notoriously high property taxes. As Carney mentions, it seems to be working in Ohio, another large northeastern state...

...but it was still difficult to take seriously. And now that I think of it, his proposal regarding the Albany County Nursing Home is a county issue, not a state concern. And last I checked, Tim Carney was announcing his candidacy for State Senate, not for County Legislature...

...and when I last checked my materials to leave to cover the event, I was on my way to a formal campaign announcement, not a public comment period where I myself could have declared my candidacy for dog catcher. There was no media in attendance for the announcement, but, given this circumstance, how can one fault them?

I do respect Carney for having the guts to challenge a Senator whom I consider to have outstayed his welcome by underperforming for his district; I do think that looking for new solutions to the state and school fiscal crises is a worthy and timely endeavor; and I do think that a politician is still a citizen and therefore should be able to make a public comment unchallenged...

...but I'm starting to have second thoughts about Tim Carney as a serious candidate for the office of New York State Senate. Considering he's challenging one of the most entrenched names in the district, last night was probably a mistake in practice if not in principle.

Still, if he continues to run, I feel obligated to cover both challengers to Neil Breslin as this three-way primary develops.

I just reserve the right to make my own public comments about all three candidates’ remarks.

If anybody objects to these, then head on over to the challengers' websites

Tim Carney
Luke Martland

Otherwise...stay tuned for more news, commentary, and surprises in this fascinating race.

SD-46: Martland Proposes Solutions to Furlough Fiasco

2010-05-10T20:14:00.000-04:00

Tonight, the State Legislature passed the state budget extension, including a furlough for state employees one day each week. Before the vote, Democratic State Senate candidate Luke Martland made his thoughts on this perfectly clear and offered solutions to the budget crisis. The full presser:

MARTLAND OFFERS SOLUTIONS TO END FURLOUGH CRISIS

Governor and Legislature Should Begin Seven Days a Week Negotiations and Take Pay Cut Equal to Furlough

(Albany) – State Senate candidate Luke Martland today issued a list of solutions that could help solve the furlough crisis.

“The Governor’s threat to furlough state workers is wrong and demonstrates the dysfunction in our state government,” said Martland. “The furlough hurts hard working New Yorkers who deserve better. The effects of this furlough will be felt far beyond state workers. It will also affect every mom-and-pop business that caters to state workers and their families.”

“Both the Governor and leadership of the Senate, including Assistant Majority Leader Neil Breslin, have failed these working families. Sadly, over the last two weeks while family paychecks hung in the balance, the Senate has worked only three days each week, and then taken four day weekends. Not surprisingly there is still no state budget. It’s time for a new approach.”

Martland proposes the following solutions to break the gridlock:

1. The Governor submit, and the legislature immediately pass, a two week extender without any furloughs or lay offs,

2. The Governor, Senate and Assembly should remain in Albany and work seven days a week until a budget is passed,

3. The Governor, all Senators and Assembly members, and all executive and legislative staff should take an immediate pay cut equal to any potential furlough,

4. If a furlough is indeed necessary to avoid fiscal ruin for the State, that sacrifice must be shared by every State worker. That means that all State workers, including all consultants and both so-called “essential” and “non-essential” employees must participate in any pay cut or furlough,

5. Any sacrifice should be imposed on a sliding scale. A worker making $25,000 and struggling to feed a family cannot afford to lose a full day’s pay. Any furlough or pay cut should be imposed on a sliding scale so that lower paid workers sacrifice only a minimal amount and higher paying workers sacrifice progressively more.

“If the Governor and Legislature adopt these solutions and begin to show true leadership I believe a budget could be passed in short order,” said Martland.

Emphasis mine – SP

A few words on how this bill, and Martland’s statements, directly affect me below the fold…

(Cross-posted on The Albany Project)

I usually emphasize what I feel to be the most generally important points being made by a candidate based only on my own political opinions. Tonight, I emphasize portions of what Martland is saying because this furlough will profoundly affect me. As I’ve been out of work for well over a year, I’m lucky enough to have a mother generous enough to keep me out of the cold and fed while I continue my job search in this dastardly economy.

Just one problem: she’s a state worker. So without going into detail she’d rather me not go into, I can stand as a living example of how this ridiculous furlough will effect New Yorkers beyond just the low-level office workers and laborers who will now be forced to cut their already tight budgets immediately. For me, this issue hits home, and it hits home hard.

And let me tell you, it sucks. My family isn’t rich. We don’t get Wall Street bonuses. We don’t get our stock trading taxes back. And we certainly can’t ask the insurance and banking industry lobby to contribute to our continued campaign to keep our heads above water. But Senator Breslin can…

…and that’s why I think it’s time for a new approach. I encourage all true progressive Democrats to visit the websites of Breslin’s challengers, Luke Martland and Tim Carney, to put an end to this heartless assault on working families. None of this nonsense will change unless we change the names of those who are supposed to be representing us.

My Senator just voted to reduce my families budget 20% while he is over a month late getting his own budget passed. So this September, I’m voting him out.

Soundpolitic Sundays: Mother's Day Party Edition

2010-05-09T12:36:00.000-04:00

Good morning and a happy Mother's Day to all you Kossacks out there. Today is the day we pause to sing the flowery praises of the women who brought us into this world. Today we brunch and visit and put politics aside...

...well, for the purposes of this blog, that last part is not going to happen. Instead, I'd like to smash the Mommy Party myth. I'm quite frankly sick of the Democratic Party being referred to as the Mommy Party and being accused of trying to build a "Nanny State."

Why?

Because the reality is it's the other way around. For context, I'll need a little help from my friend Pink:

In this edition of Soundpolitic Sundays, I'll prove, below the fold, why this brick in the wall was put there by the Republicans.

(Cross-posted on The Albany Project and DailyKos)

For those who were unable to see the video and are unfortunate enough to be unfamiliar with Pink Floyd's song "Mother" from their 1979 double-LP masterpiece The Wall, here are the lyrics to the first half, prior to David Gilmour's soaring guitar solo:

Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb?
Mother do you think they'll like this song?
Mother do you think they'll try to break my balls?
Oooh ah, Mother should I build a wall?

Mother should I run for president?
Mother should I trust the government?
Mother will they put me in the firing line?
Oooh ah, is it just a waste of time?

Hush no baby, baby don't you cry.
Mama's gonna make all of your
Nightmares come true
Mama's gonna put all of her fears into you
Mama's gonna keep you right here
Under her wing
She won't let you fly
But she might let you sing
Mama will keep baby cozy and warm
Oooh Babe Oooh Babe Oooh Babe
Of course Mama's gonna help build the wall.

Now consider the two voices present in the lyrics. Your top stanzas are questions of the story's protagonist, a boy who apparently needs guidance in this crazed world. Below, you have the reassurance of the authority figure, the boy's mother, pledging to help him.

But does any of that seem reassuring to you? It doesn't to me. "Make all your nightmares come true? Put all her fears into you?" That wouldn't help me sleep at night, and it probably wouldn't help my sheets stay dry...

But all too often, that's exactly what the real Mommy Party, the Republican Party, has been doing for decades.

Think of it. The Republicans and their talk radio bullhorned buffoons constantly hammer that it is us Democrats treating our citizens like children, supposedly taking away our freedoms due to the government intrustion of keeping us all cozy and warm. You heard lots of this during the health care reform debate, certainly. But it's by no means new.

And by no means is it accurate.

We Democrats are more of the family party. This is more accurate when considering my situation. I refer to myself as a victim of the recession. I've been out of work and haven't been able to find a job since January of 2009. And if it weren't for my mother, I'd likely be out on the street, likely resorting to petit larcency to keep myself alive.

But because I'm blessed with a generous mother, I'm able to stay off the streets as I continue to search for employment. I'm not fearful for starvation or street criminals and what not. I'm safe because, even if it's not right a 26-year-old shouldn't be working, it's also not right for one's family to abandon their flesh and blood.

That's what we are as Americans. Flesh and blood.

We Democrats don't want a "Nanny State" where everyone is taken care of, head to toe. We simply want a society that operates in recognition that not every vessel sails smoothly and that there should be a port to pull into if seas get too stormy. Not everyone is as fortunate as I am this Mother's Day. Many who've lost their jobs in this recession may have lost their mother, or perhaps they haven't, but there's simply no room to take their son or daughter back in.

The worst case scenario for me is that there is room and finacnes to help a child who's down, but the mother refuses. This is the characterization I'd give the Mother in the Pink Floyd tune. Though she pledges to keep her son safe and under her wing, look at what else she promises, particularly her offer to help build "a wall" between him and his fears.

Which of the two parties puts fear into the heart of the electorate?

Which of the two parties would like to see our nightmares come true for their political advantage?

Which of the two parties want to build a wall down on the southern border?

Which of the two parties would tell their child not to trust the government?

And, for goodness sake, which of the two parties has been breaking our balls since Nixon?

You got it. The Republican Party. The real Mommy party. The bad Mommy party.

We Democrats want to see the nation function as an entire loving family, with both the mother and father balancing their roles to raise productive members of society and keep them protected even when times get tough. We want to instill people with dreams of what they can achieve and the hope that they will prevail when the dream seem to be dying.

The Republicans would have you believe that they will drop the bomb any second, that we are already in the firing line, and that all of our efforts to make this nation progressively better is a waste of time. They tell us that there's a wall of separation between the people and the state, and that the latter exists at the expense of the former, and not for better.

We know the truth. We know that there is no logical way to separate the people from the government in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. That is the path of reason, of no fear, of the freedom to choose and the opportunity to bounce back.

It's the path of the Democratic Party.

So this Mother's Day, I'm glad my Mommy is a Democrat. Don't forget to thank your mother for being a Democrat today...instead of a member of the Mother Should I Trust The Government Party!

That's all for this edition of Soundpolitic Sundays. Thanks for reading and tune in next week for more music and politics, and until then may you, and all beings, be free from suffering.

Soundpolitic Sundays: Tone It Down Edition

2010-05-02T16:08:00.001-04:00

I'm usually very proud of my diaries and comments. Often my subject matter contains opinions which I’m quite passionate about. But pride, being a vice instead of virtue, can sometimes catch up with me.

This past week, with relation to both last weeks' edition and the week in reporting a local State Senate race, they did. Now I'm presented with a rare opportunity. Instead of blogging about how right I think I am, I now find it prudent to write about just how wrong I might be and how self-righteously foolish it made me sound.

In other words, I'm going to take this guy's advice:

In this week's edition of Soundpolitic Sundays, join me in one more cup coffee as I take a step back from last weeks' boiling points...

(Cross-posted on The Albany Project and DailyKos)

I can boil what I do on the blogs to three major topics. I find they can end up complimenting each other rather well, but in some instances if I don't keep myself in check, they can serve as examples of what nonsense can result when the lines are blurred.

First, I continue what really got me going back in 2008, when my Congressional district, NY-21, experienced a wide-open Democratic primary for the first time in fifty years. It was back then that I openly declared support for one candidate while rounding up recent news. I was rather proud of how I was able to get more information out there than a brief newscast or newspaper article could fit in. I was also rather proud of some of the analytical points I made.

But what I am not proud of are some of the battles I waged in the comments sections of my diaries back then. I took my advocacy of a single candidate to levels that deepened the divide in the political discourse and debate of Democrats. That is, above the fold I held myself out as an unbiased reporter mixed with an advocating citizen-journalist. Yet in the comments below, I would come off as a shill, a loudmouth, a partisan of a single stripe.

So this year, when I decided to keep up this work by covering a New York State Senate primary, I resolved to myself that I wouldn't do that again. And that I would let another candidate actually use and abuse my advocacy on the blogs. See, by passionately advocating for one side of a mutli-tiered debate, it's very easy to let those passions get a hold of you and cloud your vision to the whole truth.

This week, I failed miserably in that respect. While my reporting is still, I feel, honest and accurate, in commenting on the story I revealed an incredible weakness. And I have the community of The Albany Project to thank for this. They snapped me out of my conspiracy theories pretty quickly. Without getting too specific, taking a step back and tempering my passionate viewpoints allowed me to see how foolish I was making myself look instead of making auto-assumptions about how right I was and how wrong anybody was to disagree with me.

So this week, I have a big "sorry" and "thank you" to say to the community of The Albany Project. By helping me realize my head was in the sand in the first place, I was able to notify myself to start digging out. I can now resolve to tone things down when it comes to coverage of political campaigns and developments with what I hope is a clean slate.

Why? Because while feeling right certainly does feel good, feeling like you have a right a wrong of your own doing is much stronger. You feel like you've learned something, and swallowing your pride as opposed to spewing it out grants my ego a more lasting and limiting impression.

This connects me with another things I do here on the blogs. When I heard about the formation of the Coffee Party two months ago, I jumped at the chance to both participate in this new movement and get the news of it's doings out there. It's the second subject I blog about, though it's been a while since I had to step down as an early organizer and even attend meetings thanks to sustained unemployment.

The theme of this movement is what draws me to it, and it's why my proud and prejudiced political coverage began to contrast with it so strongly. With the Coffee Party spreading a message of inclusiveness and civil discourse, my political reporting ended up looking all the more close-minded and confrontational. Perhaps it's been my absence from the Coffee Party meetings still taking place that has caused this flaw to appear.

Here's the main point. Politics is often seen as one big, never-ending conflict. Sides are chosen, then choices are justified, then the other side is demonized, then all hell tends to break lose. You could say this is exactly the process that the radical Tea Party movement is presently making an example of. Let me assure you: the Coffee Party is it's polar opposite in both ideology and approach. The members of the Coffee Party seek to break this radicalizing chain, the same chain that turns of so many of our fellow citizens to anything remotely related to politics...

...the same chain I followed when my reporting turned to bias and conspiracy theories. So I'll add to my resolution. Because now I have haven't only let TAP and DailyKos readers down with this massive contradiction, I've let down the Coffee Party. To bring them back up, I must keep their message of civil discourse and a more harmonious tone alive. It's time for less mischief and more meditation.

That's the third thing I do here, and you're in the middle of one right now. This Sunday column was my return to blogging after a year of depression from sustained unemployement. A theme developed as the column took a life of it's own. Holding myself to posting here on a weekly basis gave me a deadline to prepare for, a responsibility to hold myself to.

That said, most of what's here I try to make as fun as possible. I started the series as a spur-of-the-moment, box-of-chocolates deal where I didn't know what I was getting into and where, each week, you never know what you're gonna get. Hence, a tradition to post irreverent YouTube videos.

How often do you find yourself feeling like Forrest Gump? Because this week, I found myself wishing I was a little more like him. The Gump never proudly pontificated his political views, even when he was surrounded by the most pivotal of historic events. Through either his lack of intellect or his possession of a deeper wisdom, he took things as they came and didn't make too much of a big deal about much of anything. And true to form, he never really knew what life would hand out to it, and because of his balanced neutrality, he was able to take everything in stride no matter where his legs took him.

That's what I'd like to craft here each week, with a healthy dose of the same humor found in the film. Alas, I've now had two weeks that really are no laughing matter. And they are the result of me being an anti-Gump. Instead of recognizing the limits of my mind, I placed my own opinions above all others for such a foolish reason as to feel smart. Instead of playing the strong and silent type, I spouted off at the mouth and proved myself more a fool than a sage. And instead of taking things in stride, I latched on to my expectations and lashed out when they were not met.

This was a recipe for shrimp disaster.

So finally, I can resolve to return this column to its original purpose. Not as some misplaced confessional for just one blogger by focusing on my own trials and tribulations, but as a place for other bloggers to have something completely unexpected thrown at them for purposes of both entertainment and information.

I just had to get this out of the way first. Because to continue to move forward, as people and as a country, we must first admit where and when we were wrong. And then, we must act like we mean to do something about it to right those wrongs. Finally, we must resolve to not make the same mistakes by outlining a process for future progress. To skip these steps and just move on like nothing happens leaves no lessons learns, apologies left unsaid, and stone left unturned.

I hope this weeks' column has done that. I hope you will join me next week as Soundpolitic Sunday's gets back to the business of taking things down a notch. Until then, thanks for reading, keep up the good work, and may all beings be free from suffering.

Coffee Party Sees Print, Gets Printing

2010-04-29T15:25:00.002-04:00

It’s been over a month since I had to step down as organizer of the Albany Coffee Party. But that hasn’t stopped other participants from becoming organizers themselves: there are now two Coffee Parties in Albany County meeting regularly, as well as groups meeting in surrounding counties. Still privy to the Coffee Party’s message boards, I see that the same pattern holds true across New York State and the rest of the country.

In fact, the movement has gained such national traction it is the subject of a current feature article in Newsweek.

The Coffee Party Heats Up

Tired of all the Tea Party talk, Annabel Park decided to throw a Coffee Party—and 200,000 people showed up.

The rest of the article references some of the challenges facing the growing movement, but taken together paints an accurate and hopeful picture of what the Coffee Party USA has been up to in the past month.

Below the fold, a round-up of the Coffee Party’s most recent initiatives, an inside-look at their current letter-writing campaign, and how Senator Schumer’s office is taking action as well.
=========
For those on the Democratic blogosphere concerned that a “new party” might be detrimental to the Donkey Party, Newsweek’s description of the Coffee Parties most enthusiastic participants might be reassuring:

When Annabel Park imagined what it would be like to head a new national political movement, here is what she had in mind: a coming together of engaged, intelligent citizens who had tired of the angry rhetoric and accusations of the Tea Partiers; Americans of all political persuasions joining in a spirit of equanimity to discuss the nation's problems, and maybe even share a laugh. It was this beautiful vision that danced in Park's head on a recent Saturday as she made her way to Busboys and Poets, a cafe in Washington, D.C., for one of nearly 500 Coffee Party meetings taking place nationwide that day. She knew the house would be full—word had spread quickly on the group's swelling Facebook page. Park, a documentary filmmaker, was especially pleased that C-Span had arranged to broadcast the meeting.

But from the moment folks in the crowd stood up to speak their minds, Park knew these people had not come to sip cappuccinos and set an example of civility for an overheated nation. They were angry. They hated the Tea Party, and the Republican Party. They wanted to get even. One audience member said America was under the thumb of oligarchs and denounced "moneyed interests." A few people hissed when Sarah Palin's name was mentioned. Also on hand were the usual suspects drawn to the C-Span bat signal. A man representing Code Pink, the left-wing protest group, said that "racism was the basis for everything that's going on right now." He also seemed to have a real problem with "fear-based rhetoric" and Northrop Grumman.
::
::
But then, Park didn't set out to create a political movement in the first place. She was just exhausted by all-Tea-Party-all-the-time on the news. One night in January, she signed on to her Facebook page and ranted about "the false narrative that the tea party is the real America." Her friends picked up on the post and it led to the creation of the Coffee Party. Within days, thousands of people signed up on Facebook.
All of a sudden Park was a political leader—of what, she didn't quite know—and the target of right-wing fury. Conservative bloggers unearthed—scandal!—that she had once briefly worked for The New York Times and supported Sen. Jim Webb, a moderate Democrat from Virginia. One online commenter accused her of being a "Chinese agent." The notoriety didn't really hurt: the group now has more than 200,000 members, and every status update Park posts gets about a million views.

Emphasis mine – SP

That ought to set your heart at ease. So, too, should the recent poll results regarding the Citizens United case ruling specifically and corporate money’s influence of our elected officials specifically. They show over 90% of Coffee Party participants and organizers feel that they should concentrate on the role of money in politics and “reforming Wall Street to make it more accountable to Main Street.”

This has triggered the Coffee Party’s most recent initiative, Clean Up Wall Street & K Street. Now would be a good time to do that, given Senator Schumer’s announcement today of legislation aimed at limiting the Supreme Court’s Citizen’s United decider-ing:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 29, 2010
SENATE DEMOCRATS UNVEIL LEGISLATION TO LIMIT FALLOUT FROM SUPREME COURT RULING THAT ALLOWS UNLIMITED SPECIAL-INTEREST SPENDING ON ELECTIONS—ANNOUNCE PLAN FOR SENATE PASSAGE BY JULY 4

DISCLOSE Act Will Require All Organizations Making Political Expenditures To Make Public Their Donors And Appear On Camera To Stand By Their Ads

Legislation Would Also Ban Foreign-Controlled Corporations, Government Contractors from Making Political Expenditures

Bill Was Developed Together With Obama Administration; Van Hollen, Castle To Introduce House Version Later Today

WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Al Franken (D-MN) announced new legislation Thursday to blunt the harmful impacts from the Supreme Court’s decision allowing corporations and other special interests to spend unlimited sums to influence elections. The lawmakers said their goal is for the Senate to pass the new measure by July 4 so the law can take effect in time for the 2010 midterm elections.

The legislation is a response to the Court’s ruling in the Citizens United case last January. That decision overturned a decades-old law banning political expenditures by corporate interests. The new Senate legislation would partly restore those limits – by barring foreign-controlled corporations, government contractors and companies that have received government assistance from making political expenditures – and also require corporations, unions, and other organizations that make political expenditures to disclose their donors and stand by their ads.

The legislation is dubbed the “Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections” Act, or The DISCLOSE Act.

Senator Schumer said: “At a time when the public's fears about the influence of special interests were already high, the Court’s decision stacks the deck against the average American even more. Our bill will follow the money. In cases where corporations try to mask their activities through shadow groups, we drill down so that ultimate funder of the expenditure is disclosed. If we don’t act quickly to confront this ruling, we will have let the Supreme Court predetermine the outcome of next November’s elections. It won’t be Republicans or Democrats; it will be Corporate America and other special interests.”

The release is long and quotes Sens. Franken, Bayh, Feingold, and Wyden, as well as contains a summary of the bill to be introduced.

The Coffee Party video on cleaning up Wall Street and K-Street makes great points on the topic as well:

LET’S CLEAN UP WALL STREET AND K-STREET

One of the steps the Coffee Party is encourage folks to take is to send their Senators hand-written letters with regard to Sen. Dodd’s bill. I have a feeling they may do the same with Sen. Schumer’s efforts. Below is the form of the letter the Coffee Party is suggesting be fleshed and sent out:

The Honorable (full name) (date)
(Room#) (Name) Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington DC 20510
S. 3217 – Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010
Dear Senator (Elected Officials name):
We are members of the Coffee Party and we are committed to helping those employed on Wall Street act like responsible human beings and good citizens. We insist that legal constraints be enacted in order for this to happen.
We feel that Senator Dodd’s bill, S3217 the “Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010” should be enacted as long as it provides the following:

The Volker Rule and a return to the protections of the Glass- Steagall Act

An independent consumer financial protection agency chaired by a true consumer protection advocate.

The Kaufman-Brown amendment that would cap the size of individual banks and financial institutions.

We also support the recently introduced Lincoln legislation to curtail abusive derivative practices and urge its passage alongside the Dodd legislation.

This kind of reasonable regulation is essential in order to ensure that the financial services industry works in the best interest of the American people.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

(Your Name)

How many of you might put your name to that? Now, how many of you answered “yes” to the first question, but wrote off the Coffee Party before doing so? I don’t want to scold you, but some on the liberal blogosphere said this would go nowhere and would be counter-productive to progressive political action. I simply disagree, and submit the above and the following actions the Coffee Party has taken as proof that this is a movement to be embraced by progressives of all partisan stripes as well as the Democratic Party itself.

From April 17 to 25, the Coffee Party engaged college and university students all over the nation. The video below shows a progressive consensus among today’s millenials in what could only be a good development for the national progressive movement:

Much nicer than those out-of-control Tea Party protesters, wouldn’t you say? And very much in line and helpful to the Democratic Party, I’d say.

SD-46: Luke Martland Makes It Official

2010-04-26T16:52:00.001-04:00

Albany Native to Challenge Assistant Majority Leader Breslin in Dem Primary

Yesterday, Luke Martland, a native of Albany, former Manhattan assistant DA and counsel to the Governor, made his official announcement that he will challenge State Sen. Neil D. Breslin in the 46th State Senate district, Albany County.

Martland has been hammering Breslin, whose two brothers hold the County Executive and Judgeship, in several press releases on as many issues for the past month. His announcement yesterday summarized these points and introduced even more. It also marks the first time a challenger to the entrenched incumbent has been given a full court press.

The full speech, announcement release, and links to extensive press coverage after years of giving Breslin a free pass are below the fold.

(Cross-posted on The Albany Project and DailyKos.)

Two years ago to the date, Sen. Breslin was facing his first-ever primary challenge to his seventh term. Yet no ink was spilled and no tape rolled until just a week before his election.

This time around, the Albany Times Union saw it fit to print and post to blogs. Choice excerpts:

Martland enters state Senate race
Ex-DA, Albany High grad says he'll fight to end government dysfunction

First published in print: Monday, April 26, 2010
ALBANY -- Luke Martland, a former Manhattan assistant district attorney who grew up in Albany, formally announced his candidacy Sunday for the Democratic nomination for state Senate in the 46th District.

Martland, who promised to fix what he called a broken state government system, will face seven-term-incumbent Neil Breslin in a September primary election.
::
Martland, a graduate of Albany High as well as Princeton University and Brooklyn Law School, quickly took aim at Breslin.
::
Breslin could not be reached for comment Sunday evening. However, he has been a critic of dysfunction in state government. He loudly denounced Pedro Espada Jr. during the Senate coup crisis, and he called for Hiram Monserrate to resign in October, immediately following his misdemeanor assault conviction.

With regard to that last snipped paragraph, the TU really should have referred to Martland’s prior statements regarding Sen. Breslin’s political flip-flop on his vote to make Sen. Espada the Majority Leader after he engineered the coup. They also still have yet to mention that Breslin was the buffoon with the gavel in his hands that fateful day.

That and the print story is still somewhat buried in the local section, but a teaser with color photo does appear on the front-page, so when all is said and done it is a vast improvement from last cycle’s virtual blackout. I believe it is also a harbinger of future coverage, and perhaps an indicator that this race will fast become the political story in Albany County this year.

In contrast to the dead trees version, the TU Local Politics blog has consistently augmented the press coverage well this year. Follow the link and you’ll find that this instance is no exception.

I was also struck by the amount of television cameras present. There was no broadcast coverage of Breslin’s first primary challenge. The fact that all major news channels were there this time around is another indication this primary is literally one to watch.

So far, only the local FOX affiliate, WXXA, has carried the story. I’m assuming that the other four stations I saw there are doing the right thing and are producing a segment for tonight’s broadcast. Stay tuned for updates to this blog for those links.

But enough about the press. Sometimes if you really want the whole story, you’ve got to go right to the source. That’s why I do what I do, and that’s why I close with a full transcript of Martland’s speech and his campaign announcement press release:

Luke Martland Announcement Speech
Sunday, April 25, 2010.

Thank you being here today and thank you for joining me as I kick off my campaign for New York State Senate. As many of you know, I have never run for office before. I grew up in Albany and am a proud product of the public school system … graduating from Albany High School.

After college, I worked my way through law school and then served as an Assistant District Attorney and Assistant Attorney General. I ran the State’s Sex Offender Registry at the Division of Criminal Justice Services. I have spent the last 20 years being an advocate - fighting to keep our streets and neighborhoods safe. I am now running for office to advocate and fight again. To advocate for the people of Albany County and to fight to fix our broken government.

New York State’s government is a national embarrassment. Every week brings a new scandal. This week’s shame? One of the leaders of the Senate stole $14 million in taxpayer money! $14 million! And yet the same Senators who made this man their leader, have refused to pass real ethics reform. Refused to police themselves. Refused to clean up the swamp of corruption in the State Capitol.

Nothing gets done because our legislature is the most dysfunctional in the country. The budget was due on April 1st. Yet almost one month later, there is no budget … the Republicans and Democrats can’t even agree when to meet, much less when to begin to negotiate. Parks are being closed, schools are facing massive layoffs, yet our Senators have taken almost 2 weeks of vacation during this same period. Layoffs, no budget … and yet the Senate, instead of getting to work, takes time off.

The state is drowning in debt yet Senators insist on spending billions on pork and favors for contributors and special interests.

The fact is …. nothing will change. Nothing will change and none of these problems will be fixed, until we change the people we elect to serve us.

Someone has to stand up and say “enough,” and fight to end the dysfunction, corruption and incompetence that is crippling New York. I am running because I decided to stand up and say “enough.”

What will I fight for, as your Senator?

I will fight to end the corruption and dysfunction. That means strong ethics reform, with independent oversight of the legislature. Right now the legislature polices itself and – we know that does not work.
I will fight to end these secret second jobs. Breslin is paid $100,000 a year in taxpayer funded salary, yet the Senate only meets 6 months a year. Even worse, like many of his cronies, Mr. Breslin, has a second job at a large law firm. Yet he keeps secret who his clients are, secret how much they pay him, and secret what he supposedly does for their mystery money.

I will be different. I will fight to end the custom of second jobs and require that all outside income is fully disclosed. And, I personally will go further. I promise not to have any outside job whatsoever … so that I am free of all conflicts of interest.
And, I will commit to being a full – time Senator. Working 12 months a year and fighting 24/7 to fix our State’s problems.

And, I will be a Senator who listens to, represents, and whose door is open to all communities and all the people of Albany County.

I will fight for term limits – the only way to clear out the entrenched professional politicians who are ruining this state. Regardless of whether my term limits law passes or not to term limit myself out of office. Senator Breslin ... he’s been in office 14 long years and just announced he’s running for re-election – that says it all.

I will fight to cut wasteful spending and to bring the massive state deficit under control.
Fight to end the unfunded mandates, regulations and irresponsible spending that not only drives up state taxes, but also drives local property taxes ever higher ... year after year.

Senator Breslin? In spite of a deep recession, Breslin increased state spending last year by more than $10 billion – a spending hike of 9% in just one year alone.

Most importantly, I will stand up and fight for the needs of the residents and taxpayers of Albany County. I will put them ahead of the special interests… or down state political leaders.

Senator Breslin? We all know that a few weeks ago he bravely stood up and said that he would never, never vote to cut school aid, and then only 2 weeks later voted to cut $1.4 billion in school aid. He flip flopped because the downstate political bosses told him to. He did not have the backbone to tell the political bosses where to go. I will.
I will not flip flop, I will not cave in, I will put the interests of Albany voters and residents first, and fight for our schools.

I am not a professional politician. I have served as an Assistant District Attorney, an Assistant Attorney General and head of the State’s Sex Offender Registry I fought to keep our streets and neighborhoods safe. I am now running so I can fight to fix our broken state government.

Our state is in crisis – a crisis brought on by the corruption, incompetence and dysfunction in our legislature. It is time for new leadership, energetic, ethical and hard working leadership. Time for someone who will fight for the people of Albany County and fight to get New York back on track. I am that person and that is why I am running. And that is why you are here today. With your help and your enthusiasm… together we will win.

Thank you very much.

The only thing I can add is for the benefit of those readers unable to view the YouTube recording of the speech above the fold: not only was the wording strong, but so was Martland’s delivery. He’s a natural, and the audience response was enthusiastic throughout.

Finally, the presser for those political junkies whose attention I still have:

Martland Announces Candidacy for New York State Senate
Promises to Fight to End the Corruption and Dysfunction in State Government

LUKE MARTLAND FOR STATE SENATE
For immediate release: April 25, 2010
Contact: Larry Sombke 518-852-9274

(Albany) Luke Martland today formally announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for State Senate in the 46th District (Albany County). Martland will face seven-term-incumbent Neil Breslin in the September primary election.

“The New York State legislature is broken and dysfunctional. We need new leadership. That’s why I’m running for State Senate,” said Martland, a Democrat, who grew up in Albany, graduated from Albany High and worked his way through Princeton and Brooklyn Law School.

“Neil Breslin is assistant majority leader in the New York State Senate and he has done nothing to stop the politics as usual, pay to play ethical corruption and dysfunction that has come to plague state government,” said Martland who is a former Assistant District Attorney and Assistant Attorney General.

When Martland is State Senator he promises to:

Be a full-time senator and to work 24/7 to address the problems of Albany County and New York State;

Have no second job (unlike Senator Breslin);

Put the needs of the voters first, not the needs of political bosses, lobbyists and special interests;

Fight for real ethics reform and to end the Albany culture of corruption;

Fight for fair redistricting and put and end to gerrymandering;

Fight for term limits to end the “Albany life-time employment club,” including term limits on himself;

Be an independent senator and work in a bi-partisan manner to put an end to the bitter partisanship that plagues Albany;

Fight to eliminate wasteful pork barrel spending and handouts to special interests;

Work to cut wasteful spending beginning with the Legislature itself.

“New York’s government has become a national embarrassment. And yet the very politicians who caused these problems arrogantly expect us to keep re-electing them. The fact is nothing will change until we change the people who we elect to serve us. Neil Breslin has done nothing to tackle the problems New York faces or clean up the corruption and dysfunction in our government. It is time for new leadership – hardworking and ethical leadership. ” added Martland.

Luke Martland’s stand on issues can be found at www.lukemartlandforsenate.com

Luke Martland for Senate in on Facebook and Twitter.

###

Emphasis mine – SP

Now that’s what I call a return to leadership, both in the New York State Senate and in the Albany press corps. 2010 already looks like a monumental improvement over 2008.

You know, when I pulled into the parking lot at the Holiday Inn where the announcement took place, the parking lot attendants thought I was there for the comic book convention. While this isn’t surprising, I’m very glad to see that the media got rid of their own fantasyland and got back to work. And I’m glad to see a primary challenger taking off Breslin’s mask and showing the voters of Albany County that he really is no man of steel.

Stay tuned…another candidate, one Tim Carney, will also be making his own challenge official in the coming weeks (or even days!) and the media coverage might just be getting started.

Me? I’ve been on the beat from before the beginning, and I hope you will join me to the very end.

Soundpolitic Sundays: Ready Aim Fired Edition

2010-04-25T15:07:00.001-04:00

Imagine your feet in these shoes: Shiny black, size ten-wide, worn-out soles, walking across the carpet of the lobby of an Albany law firm. Your job title for the past two months has been Legal Secretary. Christmas is coming...

And you've just met the boss. He's exiting a boardroom, wearing athletic sweats. You look at him, he looks at you, and you introduce yourself. You express your thanks to be working in a fast-growing firm, your respect for the man who built up the business, and appreciation of the rewarding challenges thrown your way. You extend your hand to shake his...

Now imagine your boss's response is to turn his back on you after asking you:

"You're not afraid of guns are you? A lot of us carry guns around here."

In this weeks' edition of Soundpolitic Sundays, I'm telling this story for the last time as my excuse for missing last two weeks. The rest of the story and its moral lies below the fold...

(Cross-posted on the front page of The Albany Project and to the diaries section of DailyKos)

But first, in the interest of suspense and explanation, I'll clue you in as to why I'm choosing to write this confessional heap. A fellow front-pager on The Albany Project, Dan Jacoby, recently published a front-page post regarding anonymity on the blogs. While the issue certainly is not new to our sphere, the thread of comments revealed it has yet to turn stale.

Never one to keep my mouth shut (this is a key point) I added my voice to the discussion. In my mid-thread comment, I made note of how I make my Christian name known on the blogs. This included a vignette on how I’ve outed anonymous bloggers on principle, what those principles were, and alluded to instances in my offline life where the decision to not remain anonymous while making my views clear resulted in exactly the kind of repercussions that usually serve as the incentive for anonymity.

Well, I'd gotten Dan's attention. He inquired via personal e-mail as two what my story was to get down to the real action. By the end of my reply, I'd resolved to make this personally painful subject the theme of my return to writing this Sunday column on TAP, DailyKos, and my Blogspot page. Truth be told, this blogging business may just be keeping my wrists together. I haven’t been at it in a week thanks to difficulty getting to a computer with an internet connection (I have neither at home) and because, sometimes, after being out of work so long, you tend to get pretty down in the dumps.

Make that ugly down in the dumps...

See, being in your mid-twenties and out of work for well over a year in America, circa the first turn of the decade this millennium, is about as down in the dumps a millenial can get. Recent reports show that my age group is nearly fifty percent unemployed. The news media has tended to frame this recession in terms of the housing crisis for Gen X-ers and Baby Boomers as well as the squandering of retirement savings of the latter and the Greatest Generation.

Personal experience has me thinking that my generation is now experiencing a nightmarish rude awakening from the American Dream. Here we are, at the age where we should be getting started in the career for which we've just studied hard (and borrowed heavily), when we should be moving out and perhaps establishing a young family of our own. This economy has left us behind, condemning us to the proverbial parents' basement.

With the economy being nothing more than the collective actions of the American people, this represents a vast misconception and epic failure on the part of those economic actors most responsible for running this economy. This cuts to the heart of why so many Americans choose to remain practically anonymous and silent. In such harsh economic times, nobody wants to be called out for anything. In other words, nobody wants to give The Boss any excuse, warranted or otherwise, for cutting off the life support.

Now I come to it. This is the hard part: reliving the times where I have lost my job for either speaking up or, in the most recent case, simply looking the part of somebody who's political opinions may be disagreeable with the holy employer.

The first time it happened, though, it was a boon to my existence. You might say that the fact I got into blogging in the first place had a lot to do with the following

After dropping out of SUNY Oswego in 2003 as a pipe dream, junior music major, I bounced around a couple of dead end jobs before being hired by a former elementary English teacher of mine. God bless her, she was one of the best employers I ever had. But God damn if she didn't surprise me when she turned out to be as conservative as the bastard child stuck in a custody battle with sire Limbaugh and step-dad Savage.

And fuck her for not responding to an outrageous situation the way a truly good employer should have. See, in the one-square-mile village of Altamont where this little gas station was located, there was an overtly overzealous Police Department. Ever since I was a wee boy, it was known that you must drive 29 miles an hour because if you go a fraction over 30, you are going to get pulled over. And you'd better have your inspection, plates, etcetera in order or you will get a ticket. I always thought it was ridiculous, but never really said anything...

But the customers! They had something to say about this! Day in and day out, the best thing I loved about working as a lowly convenience store clerk was the sort of episodic, extended conversations you strike up with the nicest of customers. A diverse constituency of my most beloved patrons made the Altamont Police Department topic number one. Let me tell you, they ranged from the consistently perturbed to the constantly pissed. I got a feel for whom the cops were blatantly fucking with in a completely out-of-line manner. Not content to just say "Thank you, come again," like a Quickie Mart robot, I would engage in the conversation, see what was bothering them, and console my customers that what was going on just was not right.

See where this is going? One day, only a few months into my service, in walks a rotund, beady-eyed officer. For nearly as long as I have presently been out of work, this pig’s conduct toward me escalated to the point of absurdity. Foul language is something I am not usually frazzled by, but in the context this officer of the law would use it with me while first telling me to "watch out" or to "stop running my mouth" just got to be too much. So, too, did the multitude of times this buzzard would pull me over for the absolutely no reason. He even began to cut me off on the roadways. It got to the point where this guy was seriously threatening to write me speeding tickets while I was behind the cash register, my keys snug in my pants pocket!

One day, he came in and told me I had several tickets waiting for me at the courthouse. How could this be when I had not been stopped in weeks? Eventually I conceded that I'd go in and pay the fines. As soon as I did, the fat ass promptly told me there were no tickets and that he was trying to teach me "a lesson" about "who holds the upper hand" and that I'd better watch out.

Like a good boy, I tried to dissuade this harassment through the proper channels. First, I tried my boss, but she did nothing. Then the Commissioner of Public Safety brushed me off by paraphrasing the culprit. It got worse and worse until one day it came to a head. The cop simply would not leave me alone, I discovered that my co-workers, relatives of the boss, were whispering in the pig's ear to egg him on, and I did the only respectable thing left to do.

I walked out. And my plan of action was to seek a little something called justice. This entailed composing about 1,000 words and submitting it to the local newspaper, the Altamont Enterprise. You should have seen the look on the new Commish's face when they called him to verify my allegations as I went in to file a formal complaint. A quick investigation corroborated my claims and the tub o' lard was suspended. I rather liked the penalty of being forced to take a five-week "human relations" training course more than his two weeks’ suspension.

But the big lesson I learned was taught to me by the people of the village. That is, after the paper published my letter and corresponding headline story, I could not walk through or show my face in the village of Altamont without residents hailing me as a hero. It turns out that somebody had to face up to The Fear of retaliation or even make the sacrifice of one's own livelihood to put a stop to this menace.

By the way, a few months later, somebody else spoke out about this guy...regarding the blowjobs he was getting from underage girls while on patrol. Last I heard, the slug is a security guard at Macy's.

Nothing else in my life has turned me on to the power and necessity of the written word for the defense of freedom and liberty in this great country.

Now that's a warm and fuzzy feeling, but being out work wasn't. I bounced around a couple odd jobs until about 2007. Honestly, I wasn't getting anywhere. So a buddy inspired me to get my ass back into college, get a degree, and get a real job - but not a haircut quite yet. For three semesters I attended Schenectady County Community College. I was sold on the idea of entering the exciting, challenging, and financial rewarding field of law as a paralegal.

My newfound interest in progressive politics might have had something to do with this.. It was then that I first started blogging. I wasn't too active at first, but by the time 2008 rolled around and as it progressed, I got into the thick of a wide-open democracy primary in NY-21. My days were spent studying law and government, getting great grades; my nights were spent sifting through the press releases and news items on a maximum of eight Democratic politicians. I added on to this weekend volunteer efforts for my favored candidate. And once a week, I'd participate in an internship with the New York State Assembly

By mid-year 2008, this hard work was rewarded with an Associates in Applied Sciences in Paralegal Studies from the only upstate community college with an American Bar Association approved program. I had also earned the right to post my little blogs directly to the front page of The Albany Project, the best and biggest progressive blog in the New York 'sphere.

Guess which one I'm most proud of nowadays?

After a less-than-satisfying temporary assignment right out of school, I decided that perhaps I might be able to turn some heads with this blogging thing. I also wanted to talk to ask many Albany County voters as possible about another primary going on, this one for our coterminous 46th State Senate District for a fellow Helderberg resident named David Weiss. In August and September of 2008, I knocked on thousands of doors and wrote thousands more words about this race and the Congressional one. I loved every second of it, not even looking for work. It was my post-collegiate trip to Europe in my own backyard.

After both my candidates lost the September primary, I figured the holiday was over. I was going to take my long hair and goatee, dress it up in a suit, and get myself a salary and benefits. Thanks to some great references from some respected local politicos I'd impressed with the blogging and studying, I went two for two in my second paralegal interview and was hired at a firm that you should never, ever, under any circumstances, hire out as your attorneys. Here's their nice little commercial:

Him. That's the guy in the introduction. Matt Tully. In his office lobby, there’s a picture of him in full military garb arm and arm with former Vice President Dick Cheney. I wish I could find it online. It’s easily worth the two thousand words I've spent getting up to this point. And it's the one I should have looked at and said, "On second thought..." and declined the job offer.

But I was eager to work, and I got right down to it. I worked in the Employment Law division, assisting three attorneys as legal secretary. Honestly, the best part of the job was the rest of the support staff. These young ladies were on the top of their game, hard-working, incredibly good-natured, and if left out the fact that they were all beautiful I wouldn't be doing them the justice they deserve.

That's because only one or two of them are still left at the firm today. Oh, and my entire department resigned about a year after I was fired. Go figure…

I had a fantastic first couple of months. I was getting things done, wasn't getting any complaints that wouldn't be expected of a green legal secretary. I was staying late and learning the ropes, filing suits and coordinating service of process. In all due course, I was feeling on top of the world and envisioning myself saving up and moving out.

This whole time, Mr. Lawyer for Life was away for an extended vacation. Space camp. The "You're not afraid of guns, are you?" incident happened to me the same day he returned.

We now pick up where we started. After that, everything changed. Suddenly I was being called into the office to defend completely unfounded allegations of professional misconduct, nothing the attorneys I was directly responsible for had brought to my attention. After defending myself successfully in letter format, I was called back into the office to face the beast. He told me I'd been on his shit list for a while, his exact words, even though he'd been back for about a week. Behind me were two flat-screen TVs, both tuned to Fox News. He simply refused to explain why I was on his "shit list" and moved me to a different department...where nobody told me anything about what was going on half of the time. Within days, I began to feel like I was done for no matter what I did, was being called into the office for minor infractions that would have been let slide for any other employee. He has an infomercial on the local right-wing big media radio, and I even began to hear him talk about firing all sorts of people, naming my position specifically!

What he had done is put The Fear in me. That "afraid of guns" line says everything. These conservative hot shots work that way. It's how they build their corporate empires for their own selfish gain and how they toss away the unworthy liberals they sometimes hire for their egotistical power trip. And Matt Tully is the worst of the worst of this parasitic species.

It all came crashing down on January 28, 2009. I left for work an hour and a half early because we knew a massive blizzard was coming. I lived several miles farther out from the office than 90% of my colleagues. I had told them the night before that if conditions were exceptionally dangerous (and they certainly were) that I'd still come in to work but might be slightly delayed. I was, in fact, fifteen minutes late. Co-workers who lived a stone's throw from the office had yet to show up; I beat out half the staff from twice the distance...

...and what do I get in my inbox but a so-called verbal warning that my job is in jeopardy because of this.

I snapped. I recalled the way I'd shown that damn Altamont cop what for with my frank writing. In about twenty minutes, I brewed a gallon of vinegar for Mr. Tully and sent it off to him and my other superiors. I told them that I believed the man was going to continue making work hell for me, that he just plain didn't like me because of my perceived opposing political views. So if they were going to fire me for no damn good reason, I'd give them a reason with the proudest fuck-you act of workplace insubordination I'd ever managed. I still feel its some of my best work and it's too bad New Yorkers have no right to request their personnel files.

So that's why I was fired. "Insubordination" and "insulting lack of professionalism." When I got home, I snapped again. Here I was, not two months removed from taking all these exceptional steps to turn my life around from a going-nowhere-fast hippy musician to a rising-star professional, only to once again be shot down for no good damned reason by an ultra right-wing power figure who decided, arbitrarily, capriciously, and maliciously that they just didn't like me.

And this was supposed to be the United States of America. Where hard work pays off and opportunity is available for all, regardless of how you look and with protections against what you say or might say.

Not if the conservatives have anything to say about it. As I said, my generation is still the hardest hit in this recession. Add to that these two facts: that we Millenials are probably the most liberal next generation to experience the gift of life...and that research shows that when a man loses his job, his civic participation drops about 75%. I’m an exception; I actually ran a write-in campaign for Town Supervisor last fall because it was, after all, a job opening. I really have applied to everything. In only three weeks of campaigning that served as a nice pick-me-up from being depressed and jobless, I managed to get 8.5% of the vote…

But I'm still fighting that down-and-outness with every click of the alphanumeric keyboard. I’ve also developed a little conspiracy theory. It's not really a theory of any great organized conspiracy, just a little observation that all these experiences have given me about the nature of mankind and the reality of the devastation that conservative wreaks on their fellow citizens and nation as a whole:

The conservatives all wanted to fire as many of us young liberals as possible. It’s retribution for voting for a President with an Unamerican name and skin color and ideology. Why? To ensure that our civic participation went down to the point where their guy (or gal, as it may be) could oust Obama in 2012, no sweat. With a lower voter base and perhaps with some of us Millenial progressives discontented enough to switch sides, it seems to me the perfect way for those fat cats at the top to keep more money for themselves and get a vindictive dig in against their most recent bogeyman's supporters. All of this with no regard for the economy, which needs young workers to establish roots to keep things moving, or their community, which needs a strong economy in order to be a good place to raise families.

If it sounds crazy, then perhaps I've gone crazy. Applying to over a thousand jobs might do that to a young man who was promised that America would work for him...but now, America won't let him work. I've gone not only to law firms but any position that's open, from fast food joints to everything in between. No takers. I have had less than ten interviews in the past 15 months. It's enough to make one start to consider that all one is doing is wasting oxygen and adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. With no hope or end in sight, a body might consider that the only true solution to this problem is to stop breathing...

...but thankfully, I still am. What I'm most thankful for is that I'm no longer going to take it. I am not going to let The Fear destroy my hope. I refuse to let the power-mad conservative authority figures of this world beat me into submission. I object to the idea that we must keep our mouths shut and our faces in accordance with the clean cut capitalist grind. That is the opposite of what this nation was founded on, the antithesis of what is healthy and moral in a free society.

And the way I do that is to write about it and let my name, Colin Abele, be attached to the words I say. After I lost my job, I stopped blogging for nearly a year and I felt already dead as a doornail. When I finally came back by posting the first edition of Soundpolitic Sundays, I felt suddenly more alive. It wasn't brining in any cash, but it was bringing my life meaning. That is why I refuse to remain anonymous, both online and offline, to both kill The Fear and keep my life worth living.

Today, I attended the campaign announcement of a State Senate candidate in Albany County. Tomorrow I will blog about it as part of my continuing coverage.

I also plan to stop by the office of admissions at the State University of New York at Albany to see about getting an undergraduate degree in English and journalism. If I can’t get a proper job, them perhaps it’s time to turn this affinity for writing into one. And perhaps increase my vocabulary while decreasing my word count.

And next week, I hope you tune in for the next edition of Soundpolitic Sundays. Thank you all for reading; this has been the most painful post I've ever written. I promise to be a little more light-hearted next week.

May all beings be free from suffering. And may God, as you understand him, bless the United State of America.

SD-46: Follow-Up on Breslin Non-Endorsement

2010-04-24T09:53:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week, I reported here on TAP that the Albany County Democratic Committee's candidate reviewing process lead to a surprising non-endorsement of Senator Neil Breslin. I maintained that this was a big story in the follow-up report on the political fallout for Breslin and the responses of his primary opponents, Luke Martland and Tim Carney. This stance of mine was initially disputed, though, and after all I'm just a blogger...

...but now even the most main of the mainstream press agrees:

The Senate race was this week's dominant local political story, with the Albany County Democratic Committee's candidate review panel turning heads by voting not to endorse Breslin or the two other Democrats running for the seat and instead pushing the decision to the party's executive committee.

With Breslin's camp said to be furious, county Democratic brass moved quickly to patch things up with the Breslins - culminating with party Chairman Dan McCoy personally endorsing the senator Wednesday even before the executive committee met.

Emphasis mine - SP

Looks like I was right on the money. It also looks like there's even more to the story, below the fold...

(Cross-Posted on The Albany Project)

We have two new points to consider. To start, the quick about face by Albany County Dem Chairguy Dan McCoy. The big news that Breslin would not recieve a no-questions-asked endorsement the way he always has was first reported by Times Union staff writer Jordan Carleo-Evangelist as being some big show about how McCoy was going to close the door on, erm, the closed doors of the past. Or was he really just opening the door to leaving the process closed?

It's a moot question at this point. The TU Local Politics blog reported after press time that Breslin did indeed recieve the endorsement of the executive committee:

In related news, the Albany County Democratic Committee’s executive committee unanimously endorsed Breslin last night — ending a six-day saga that began Saturday when the party’s candidate review panel opted to make no endorsement of any of the three Democrats in the race.

So much for McCoy dispelling those notions of closed doors and backroom deals for good. But at least Breslin has found a friend in a fellow flip-flopper.

Again, that's not just some prolific blogger profiling. It's in the papers!

McCoy appears torn between his public commitments to open up the party beyond its traditional circles and one of the most influential Albany Democratic families.
::
Even Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings -- who at times has clashed with the Breslins, which includes County Executive Michael Breslin and County Judge Thomas Breslin -- attended the senator's campaign launch, albeit arriving after the speeches were over.

Emphasis added - SP

Note the emphasis directly above and that little bit about the Breslin camp being "furious" over the initial non-endorsement. Then put two and two together and you find that in this case it makes three: Three brothers, that is. See, in Albany County, if you tick off Senator Neil, you'll get an earful from Executive Mike, and maybe a scolding from Judge Tom. This formula can be rearranged in many ways. How many exactly I can't say, except that it's enough ways to both escape a guy like me who's better with words than numbers.

Oh, and in more ways than is healthy for Albany County.

To finish things off, the TU blog reports that there's now even speculation about a potential GOP challenger surfacing:

Albany County Republican Chairman John A. Graziano has made no secret of the fact that he's planning to leave his post as GOP elections commissioner July 1 -- assuming the party can find a suitable replacement in time.

But Graziano's impending departure after 10 years overseeing elections in the county has also fueled speculation that he will also be his party's candidate to challenge state Sen. Neil Breslin in the 46th Senate District.

Viewing Breslin as vulnerable because of his ties to the Senate's scandal-plagued Democratic majority, the GOP has vowed to field a candidate. Graziano acknowledged Thursday that he has been asked to be that person even though he views his job as finding candidates, not running for office himself.
::
All the Democratic intrigue has inspired even more optimism on the part of Republicans, who haven't held the Senate seat since Breslin defeated former County Executive Michael Hoblock in 1996.

Emphasis mine - SP

The only problem with this excerpt is that the last line fails to remind us that Hoblock "held" the seat for a single term, coming to power as part of the 1994 Republican Revolution that unseated a multi-decade-plus Democrat, Howard Nolan. Given the common sense analysis that we're not headed for a repeat of the Year of the Newt (as evidenced by the astroturf tomfoolery of the Tea Party claiming it's imminent return) than we can assume that Republicans are just getting their hopes up, right?

Then again, in politics, if you just assume, you end up making an ass out of "u" and "me." If the GOP plan is to assume that Breslin will roll over his primary opposition, not emerging unscathed, and then take advantage of his scandalous ties and do-nothing record for another two months towards the general election, then Democrats have a problem. Then you might just have the words "Republican Majority" again.

But Albany County is solidly Democratic taken as a whole. See the above history. And take note of some recent history in which former one-term Republican Senator Hoblock couldn't beat the first Democratic Supervisor ever elected in his own home township and there's an argument to made that Albany County is even more Democratically safe.

Provided we can find the right candidate. And this year, giving the Republicans just what they want to run against - a long-time incumbent with lots of big insurance money and a big opposition party family name that throws hissy fits like this weeks (I could go on) - then those who faily to question Breslin today might just be asking themselves "How did this happen!?" in November.

The proper strategy to stop that from happening is more of a counter-strategy: we deny the Republicans the opportunity to run against Neil Breslin by sending him packing first with somebody who is more progressive, but has less of a record to run against. You can take this analysis as sound political advice to serve as a stepping stone to give Tim Carney and Luke Martland a shot...

...or write it off as more rambling from "that blaw-grrr" who's just got it out for the Brothers Breslin. Comments are open. Continue rampant speculation.

SD-46: Martland Slams Sen. “Flip Flop” Breslin On Politics, Policy

2010-04-22T17:24:00.000-04:00

Two press releases in as many days see State Senate candidate Luke Martland slamming the seven-term incumbent Neil D. Breslin. Martland calls him out both as a flip-flopper on his support for turncoat Senator Pedro Espada as well as his waning political support in the district, Albany County.

Breslin, who announced his bid for re-election yesterday, is cited as having supported Espada before going on record against him. Martland will be formally announcing his challenge to the entrenched Assistant Majority Leader on Sunday, April 25th. He will also be facing a second challenger, Tim Carney, who made his thoughts known via the above-linked blog.

All this and we had a fantastic article on this fast-developing race in the Legislative Gazette I missed earlier this month. I will try not to miss a thing below the fold…

Cross-Posted on The Albany Project

First, we have challenger Luke Martland’s firm stance on Sen. Breslin’s shifting stance on 2009 Senate coup mastermind Espada. Choice excerpts from press release number one, out today:

Martland Calls Breslin a Flip Flopper on Pedro Espada

LUKE MARTLAND FOR STATE SENATE
For immediate release: April 22, 2010

(Albany) – State Senate candidate Luke Martland today called State Senator Neil Breslin a flip flopper on his support for tarnished State Senator Pedro Espada. (D-Bronx)
On July 9th 2009, Assistant Majority Leader Neil Breslin accepted the State Senate leadership’s decision to appoint State Senator Pedro Espada to the post of majority leader, the third highest post in the State Senate.

Now that state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed a civil suit against Espada for his involvement in Soundview Management Enterprises, Breslin says Espada should voluntarily give up his post and perks as majority leader of the State Senate.

“Why didn’t Breslin stand up and fight the dysfunctional Senate bosses over Espada’s power grab when he had a chance last summer?” asks Martland. “If Breslin thought Espada was corrupt then, he should have said so loud and clear.”

“Breslin has been asleep at the switch on ethics reform for the past 13 years,” said Martland. “He is attacking Pedro Espada now so he can look like he is a reformer when his record proves he is not.”

Breslin seems to only have an interest in ethics reform when it is safe and convenient for him,” adds Martland. “I say his new-found interest in cleaning up the dysfunction in Albany is a dollar short and a day late.”
::
::
“I’m not a flip flopper, I’m a fighter,” said Martland, who has spent his career in criminal justice as an assistant district attorney, assistant attorney general and working for the Department of Criminal Justice Services.

Emphasis mine – SP

In between the snip, Martland reiterated another Breslin flip-flop on school aid which I reported a month ago. I can tell you, based on the budget battle at my high school alum currently going on that both charges are extremely relevant.

This charge simply calls for more accountability regarding Sen. Breslin’s role in the infamous 2009 State Senate coup. Not only did Breslin have the gavel in his hands at the rostrum that fateful day, only Luke Martland (and not the local media) seems to be reminding us that Senator Breslin basically voted for Espada before voting against him.

Second, yesterday’s revelations that Senator Breslin would not be receiving the blanket endorsement of the Albany County Democratic Committee has turned out to be a big story indeed. Why? Because after 14 years and with his two brothers (County Executive Mike Breslin and County Judge Tom Breslin), you’d think that such a “loyal” and “liberal” Democrat would automatically get the endorsement of the only county committee in the district.

But Martland had quite a bit to say about that yesterday, as did several commentators on the blog reporting the non-endorsement:

Democratic Candidate for State Senate 46th District Martland Calls for No Endorsement From Party in State Senate Race Against Breslin

LUKE MARTLAND FOR STATE SENATE
For immediate release: April 21, 2010

“People are tired of politics as usual. Support for my campaign has grown significantly over the last week, as people within the Democratic Party realize that I am a real reform candidate and that I am a winning candidate.

On Saturday, the Review Committee, which has responsibility for vetting candidates and recommending whether candidates should be endorsed or not, heard from me and Neil Breslin.

I answered all questions that were asked, and after my presentation the Committee voted to NOT endorse 13-year incumbent Neil Breslin. In my presentation I explained why I am the best candidate and emphasized that I will work hard to make the Democratic Party as strong as possible and to ensure that both the City and County of Albany get all the support they deserve from the State.

It is my understanding that the vote to NOT endorse Neil Breslin was a lop-sided one. I hope that the Party leaders respect the decision of the Review Committee and let the people decide who their next Senator will be. I support the efforts of the County Chairman to bring openness to the party, and I hope that the Review Committee’s decision to not endorse any candidate is respected.”

Once again, a link to the blog that broke the story on the Albany Times Union Local Politics site is an order. There, an unusually large number of comments found very little support for the deadbeat, flip-flopping incumbent. Perhaps the committee truly owes Breslin a vote of no confidence (unlike his flip-flop on Coup-master Espada).

Third, not to be outdone and in a stance of solidarity between Breslin’s two challengers, candidate Tim Carney was one of the earliest commentators on the Local Politics thread. Failing an official press release, I feel compelled to quote his comment all the same:

I want to thank the Albany County Selection Committee for the opportunity to state my case why they should consider me as the endorsed candidate for New York State Senate representing the 46th District which includes all of Albany County.

I hope this rumor is true because it would mean that this vindicates the hard work I’ve already put into this campaign. I also gave them several major issues that I will propose if I am elected and they had great appeal to the group.

I have spent the past 4 months attending all the City, Town and Village board meetings in Albany County, listening to the board members dealing with the “fiscal crisis” we have in NYS and how do they do more with less. I have also been to senior luncheons and neighborhood meetings talking about the high property and school taxes. The people are worried about the future.

I have already met with many of the Albany City Councilmember’s, Ward Leaders and the County Legislators within the district to ask for their endorsement and support in this year’s campaign. Over the next couple of weeks I will be meeting with many more of the City, Town and Village officials to garner their support.

On May 4th I will complete my listening/speaking tour of all 19 municipalities in Albany County including the Albany County Legislature. Shortly after I will be making a major announcement with many elected officials standing by my side. Also if I’m elected, I promiss to visit every town, village and city board or council meeting at least once every year to listen to the issues effecting the municipalities. I have been told that Neil has never been at these meetings in 14 years. (except Albany)

This is why I would like to discuss the issues that you would like to see me address this year. You can reach me via email at TimCarneyForSenate@live.com

I have laid out a plan for my candidacy, which has been, in part, supported by various prominent officials. To learn about my platform in greater detail, please go to http://www.TimCarneyForSenate.com .

I look forward to seeing and speaking with you soon. “NYS Needs TLC”

Best regards,

Tim Carney

Emphasis mine – SP

It’s an interesting point-and-counterpoint to Martland’s message that Carney submits straight to the blogosphere. One might say that his approach of visiting town and village boards is more “grassroots” than Martland’s frequent official press releases. I say that having both approaches compliment each other does absolutely everything possible to let the people know just what a deadbeat Senator Breslin has been during the past two decades.

Third,with regard to Breslin’s arrogant bid for re-election, students of political science and supporters of reform might tell you that all this is a bad thing. That is, having two challengers from the same camp automatically dilutes the message and favors the third candidate. But the political theory is one thing, and political reality is another thing. Breslin himself acknowledged the “sharp anti-incumbent sentiment” of 2010 in his re-election bid announcement yesterday, according to Times Union staff writer Jordan Carleo-Evangelist:

ALBANY -- State Sen. Neil Breslin launched his seventh re-election campaign Wednesday night saying he's confident voters will distinguish between lawmakers who have brought scorn on the Legislature and those, like himself, working to improve New Yorkers' lives.

Breslin's frank acknowledgement in his speech of the sharp anti-incumbent sentiment stalking legislators this election season underscores just how perilous a road back to office he and his colleagues may face.

"This won't be easy. There's a lot of discontent across this state and across this country ... and a lot of it is justified," Breslin told a large crowd of supporters at the Crossgates Restaurant on Washington Avenue Extension.

"But I ask you to commit yourselves to this campaign," Breslin said, adding that he's passed more legislation in the last decade than any other Democrat, "because there's a lot of work to be done."

Breslin, 67, of Bethlehem, already has two announced Democratic opponents -- Albany residents Luke Martland and Tim Carney -- and county Republicans are also vowing to run a candidate for the 46th Senate District seat, which covers all of Albany County.

These kinds of quotes really get my goat. Breslin has built a career on voter ignorance, and he’s relying on the same thing now. He was elected in 1995, replacing a one-term Republican Senator who came into office during the 1994 Republican Revolution that also saw New York State elect a Republican governor, George Pataki. The former seat holder? Howard Nolan, a Democrat, who served for nearly three decades.

So how did Breslin get his cozy seat? Simple. His brother Tom was elected County Judge in 1993, to a ten-year term. Then his other brother, Mike, was appointed to serve as County Executive in January 1995, and has been re-elected every four years since. So with all these Breslins winning (or simply obtaining) office in Albany County, why not put all those “Breslin” signs to use every two years to get big brother Breslin elected to the State Senate on name recognition alone to get rid of the Republican Revolutionary fluke and get a real nice stranglehold on Albany County.

Working backwards, I’d say that since Neil is 67 this year, he’s of the perfect age to retire. I’d also say that most of his “more legislation” has been less legislation and more proclamation.

I’d ask just how much justification for voter discontentment Senator Breslin is willing to take responsibility for, given his key role in the 2009 Senate coup, his huge insurance and banking industry contributions while he was either chair or ranking member of those committees, and his nepotistic rise to power.

Finally, and I’ll never forgive myself for not getting this out there on the fifth of the month, we have an excellent Legislative Gazette article profiling Luke Martland by intrepid young reporter Faith Burkins-Gimzek. My excuse for not getting this out there are only lightweight: I have no home internet connection and haven’t had a job in a year and a half, a victim of the recession and a rapid right-wing boss (I will explain in the next edition of Soundpolitic Sundays), yet Faith had interviewed me during my first organizational meeting of the Albany County Coffee Party and informed me she’d be doing this profile when I stopped by the Gazette’s offices, so I should have highlighted the following earlier:

Senate hopeful says 'fundamental change' needed in Albany

By Faith Burkins-Gimzek
April 05, 2010

Luke Martland describes himself as a fighter.

A black belt in ju-jitsu and former criminal prosecutor, these days the 45-year-old Center Square, Albany resident is fighting for the 46th Senate District seat.

"I'm not a politician, and I don't want to be a politician," he contends.
::
Echoing the voices of many before him who have tried and failed, Martland says he will battle against the culture of corruption in Albany to ameliorate the dysfunction, scandal and incompetence he says is inherent in the Capitol. "I will be a fighter for the issues I believe in. I'm not going to just do what the party leadership tells me, or the special interests," he said.
::
Last June, Martland took a position as assistant counsel to Gov. David A. Paterson. Martland said the experience prompted him to run for office himself.

"What I saw down here really changed my view and I became increasingly frustrated, and then disgusted, at the dysfunction in the Legislature and the government in general. I wasn't proud to be working here anymore. And it began to convince me that we need fundamental change. So a year ago I had no idea I'd be running for office, and I had no plans to run for office."

Martland gave his two-week's notice the week of February 15, just days before a New York Times article surfaced detailing the governor's alleged cover-up of a domestic-abuse altercation involving a top aide, which may have prompted the resignations of other Paterson officials. Martland said his resignation was unrelated to the scandal. "That stuff obviously upset me, but it convinced me more than ever that we need fundamental change," he said.

Working under the governor, Martland said, "I sort of had a ringside seat. I started the same week as the [Senate] coup [in the summer of 2009] – so as I got a close up view of what was happening … over the next few months I became more and more disgusted at how our government doesn't work. And I began to think, 'Well, how do you change that?' And I don't think it can be changed with the current people, with the current senators and current Assembly members."

I’ve gotten a bit wordy here, but only because a race that nobody seemed to think would go anywhere has fast become hotter than you can drop. If you’re an Albany County Democrat, you owe it to yourself to read the whole article and stay on top of this race and these candidates.

And for that endeavor, Soundpolitic is on the beat and willing to serve. Stay tuned as formal announcements are made, endorsements (and non-endorsements) materialize, and Breslin falls further and further from his perch.

SD-46: Albany County Dems Refuse to Endorse Sen. Breslin

2010-04-20T17:32:00.000-04:00

With seven terms under his belt, yet facing two primary challengers in as many years, Senator Neil D. Breslin has been denied the automatic endorsement of the Albany County Democratic Committee, according to TU Local Politics:

Albany Dems’ review panel withholds backing in Senate race

April 20, 2010 at 1:32 pm by Jordan Carleo-Evangelist

The executive committee of the Albany County Democratic Committee has been called to meet Thursday night, just five days after the party’s candidate review panel declined to endorse seven-term-incumbent state Sen. Neil Breslin.

The review panel, in fact, declined to endorse any of the three Democrats — Breslin, Luke Martland and Tim Carney — who interviewed with it, passing the decision instead onto the executive committee, according to two people with knowledge of the committee’s action.

There’s about 500 words in Carleo-Evangelist's story, with plenty of quotes from Albany County Committeemen telling us not to read too much into it. I’ll provide some more choice quotations below the fold, but I rather like the way the Times Union journalist closes his post:

Cue rampant speculation.

Cross-posted on The Albany Project

After the profound revelation that Neil Breslin isn’t getting the auto-endorsement, the story immediately goes on to report that we shouldn’t really be bothered:

Review Committee Chairman Shawn Morse, who is also one of two deputy majority leaders in the Albany County Legislature, later confirmed the events but called it “not uncommon” and urged people not read too much into it.
::
“Our recommendation was to make no recommendation at this point, which really was, I think, the fairest way to do it,” said Morse, adding that the committee wanted to ensure that the executive committee had all the information it needs to make its choice.

Apparently, this story isn’t so much about the Breslin family’s falling support in Albany County, but more about the shiny new leadership in the County Democratic Party.

Morse said the committee’s move is evidence of the new openness that party Chairman Dan McCoy has tried to usher in, trying to dispel for good notions of closed doors and backroom deals.

Well I’d like to know where
You got the notion!

Later on in the story, it seems the County Party is more interested in just dispelling the notions as opposed to the closed doors and backroom deals themselves. Why would I think that?

One member of the executive committee assured Local Politics that Breslin “has the votes” to win the support of the executive committee.

So what are Albany County Democrats to think? Is all of this merely posturing to keep up appearances of an open process, or is it really, really about finding the right candidate to represent Albany County in the New York State Senate? Does this have anything to do with the incredible anti-incumbent sentiment statewide and does anybody have any idea what’s really going to happen when the executive committee meets Thursday?

And while he acknowledged that the topic of this year’s strong anti-incumbent sentiment did come up at the meeting, Morse also cautioned that the non-vote was not necessarily a referendum on Breslin, who he called a longtime, loyal Democrat.
::
Matthew Clyne, Democratic chairman in Breslin’s hometown of Bethlehem, declined to discuss the matter Monday. Breslin, whose family carries heavy political clout in Albany County (think County Executive Michael Breslin and Judge Thomas Breslin), said he was unaware of the committee’s action — or lack thereof.
::
Morse said about 17 of the committee’s 35 members were present. And at least two observers questioned whether traditional Breslin opponents were able to sway the half of the review committee that did attend.

McCoy could not immediately be reached for comment today.

Emphasis mine –SP

The big question I asked myself after the Luke Martland campaign brought this to my attention in a short press release today was: Is this a big story or a non-story?

It didn’t take me long to get an answer. When considering the incredible power Neil Breslin has on account of his name alone, this is a big story. If Breslin was indeed as reliable and loyal a liberal Democrat as the committeemen (and some TAPpers) might suggest, then his endorsement should have been locked up like it was the last time Breslin faced two primary challengers two years ago. Hell, back then, the committee actions were barely reported on the subject because it was such a given.

Nowadays, not so much. And just before that great line, “Cue rampant speculation,” Jordan Carleo-Evangelist gives us the real reason why this is a big story: it could very well get bigger.

Even if that’s the case, the endorsement of the party could come down to a full-scale, weighted floor vote of the 600-plus committee members at the party’s May 20 spring meeting — a la the 2008 vote to support Phil Steck in the 21st Congressional District.

In case you don’t remember that one, please be reassured that the political science term for that vote was “a doozy.” The difference here is that in NY-21 2008, Albany County was merely the largest county in a multi-county Congressional district in a open race without an incumbent.

This time around, Albany County is the district and we’re talking about a 14-year incumbent who’s brother has been the County Executive for fifteen years and who’s other brother has been the County Judge even longer. Oh, and we’re talking about the State Senator who had the gavel in his hands on the day of the 2009 Senate Coup.

My speculation is this: If the 2008 primary results might have revealed a chink in Senator Breslin’s plated armor...

...then today’s news has revealed that perhaps he’s been wearing studded leather all along.

Stay tuned as this race begins to take shape in the coming weeks and months. I’ve a hunch it may become one of the more interesting in New York State this year.

Speculate away!

SD-46: Martland to Sen. "Do Nothing" Breslin: Back to Work!

2010-04-15T16:52:00.000-04:00

The latest press release from Albany County’s State Senate candidate Luke Martland has the primary challenger blasting his entrenched opponent and the entire chamber for skipping out on work without having passed a budget yet.

Quoted in full below, the release sees Martland using his strongest words to date in taking incumbent Sen. Breslin to task specifically and summing up his reasons for running generally.

Martland Calls on Breslin, Senate to Get Back to Work and Pass Budget

With budget 2 weeks late, no agreement in sight, do-nothing Senate takes 2 days off.

(Albany) - State Senate candidate Luke Martland today called on Assistant Majority Leader Neil Breslin (D-46th) and State Senate leaders to stop the politics as usual, return from their mini-vacation, and get a budget passed.

The Legislature is required by law to pass a budget on April 1. Two weeks later, with the budget hole above $9 billion and steadily growing, no budget has been passed. The Democrats and Republicans apparently can’t even agree on when conference committees (that were supposed to have been convened months ago) should meet. And, to top it all off, the Senate decided to take Thursday and Friday off!

“This is exactly why I am running for the New York State Senate,” said Martland. “The leadership we have is dysfunctional and not capable of putting a budget together. They are not capable of governing this state. Even worse, the same Senators who can’t pass a budget on-time have taken Thursday and Friday off. Why? Are they tired?”

“It is time to put partisan political posturing aside and do what is right for the people of New York,” said Martland. “Neil Breslin is Assistant Majority Leader and has been in office for 13 long years. Where’s his leadership? Where’s his ability to get things done?

How can the Senate not do its job – and then give itself two days off?”

Martland noted that Senator Breslin, despite receiving a tax-payer funded salary of over $100,000 a year, has a second job at a large Albany law firm and asked, “While the Senate is taking Thursday and Friday off, will he be working at his second job?” Martland, on the other hand, has promised to not have any outside employment and will work year round, 24/7, for the voters.

“Until we clean out the professional politicians who refuse to work hard, cannot pass a budget on time, and then have the arrogance to take a long weekend, nothing will change. The fact is that nothing will change and none of New York’s problems will be fixed until we change who we elect to serve us!”

Luke Martland's stand on issues can be found at www.LukeMartlandSenate.com.

Emphasis mine – SP

I happen to agree. Senators make a decent amount of money for their work, and all workers should get some time off now and then regardless of occupation. But these guys just got back from vacation for the Easter holiday! I don't see any holidays in the next couple days...

Unless you count today! Did you do your taxes? While the State Senate can apparently miss deadlines all it wants without repercussions, what happens to one of us if we "forget" to file today?

This is reasoning that any New Yorker should be able to agree with, and Luke Martland's words above remind me of very similar statement I've heard from regular New Yorkers over the years. Perhaps it's time for do-nothing Senators like Breslin who sneak off by themselves to retire; perhaps it's time to send candidates like Martland who speak for us all to take his place.

Soundpolitic Sundays: Kill Da Wabbit Edition

2010-04-04T12:12:00.000-04:00

Good morning and a very Happy Easter to all of you. I think it’s time to take a break, spend some time with family, eat some ham and look for some eggs, and perhaps reflect on our behavior here on the blogs that we might resurrect some long-lost happy feelings.

To illustrate this, complete with a reference to the Easter Bunny, please prepare your ears to be tormented with swear words in this clip from Kevin Smith’s 1997 masterpiece Chasing Amy:

So, kiddies, if you’ll excuse the language and the revelation that there really is no Easter Bunny, in this week’s edition of Soundpolitc Sundays, we’ll talk a little about the subliminal lessons we bloggers can take away from this “askew” piece of cinema…

For those unfamiliar with the works of Kevin Smith, well, I can’t really envy you. The man is one of the greatest indie film producers/directors/screenwriters/actors ever to spawn a cult following. You may know him through his famous characters Jay and Silent Bob, a crass yet philosophical duo inhabiting the universe of Smith’s several successful films.

The running theme that I see in all these films is blunt-to-the-core truth, which oftentimes is best revealed by offensive offense. That is, I find that curse-ridden dialogue and adult-themed storylines tend to weed out those prim and proper viewers (also known as cultural conservatives) who wouldn’t even begin to understand the underlying messages to begin with.

And the underlying theme of Chasing Amy is acceptance. I don’t want to give away the whole story, but basically, this guy, Holden, is a comic book writer with his buddy, Banky. Holden falls in love with a woman (who’s name is not Amy, by the way) but later their relationship goes south when he discovers “too much information” about her sexual past. This screws up their romantic present, which is already under pressure because Not-Amy identifies as a lesbian; this is something Banky does not approve of.

Hence, the exchange in the above video. Now you might be thinking that the Easter Bunny reference being “a figment of your fucking imagination!” at the end, but I’d really rather focus on this exchange in the scene’s beginning:

Banky: “What does it matter if I refer to her as a dyke? Or if I refer to the Whalers as a bunch of faggots in the privacy of my own office far from the sensitive ears of the rest of the world?”

Holden: “It’s passive-aggressive gay bashing. And I know you’re not really prejudiced at heart, I just think you should find a better way to express your anger is all I’m saying.”

No more beating around the bush. Here on TAP (and on DailyKos) I have a strange habit that results in arguments with fellow bloggers that I have great respect for: Whenever I see the phrase “teabagger” I do not hesitate to call them out for what Holden might refer to ass “passive-aggressive conservative bashing.” This thread is a good example, and there are several of them.

Allow me to explain. See, like Holden says, I know that us progressive bloggers aren’t prejudiced at heart. But sometimes, I have a hard time believing it with all this “teabagger” referencing about. It’s just not a nice way to phrase things, people.

For those who don’t know, “teabagging” is the practice of shoving your balls (if you are a man) into the face of another man! I first came to know the term a couple years ago when a couple of frat-style friends joked about having “teabagged” a buddy of theirs. This must be what college aged “hetero life partners” do for yucks. And I mean it…yuck! They spoke about the preparation of the ordeal: not taking a shower for several days to make sure the victim of the “teabags” were extra-grossed out.

So here we are, progressives, seeking the moral high ground, with the aims of taking back our country’s dialogue to favor us and further progressive goals…

…and we go about likening our opposition to this?

It makes no sense to me. And I’m sure many of you wouldn’t ever consider writing a pro-gay blog while using the words “faggot” or “dyke.” You’d think to yourself, “Will this dilute my argument among the diverse group of people who might read this?” And you’d have to answer “Yes!” when considering a homosexual might read your work. No matter how good your argument or your reporting, you’ll lose them as soon as they come upon that hate speech. They’ll write you off as just as bigoted as the conservatives who refuse to grant them equal rights under the law.

So will the moderates who come here. They don’t want to sit through that! They’ll determine your just as angry and incoherent as those on the right. Get my drift?

So we come back to this “teabagger” conundrum. I’ve said many times to just call these people “Tea Partiers” since that’s what they are. I’ve also suggested that subtle framing techniques be used by referring to them as “Tea Drinkers,” ala “Kool-Aid Drinkers” if you simply must cast them in a negative light.

Because if you think your language doesn’t cause any harm; if you believe that 100% of your readers aren’t going to mind; if you think that conservatives don’t come on here looking for exactly that kind of stuff, then I’d ask you to reconsider the audience you’re writing for:

You are writing for the Easter Bunny. A figment of your fucking imagination!

Now I think I can get away with a certain amount of cuss words as well. But I know the second I start using hate speech, I’ll be discredited. And then there’s no reason for me to do this every Sunday. It’s one of the hardest parts of the Eightfold Path I attempt to follow as a Zen Buddhist. It’s called Right Speech, and there’s nothing holy-moly or religious about it. It’s just plain-old common sense: If you want to be taken seriously and you don’t want what you say to come back and bite you, then abandon the impulse to use words like “teabagger” already!

And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, and from idle chatter: This is called right speech

So ask yourself: Isn’t it a lie to insinuate that Tea Party members engage in shoving their balls in people’s faces? Isn’t it kind of divisive to keep on using that word when it clearly offends people on both the left and the right? Isn’t it slightly abusive to those your speaking of and to yourself when you could choosing better words for better writing?

And doesn’t this all boil down to just idle chatter that does nothing to advance any goal, conservative or progressive?

I hope I’ve made my point. You’ve got to kill the impulse in you, fellow bloggers, to show through this kind of language that you’re no better than those Tea Partiers who just howled “nigger” and “faggot” during the Health Care Reform fiasco. It’s the same impulse, the same figment of your imagination that such speech can actually help.

In other words, this Easter, you’ve got to kill the wabbit:

So until next week, try to notice those wascally impulses that cause wrong speech and keep it real. Thanks for reading and keep up the good work!

Soundpolitic Sundays: Coffee Table Book Edition

2010-03-29T11:20:00.000-04:00

I know, I know…I’m a day late on this. Allow me to explain:

Sometimes, I need to take a break from politics. And sometimes, even when I try to take a break, like in last weeks edition, I still end up writing a freakin' book about the stuff. Last week, I felt like Monty Python.

This week, I feel a little more like Kramer.

So in this weeks' edition, I won't get into too much detail about the Coffee Party I hosted or the other two I attended, even if they were part of over 400 National Coffee Party Issues Summits this weekend. Instead, I'll just take a quick look at some of the books I haven't written that inspire me to get involved to the point where I just need to take a break and be a day late on all this.

Mindful Politics
Edited by Melvin McLeod

I try my best to take a break from everything each day by practicing Zen meditation. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail. I really go into it through books like Hardcore Zen by Brad Warner and Zen Guitar by Philip Toshio Sudo.

In any case, I can't remember which one of the many Buddhism books on my bookshelfs said this or made me realize it, but I feel that the Buddha was not so much a religious leader as he was a political activist.

Silly, I know. But this Mindful Politics book is one that I use at my Coffee Party meetings. The last chapter has Four Truths and Ten Laws of Breakthrough by a Zen calligrapher by the name Kaz Tanahashi. Here's one of them, in, um, no particular order:

9. The chance for breakthrough increases when more attention is directed to the process than to the goal.

Reading these, I see very much the same goals as the Coffee Party. It's more of a process movement than an issues movement. Kind of like how the American Revolution and Constitutional Convention were really process-oriented to accomplish something that seemed impossible to change.

Here's a book that takes a look at one of the guys who was around that time who also wrote some quaint Zen bits of wisdom:

Wit And Wisdom From Poor Richard's Almanac
By Benjamin Franklin

This is a good book to have on your coffee table. Franklin put out a lot of his alamacs back in the day, so I'm sure you can find one just the right size at just the right price.

Mine's less than a quarter-inch thick with only 57 pages of stuff like this:

"As we must account for every idle word, so we must for every idle silence."
- Ben Franklin

Of course, there's tons of quotes from this kite-flying prophet. Your Poor Richard's coffee table book could be big enough to be...a whole table!

I spend more time on these blogs and being active than reading a lot of Franlin. This caught my eye because it also clearly defines the spirit of the Coffee Party: we're sick of idle words from the politicians and the partisans and we'll just have to get talking again to fix it up - we'll stop bein idle in our silence.

See, politics is all about language to me. This is why I like writing. This next little book pointed it out to me:

Don't Think of an Elephant
George Lakoff

It's kind of brainy, but still a brainlessly quick read. I ate up it. Not only did it make me realize that all politics is is "just words" but that those words meant an incredibly good deal more than I'd imagined before.

"Because language activtes frames, new language is required for new frames. Thinking differently requires speking differently."- Georege Lakoff

You don't need to know much about "frames" or the rest of the books linguistics verbiage to understand the basic point: The way we speak deeply affects our politics.

So if we want our politics to change, we need to change the way we speak. And sometimes that means just changing the tone of our voice - changing the sound. That's all the Coffee Party does is get civil conversation going again. Compare that to the racous and ever-more-violent Tea Party movement. This makes whether or not the Coffee Party is a good idea or "progressive" enough a moot point.

In other words, if you don't like the sound, get a different drummer.

As a bass player, I like to take the whole "politics is language" thing much further. While it may seem contrary to arguing that silent Zen zoning-out is also very political, I'll still say that I believe firmly that language is music.

When I attended some music courses, the definition of music was given to me a guy with a white beard, a piano in his office, and a freakin' doctorate on the stuff.

One day, I even rememebr this guy coming to class completely zoned out. He hadn't had his morning coffee. He tried to teach for about five minutes, then rumbled furiously that he'd be back in a minute. He returned with a large, black brew in his hand, and we watched his gulp it down instantly.

He growled a triumphant, satisfied, and relieved "Aaaaaah!"

Anyway, the definition of music was "sound organized in time." So our laughter at this many's display of caffine addiction was just as musical as his roar of morning, erm, wakefulness.

Just as much as the rest of the lesson was. He continued to organize the sound of his voice by shaping words through language and the tone of his voice, the rhythm and the dynamics of the key points being emphasized throughout the lesson's compostion.

Hyperbolic? I'm not sure. I'll seek an English major next.

But I still love little books that confirm this, and none is smaller I think than this one:

Of Grunge and Government
By Krist Novoselic

This guy played bass in a little band with a Buddhist name you might remember from about twenty years ago:

Spring is here again. And I'm once again sifting through books, reorganizing my shelf to take a little break from politics.

And I still can't help sifting thorugh my favorites for quotes like this:

"Independence in the U.S. gurantees individals the right to speak. But independence must also speak to us."
-Krist Novoselic.

I think that's what's really wrong with the country. Not some parliamentary rule or debate over some specific issue.

Our democracy isn't speaking to us. Yet we are the democracy! All you can reason from there is that it's time to get a conversation started.

So just sit back and relax while I go put on a pot of coffee. Just relax with one of my books while you wait. I, uh, won't be long...

...tune in next week's edition for why maybe why it takes so long to brew this stuff up.

Coffee Party Takes Next Step in New York

2010-03-27T10:44:00.002-04:00

Two weeks after the National Coffee Party Kickoff, which I personally participated in by organizing the Albany County chapter, the Coffee Party USA movement is preparing to get together in another national volunteer-coordinated event this coming weekend. It is the National Coffee Party Issues Summit in preparation for the National Coffee With Congress in the coming Congressional Recess.

Not sure what all this means or what this is about? Well, I blogged about my own experience during the Kickoff. Ours was only one of over 350 Coffee Parties held nationwide at the time when a mere 150,000 fans of the movement had signed onto the Facebook Group. Today, there are over 180,000 and the movement is growing fast. But not "furiously." That's pretty against our core values.

Still not sure what all this means? Check out the latest videos from coffeepartyusa.com, or visit their heavily trafficked YouTube channel for even more information about the movement that could very well save American politics from itself:

NEXT STEPS: COFFEE PARTY SUMMIT and COFFEE WITH CONGRESS

THE ISSUES: WHAT IS THE COFFEE SPHERE?

You can experience this new technology right here. Try it with a friend or an enemy to see just how close together you truly are!

And if you're a New Yorker, you can experience what the Coffee Party is like at any of the many events taking place in our Great State listed below the fold.

=========================

One of the key points of the Coffee Party is that leadership positions are temporary by design. Speaking for myself, this means that the role of "leader" must be temporary. It also means that the unit of geography, in terms of where these "come togethers" take place is not Albany County or even the City of Albany or even the Third Ward of the city.

It is one coffeeshop. And the ideal group size is far less than the over 40 people my first gathering attracted. Instead of seeking to grow in power by getting more and more people behind fewer and fewer leaders (this is how the "real" political parties work), we in the Coffee Party movement intend to grow our numbers by getting a reasonable number of people, ideally no more than a dozen, in every single coffee shop in America.

So far, New York State has seen the number of locations nearly double. Below is a list of all the Coffee Party Issues Summits that will be taking place this weekend in the lead-up to the National Coffee With Congress effort. I know that my Albany County meeting inspired the Schenectady, Troy, and Saratoga chapters to form. At my meeting, I intend to both inspire even more, even smaller groups to form...

...and to step down as the "leader" of the Albany County Coffee Party - indeed, to dissolve the group entirely. I shall reconvene it when the number of Coffee Parties in cafe's throughout Albany County (also known as SD-46) grows to become even longer than the list of current Coffee Parties in the whole Empire State.

There's lots of coffee shops in Albany County. And even more in New York. I have no doubt that the next blog I write on this subject will show even more growth...an even greater strength in numbers. Check them out and see what the Coffee Party is like in your "Teaneck" of the woods :-)

Western New York

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=19851
Coffee Party (Jamestown, NY)
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Labyrinth Press Company
12 East 4th Street
Jamestown, NY 14701

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=19701
Coffee Party Northern Chautauqua County
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Central Station Restaurant
332 Central Avenue
Dunkirk, NY 14048

Central New York

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=19735
Coffee Party USA, Ithaca N.Y.
Sun, Mar 28, 2010
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
The Ithaca Bakery in Triphammer Mall
Ithaca, NY 14850

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=19766
Coffee Party Fayetteville, NY
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Freedom of Espresso
128 W Genesee St
Fayetteville, NY 13066

Capital Region

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=20367
Coffee Party showing 'Capitalism: A Love Story'
Sun, Mar 28, 2010
1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Saratoga Springs Public Library
49 Henry St.
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=20411
Schenectady Coffee Party
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Ambition Cafe
154 Jay St.
Schenectady, NY 12305

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=20311
Coffee Party - Troy, NY
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Waltja Center
157 First Street
Troy, NY 12180

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=19789
Albany County Coffee Party
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Emack & Bolio's
1704 Western Avenue
Guilderland, NY 12203

Hudson Valley

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=20255
Coffee Party in Red Hook NY at Taste Budd's
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Taste Budd's
40 West Market Street

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=19820
Hudson Valley Coffee Party (New Paltz)
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Muddy Cup
58 Main Street
New Paltz, NY 12561

Soundpolitic Blogger's Note: These guys win the Soundpolitic Best Coffee Party description award:

"We will be countering Congressman Maurice Hinchey's "espresso" variety of Coffee Party, which has tried to hijack our efforts and is charging $30-$90 to attend their event in Kingston"

Priceless!

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=19902
Coffee Party USA - Ellenville, NY
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
The Coffee Shop
Ellenville Town Plaza
37 North Main Street
Ellenville, NY 12428

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=19944
Coffee Party Hudson Valley, NY (Poughkeepsie)
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Crafted Kup
44 Raymond Avenue
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603

NYC Metropolitan Area

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=19643
Rockland County,NY Coffee Party Movement
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
24A Rockland Plaza
Nanuet, NY 10954

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=19974
Coffee Party of Westchester and Fairfield Cties
Sun, Mar 28, 2010
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Panera
10 Westchester Avenue
Portchester, NY 10573

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=20530
Coffee Party (Bronx/Lw Westchester)
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
216 West 238th Street
(Between Bailey Avenue & Broadway)
Bronx, NY 10463

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=20000
Coffee Party - Midtown NYC
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Le Monde Gourmet Deli (mezzanine)
38 West 48th St.
New York, NY 10036

Soundpolitic Blogger's Note: This next one isn't this weekend. But given the fact that my handle is based on my love of both music AND politics, I feel the need to let folks know about this ASAP:

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=20134
Coffee Party Music Event New York City
Starting April 05, 2010 07:00 PM
Ending April 06, 2010 12:00 AM
Otto's Shrunken Head
538 East 14th Street
New York, NY 10009-3347
www.myspace.com/makhir
jon.lancelot@gmail.com

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=20329
National Coffee Party Day
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Bleeker Street Bar
Bleeker Street cnr. Cosby Street, next to Lafayette St. where train #6 leaves you.
New York, NY 10012

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=19829
Coffee Party (Brooklyn)
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Gorilla Coffee Inc
97 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 230-3244?

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=20285
Coffee Party (Mineola, NY)
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
O'Carroll's Recover Room
214 Station Plz N
Mineola, NY 11501

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=20488
Coffee Party (Suffolk County)
Sat, Mar 27, 2010
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Starbucks
1250 Middle Country rd.
Selden, NY 11784

See you there. And remember: you can drink tea, too!

SD-46: Martland Holds Sen. "Pay to Play" Breslin to Account

2010-03-26T12:53:00.000-04:00

There's been quite a lot of talk here on The Albany Project this week about the Democratic "pay to play" fundraising scandal. I believe we are upset for good reasons, all of which are expressed in the linked-to diaries.

But we're just bloggers. We aren't the ones running for office. What we should be looking for is condemnation from these Senators primary challengers. Something like what SD-46 primary candidate Luke Martland has just released to the press today:

Martland Blasts Breslin, Senate Leaders on Pay to Play Scheme

(Albany) - State Senate candidate Luke Martland today blasted State Senator Neil Breslin (D-46th) and State Senate leaders for soliciting $50,000 payments from labor leaders and $25,000 payments from business leaders to join an “advisory council” and participate in “policy discussions.”

“Neil Breslin is assistant majority leader in the State Senate. He is a part of the Senate Leadership team. Why isn’t he standing up and saying no to this type of pay to play corruption,” said Martland.

“I think people have a right to know if Neil Breslin knew about these solicitations, did he approve these solicitations or did he just stand by and let these solicitations go out?” questions Martland.

“Ordinary people don’t have $50,000 to give to the State Senate so their voices can be heard,” added Martland. “This is politics as usual in Albany and that’s why we need new leadership in the State Senate.”

“Until we clean up Albany and clean out the professional politicians who think it’s fair to sell access, the State Senate will never do what’s right for average New Yorkers. Only then will the Senate stop being for sale and start making the tough decisions to get New York back on track, lowering taxes and fixing the problems that years of corruption, borrowing and wasteful spending have created,” added Martland.

Luke Martland's stands on issues can be found at http://www.lukemartlandsenate.com/issues.html

Emphasis mine - SP

Sound political analysis below the fold that any Democrat and any blogger should understand...

(Cross-posted on The Albany Project)

One of today's diaries linked to above suggests that RebootNY might be a good vehicle to get rid of this kind of thing and elect "more and better" Democrats like Luke Martland. They are asking for your help with the upcoming elections in November.

The analogy, I'm guessing, is that the New York State Senate is similar to a computer, and that this kind of money-grubbing is akin to a virus, so the analogy seems like it means the General Election will be like a "reboot" to the whole system.

But we bloggers should know a little about the way PCs and laptops work...

...so we should be the ones who understand that if you just restart a machine with a self-replicating virus on it, you've only just allowed the virus to reboot itself.

So instead of just "rebooting" our government in November, why not check out some primary challengers like

In other words, why not run some anti-virus software in September?

I think last cycle's primary challenger, David Weiss said it best after he lost his challenge against Sen. Breslin...the first primary challenge Breslin ever faced since being elected because he has the same name as the County Executive and County Judge in the same exact voting district, Albany County, in 1995. David Weiss pointed out something that should be very obvious to us Democrats as we seek to change this poor excuse of a Senate while still keeping a Democratic majority:

SEPTEMBER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN NOVEMBER.

Sage advice, says I.

But will we follow it when decided who to support this primary season?

That's the big one we must ask ourselves if there's ever going to be any real change.

SD-46: Luke Martland Calls Out Sen. "Flip Flop" Breslin on Budget, Education

2010-03-24T15:05:00.000-04:00

Cross-posted to the front-page of

A week ago, I reported that State Senator Neil D. Breslin (D-Albany County) would face his second primary challenge in as many years from the same number of opponents.

Today, one of his opponents, Luke Martland, has sent out the first press release recieved by this blogger since signing up to recieve notifactions from Senator Breslin himself, candidate Martland, and the other guy running, Tim Carney.

The release, quoted in it's entirety below, calls out Senator Breslin for both flip-flopping on his promise to not cut education and for making the actual cuts to education spending. The only changes I make are hard returns for ease of reading and adding some italics for emphasis where appropriate:

Martland Blasts Breslin for Flip Flopping on Education Budget Cuts

(Albany) - State Senate candidate Luke Martland today blasted State Senator Neil Breslin (D-46th) for “Flip Flopping” on a commitment Breslin made to stop cuts to school aid.

On March 8th Breslin signed a letter to Governor Paterson stating that he would not vote for any cuts to education. Only two weeks later, on March 22nd, he voted for a budget that cut school aid by $1.4 billion.

When asked by CBS 6 News “what changed” he responded “…ahhh, I’m on a team, and the team is the Democratic Conference and uh … there needs to be cuts in education and I think that was the starting point of me saying no cuts.” He also said his letter was merely an “overstatement” designed to establish a “bargaining position.”

New York Post State Editor and CBS6 commentator Fred Dicker said that Breslin’s Flip Flop is an outright lie. Dicker said Breslin apparently thinks “…that he can just lie outright, and that’s just a political strategy .... In fact that is what is going on we are being lied to all the time..”

“Neil Breslin voted for devastating cuts in school aid because his bosses in New York City told him to,” said Martland, who graduated from Albany High School and is challenging Breslin in the Democratic primary. “The party bosses say “flip” and Breslin flips, they say “flop” and he flops. This shows why Neil Breslin is one of the reasons that New York State government is dysfunctional and ethically corrupt. It is time for a change in Albany.”

“If I had signed a letter saying I could not support massive cuts to school aid, I would not have broken my promise and then voted for the cuts,” said Martland, whose mother taught at the Academy of the Holy Names and whose father was a professor at UAlbany. “I’m not a flip flopper, I’m a fighter,” said Martland, who has spent his career in criminal justice as an assistant district attorney, assistant attorney general and working for the Department of Criminal Justice Services.

Luke Martland’s stand on issues can be found at

The presser actually links to Martland's main page; here's the link to the issues page itself. Martland has broken things down to four issues (Ethics, State Debt, Jobs, and Taxes) as well as Nine Promises all relating to reforming the way the Senate operates (none of which mention having to change any rules in order to do so).

To be fair, you can check out Breslin's campaign site as well. But at the time of this writing, it's just a patriotic banner with the simplistic slogan "Our community, our values, our voice, our Senator" that says "Thank you" below.

This Democratic primary voter says "Thanks, but no thanks" here, and is glad to see at least one primary opponent getting things started this heavy, this early.

Soundpolitic Sundays: Don't Tread On Python Edition

2010-03-21T13:33:00.000-04:00

After blogging for the past two weeks’ editions about the Tea Party and the Coffee Party, I decided the other day that I really needed to take a break from politics. It was time to stop talking at the TV, making phone calls, and speaking at political organizations, and use my vocals chords for personal healing.

They say laughter is the best medicine. But I still yearned for some political stimulation. So I popped into the videocassette player my favorite silly film, which also happens to be one of the best political satires that still has relevance today.

An obvious clip:

So in this edition of Soundpolitic Sundays, I’m inspired to examine some less-obvious clips from this masterpiece of cinema as they relate to our current political situation. There’s something completely different below the fold…

Now the “Bloody Peasant” sequence of Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the most obvious reference to politics. It’s pretty much self-explanatory and I’m wasting words synopsizing it. You can see for yourself (if your connection is good enough!) that we have a very obvious and very comical treatise on the powers of self-government, the ridiculousness of monarchy, and the sometimes silliness of class-war rhetoric.

But the whole film is filled with political references. If you haven’t seen it, then first of all where have you been? Hiding under a shrubbery all these years? But if you haven’t seen the 1975 film, then very briefly: the film was produced by the revolutionary British sketch comedy troupe Monty Python, and Wikipedia’s description of the genius and influence is most appropriate:

The group's influence on comedy has been compared to The Beatles’ influence on music.

Monty Python influenced everything, from Saturday Night Live to South Park, from George Carlin to Larry the Cable Guy. If you refuse to recognize this, than I’ll have no choice but to condemn you as knowing absolutely nothing about comedy and tell you that you probably aren’t very funny yourself.

In any case, a brief synopsis of the film is an order for you poor unadulterated souls who have yet to experience it:

In 1974, between production on the third and fourth series, the group decided to embark on their first "proper" feature film, containing entirely new material. Monty Python and the Holy Grail was based on Arthurian Legend and was directed by Jones and Gilliam. Again, the latter also contributed linking animations (and put together the opening credits). Along with the rest of the Pythons, Jones and Gilliam performed several roles in the film, but it was Chapman, considered by far the best "straight" actor of the group, who took the lead as King Arthur. Holy Grail was filmed on location, in picturesque rural areas of Scotland, with a budget of only £229,000; the money was raised in part with investments from rock groups such as Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull and Led Zeppelin—and UK music industry entrepreneur Tony Stratton-Smith (founder/owner of the Charisma Records label, for which the Pythons recorded their comedy albums).

John Cleese noted in an interview with Jian Ghomeshi (host of the cultural radio program Q on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) that the backers of the film wanted to cut the famous Black Knight scene (in which the Black Knight loses his limbs in a duel), which arguably ended up being the funniest and the most quoted scene in the film by cult followers.

The synopsis proves itself an excellent segue!

And now we get down to the business of finding political allegory for the present political situation of Tea Party conservative obstructionism versus reality-based Coffee Party progressivism. Here, the Black Knight himself is the metaphor for the Tea Party and conservative mentality and King Arthur represents reasoned questioning.

The Black Knight’s first response when asked to join in common cause with King Arthur is to not respond at all. This is the first step of conservative obstructionism: non-participation and silence on the issues. Then, Arthur simply makes his discontent known as informs the Black Knight that he’ll have to move on without him.

Great….now the Black Knight speaks up. He makes his obstructionist intent expressly known (“None shall pass! I move for no man!”). King Arthur then makes an attempt to reason with the Black Knight (“I have no quarrel with you, but I must cross this bridge.”) The Black Knight’s response is to initiate a fight to the death rather than compromise.

The fight that ensues is, of course, slapstick comedic genius. But it’s also a fantastic example of the fight that conservatives have been fighting since the dawn of time. While they appear to be evenly matched with progressives, it’s the same thing that occurs in the fight scene that always ends up happening in real life:

The conservatives inevitably lose, but then keep on fighting, refusing to acknowledge defeat (“’Tis but a scratch!”). The progressives then inform them that they’ve lost the battle, but now conservative denial takes hold. (Arthur: “A scratch? Your arms off!” The Black Knight: “No it isn’t.”) Then progressive truth is reiterated (Arthur: “Well, what’s that then?”). The conservative reaction is cite an imagined history, brushing off the current situation by say that they’ve won even tougher battles (“I’ve had worse.”). This is seen in the very name of the Tea Party and the historical event they take their name from. They would have us believe that fighting back the oppressors of today will be a piece of cake because our ancestors were able to fight off British colonial rule.

And this is as hilarious in the film as it is in real life. The Black Knight continues to fight despite the loss of one limb…and then insists he’s still winning the greater war after losing the next. King Arthur tries his best at first to be nice while stating the obvious (“You are indeed brave, Sir Knight, but the fight is mine.”) The conservative reaction is to immediately make childish taunting a part of the continued futility (“Oh, had enough, eh? Chicken! Chicken!”).

So the progressive has no choice but to continue wasting his time on this silliness and take off another limb, this time going after the very principles upon which the conservative stands (In other words, “I’ll have you leg.”). The process continues, the progressive chops an even more vital piece of the argument off the body politic. And incredibly, the conservative become even more desperate! He vows to fight on in a shaken voice and declares that victory is still imminent by their very nature (“I’m invincible! The Black Knight always triumphs!”).

Arthur gives the only appropriate response (“You’re a loony,” he scoffs) and then takes the final swing. Just think of the number of calories he’s wasted and the amount of blood his adversary has lost when you see the incapacitated Black Knight reduced to only a torso….

….and you have no choice but to laugh at his warped assessment of the situation. He thinks he’s actually broke even! (“All right, we’ll call it a draw.”) And as the bridge is finally crossed, even this offer to be friends is thrown out the window. Having been discredited completely and incapacitated entirely, the name calling and empty threats of vengeance continue to be shouted (“Running away! You yellow bastards! Come back here and get what’s coming to you! I’ll bite your legs off!”).

My friends, this is exactly the way it’s always happened when progressive principles are pitted against conservative ones. First, they stand in our way and refuse to even start a conversation. Then, they insist that we’ll never get anywhere. Then they fight until they’re beaten. And then they keep on fighting until they’re beaten even more. Finally, they fight until they don’t even have the ability to fight. And in the end, we’re left with nothing but noise, but at least they can’t do much damage with that.

Or can they? They next clip from “Holy Grail” indicates the present-day problem we have with the damage that can still be done with the right-wing noise machine.

SHE’S A WITCH

This portion of “Holy Grail” is a fantastic allegory for several elements of the Tea Party. First, we have a mass of common folk, all riled up that a threat to their way of life is living amongst them. They run out of their homes yelling and screaming that there’s trouble afoot (“A witch! We found a witch!”) without having first taken care of their own business – see the guy who’s still got shaving cream on?

Then they present tampered evidence to an authority figure (here, the village Alchemist, Sir Bedevere) who they are certain will confirm their suspicions. This authority figure then even seems to challenge the view of the mob: After a bit of investigation, the authority figure points out that perhaps the evidence has been tampered with or entirely created (“Did you dress her up like this?”) by the very mass of commoners now pointing out the threat. The mob even acknowledges that they did so, but only after vehemently denying it (“Well we did do the nose…and the hat…”) yet still they insist that there is still a threat (“She has got a wort!”) and, in the end, despite the evidence, they still want to the same desired outcome (“Burn her anyway!”).

Then the authority figure informs them that there really is a methodology for confirming the viewpoint that will lead to this outcome. He asks questions of the mob in order to give the illusion of reasoned debate built upon constituent interaction (“What do you burn apart from witches? So, why do witches burn?”). Then, the masses display their genuine lack of intelligence with both their answers and the time it takes for them to reach them (The long pause before one member finally guesses “Because…they’re…made of wood?”).

Now, having created the illusion of logical reasoning and informed debate, the audience still cannot reach the next step. (“What else floats in water?” asks Bedevere, and the mob’s answers include cider, gravy, churches, and very small rocks!) It’s up to another authority figure (here, King Arthur) to inject the right answer (“A Duck!”) which provides the first authority figure with all the corroboration he needs to guide the audience along the twisted logic: If the witch weighs the same as a duck, she will also float if thrown into a pond, which means she made of wood, and therefore, she’s a witch.

That sounds an awful lot like those of right-wing authority figures on the talk radio circuit these days: In the morning there’s Glenn Beck saying that health care reform is going to take away every freedom we have; in the very next time slot, Rush Limbaugh is telling us that the bill is being rammed down our throats instead of actually voted on; coming up next we have Sean Hannity calling any form of government health care socialistic-communistic; then Michael Savage gets even more specific by saying health care reform will lead to taking away guns and free speech.

So you see, this Tea Party thing is nothing new. It’s been happening since the Middle Ages. But we are making progress. Modern technology first gave us the motion picture with which to mock this political theater in the greatest tradition of Greek comedic theater.

Today, it is brought to even wider distribution through the wonder of the Internet, the same vehicle that has given birth to the Coffee Party movement, now nearly 180,000 members strong on Facebook, where it began. In last week’s edition, I reported that the movement was nearly 150,000 thousand; and the week before I noted that had just passed the 100K benchmark.

Keep your eye on that movement and keep your eye out for next week’s edition. Perhaps a movement that’s growing this fast and is so grounded (I’m such a pundit) in reality might just become as influential in our politics as the Pythons were in comedy. Just don’t forget to take a break from such wishful thinking to laugh to yourself every once in a while.

In fact, try laughting at yourself, too. You might just find exactly what you were looking for!

Until next week, thanks for reading and keep up the good work!

SD-46: Two To Primary Deadbeat Sen. “Gavel Drop” Breslin

2010-03-17T12:29:00.000-04:00

Cross-posted on The Albany Project.

In 2008, when I first came to The Albany Project (and ever since then) my own personal project has been to make sure that State Senator Neil Breslin’s term in office as Albany’s representative ends with all due haste. I volunteered incessantly that year for a fantastic man named David Weiss, who was the first person ever to primary Breslin, the only person who ever had the guts to do so.

The video below shows the major role my state Senator, Neil D. Breslin, D-Albany County, played in the June 2009 State Senate coup that he’s never, ever been held accountable for.

The video shows Sen. Breslin serving as Temporary President. He first appears in the top left corner of the video at 0:17. He’s bobbing back and forth and doesn’t seem to know what’s going on. Around 0:24, he can be heard stuttering “I...I...” At 0:32, he appears in the center of the frame, addressing Sen. Libous. At 0:44, he reaches for the gavel and stammers, “Senna…senna libba...wouldju be quiet!” At 0:51, Sen. Breslin raps the gavel. A second later he growls “We adjourn!” At 0:59, he can be seen walking away from the podium.

Let me ask you: does that look and sound like an experienced, effective State Senator to you?

Now for the real kicker: the 46th State Senate District is just Albany County, nothing more and nothing less. Sounds like there’s no gerrymandering to speak of, right?

Perhaps not: His brother, Mike Breslin, is the County Executive, and has been for two years longer than his brother’s been sitting in the Senate. And their other brother? His name is Tom, and he serves as the County Judge, and was the first of them to enter public “service.”

So you see, we have a very big problem here in Albany County that has caused a very big problem for all of New York State. But still, people here tend to focus their energies on “the other party” or “the turncoats,” and the media either ignores Breslin's ineffectiveness entirely or only shows him on television when he’s flipping burgers at a picnic.

It’s time for that to change. It was only in the last election cycle that Sen. Breslin faced his first ever primary challenge since first being elected in 1996. He faced two challengers, one of whom, David Weiss, I volunteered for like crazy, knocking on over 3,000 doors in addition to his 11,000 knuckle-raps.

But everyone else was caught up in Obamamania, or was digging in their heels in the Democratic Primary to replace Congressman Mike McNulty in NY-21. I volunteered and blogged about both efforts, yes....but I knew one thing: if all we do is concentrate on Washington, then Albany will remain as dysfunctional as it always has and could very well get worse.

So I hate to say this, but I feel rather vindicated from the video above. If David Weiss had won, Breslin wouldn’t have been Temporary President and perhaps the entire Senate coup wouldn’t have happened.

And now I’m glad to report that Senator Breslin will once again have to defend his seat and that the challenges are mounting. Recently, the Albany Times Union has reported that Breslin will face two challengers in a Democratic Primary this fall.

These will come from Tim Carney and from Luke Martland. Both make statements available on the web, Marland in the form of a YouTube video and Carney in the form of a written statement:

Luke Martland

Tim Carney

City of Albany Resident, Businessman, Community Activist and Political Consultant, Tim Carney has filed the necessary papers with the New York State Board of Elections, and has opened his website as he begins his run for the office of State Senator from the 46th District in New York State.

The 48 year old Carney was born in Hudson and is the son of the former Supervisor of the Town of Taghkanic, New York in Columbia County. He has been a resident of Albany County and the city of Albany for over 20 years.

Carney says that he is running “To improve the quality of life of the people of the County of Albany, especially those people that have been negatively affected by the dysfunction of our State Government, which is and has been controlled by Lawyers and by many self serving part-timers, who care more about the special interests of the big lobbying groups that donate hundreds of millions of dollars for votes that go their way.”

“I am running as a citizen who will work full-time for the people that elect me. I will never pretend to know all of the answers, but I will find them and I will communicate them back to my constituents, something that our current State Senator has not done. I am running to improve the reputation that our legislators have and to bring some sense to Capitol Hill.”
Carney continued, “I began this campaign months ago and have crossed the County attending functions and Town, Village and City Board and Council meetings, asking the people for their ideas and views. The overwhelming majority of the people that I have spoken to have made it clear that the time has come to start putting the People before Politics. Our current State Senator has been in the Legislature for 14 years, he has not been part of any solution, but has been a big part of the problem. He is virtually invisible outside of his office, he is a part-time Legislator and has a reputation of being inaccessible to his constituents. I hope that all Candidates will join me in a frank and open discussion of the issues that have practically ruined our State, including the ridiculous taxes we levy, economic development and most importantly, the corruption and the lack of ethics in our State Legislature”
Taken from TU Local Politics Blog

Both candidates are gunning squarely for Breslin’s easily visible ineptitude: Tim Carney also features the Senate Coup video featured above the fold on his own website.

But Luke Martland takes things one step further in a full page rightfully attacking the incumbent:

Neil Breslin: Part of the Problem!

A Few Words About Neil Breslin: Did You Know?

Your Senator gets over $100,000 in salary, paid by your taxes, yet the Senate only works 6 months a year? $100,000 for 6 months work? A disgrace. I will be a full-time Senator and work year round to fix the problems we face.

Neil Breslin holds a second job at a large law firm, but will not reveal how much he is paid, who his clients are or what they pay him for. Secret clients and secret pay must end. I will not have a second job – period. I will fight to require that all legislators reveal all sources of outside income and all clients.

Neil Breslin recently voted for an "ethics reform" bill that was reform in name only. That bill would have allowed the legislature to police itself and Senators who are lawyers (like him) to keep their clients from their outside jobs secret. The legislature police itself? That’s a joke. I will fight for full transparency and real ethics reform, including independent oversight of the legislature.

Most incumbents believe they are guaranteed re-election. That is why they ignore what the people want and fight against reform. I believe we constantly need new energy and ideas in Albany and will propose term limits for all legislators. I also commit to term-limiting myself out of office.

Our Senators put partisan politics ahead of what matters -- spending more time on the June “coup” and political games than on dealing with the crisis that New Yorkers face. I will be an independent Senator who will work with both Democrats and Republicans and will stand up to the party bosses and leaders.

While New Yorkers struggle through the Great Recession, our legislature has one of the largest staffs in the country (2,700 people) and spends millions of dollars a year on photographers and TV and radio studios. I will fight to eliminate this kind of ridiculous waste and cut unnecessary spending – starting with the legislature.

Empahsis mine – SP

The emphasized passages are exactly what David Weiss and I were talking to people about at thousands of doors and on this very site in 2008. I really wish David would run again...

...but if Breslin is facing a sustained, well-financed and, well publicized challenge this year, then I’m ready to consider supporting either Tim Carney or Luke Martland. The fact that the press is already paying attention in March of 2010 with the primary way off in September is a good sign.

Last go-round, they didn’t print David Weiss’s name until four freakin’ days before the election. Let’s hope the Times Union keeps up the good work this year.

Man, it was hard to type the words “Times Union” and “good work” in the same sentence. Just think of what kind of circus the State Senate would have been last year if they had had the gavel in their hands?

Let’s not let this happen again. Let’s break the nepotistic stranglehold the Breslins have placed on the throats of Albany County constituents, which played a direct role in cutting the air off for all New Yorkers last year…

...by making 2010 Senator Breslin’s last year in office.

Soundpolitic Sundays: Lucky Irish Coffee Edition

2010-03-14T00:10:00.000-05:00

Saturday, March 13th, 2010, isn't quite St. Patrick's Day. This matters not to the people of the City of Albany. They hold not two parades each year.

As luck would have it, the parade coincided with the Coffee Party's National Kickoff this year. I don't doubt them for not seeing this one coming. In fact, nobody saw this movement coming. From a single Facebook comment in to nearly 150,000 members in just a month, the Coffee Party was kicking off in over 300 meetings yesterday thanks to dedicated grassroots organizers...

...such as myself. I organized the Albany County Coffee Party that met at Uncommon Grounds nearby the SUNY Albany campus. Navigating the parade traffic from the Noon meeting of the Downtown Coffee Party meeting earlier, I found that luck was on my side...on our side as the Coffee Party kicked off in our state's historic capital.

Below the fold, this edition of Soundpolitic Sundays gives the whole scoop for those of you who wish to go beyond the media coverage of National Coffee House Day and get to story straight from the horses mouth...
=======================
To bring you up to speed, dear reader, I would first direct you to my last few blogs, all with regard to my organization of the Coffee Party in Albany. These include a blog about a prime-time radio interview the day before the movement kicked off nationally as well as last week's edition of Soundpolitic Sundays. These should bring you up to speed with anything that flies over your head in this week's report.

The day began early for a Saturday. I woke up about eight, sat zazen for the standard twenty minutes, then raced over my local library in Berne to check e-mails. The past week has been a flurry of racing about to public terminals due to my lack of a home internet connection (due to my lack of gainful employment for the past 14 months).

Each time I logged on, however, those problems melted away. I found more and more people interested in the new movement to change the tone in America's politics at the personal level, and found each new blog from myself and folks like Jake Goad on DailyKos making greater impact with each passing day.

By 10:30, I was ready to go. My generous mother made one last donation to the movement by filling my bumper-stickered Subaru's tank; the night before, she proved her sainthood by picking up some sign-making materials. Without the generosity of friends and family in this harsh recession, many of us young folks would be much worse off.

I parked without paying on State Street at 11:45, in the shadow of the New York State Capitol, and hopped down the block to catch up with the Downtown Albany Coffee Party meeting at the North Pearl Street Starbucks. There I met the organizer, Valerie St. Joseph. I was the first to arrive, and we exchanged smiles and stories. She and I are both artistic types and interested in making sure that this new national movement has a local impact here in Albany county and it's seat.

Soon enough, folks started to pop in. There were no signs to direct the Coffee Partiers that began to appear, but they were drawn to us by our, I dunno, aura of civility emanating from our conversation. By noon, about a dozen people of all walks of life had appeared and signed in. Valerie's group was a bit more informal, at her own behest. While the Coffee Party is incredibly organized on a national level, especially considering it's shoestring budget bolstered by amazing technological donations, she said she put together the meeting "out of sheer laziness."

Despite what she says, her hard work paid off. I was only able to stick around for a few minutes, but was able to snap a digital photo or two of the participants.

By quarter after twelve, we began going around and introducing ourselves. Already, this diverse group was coming to a consensus. One of the members pointed out that he believed very strongly that the true middle of America was being ignored by the media, which tends to focus on the animosity between right-and-left-wing fringes so as to craft an entertaining storyline focused on conflict.

When the circle got to me, I gave my name and handle on TAP and Kos. There was another Kossack there as well, and though she was easily twice my age and four shades darker, we were definitely one and the same this day. I made sure to note that this was another step forward in Albany's history, building on the Albany Plan of Union, the first ever plan to unite the colonies to break from British oppression, as well as the Tin Horns & Calico movement that occurred in my beloved Helderberg Mountains to finally break free of fuedal Patroons, the first ever grassroots "third" party movement in America.

I gave them my signature statements ("We the people means you the person" and "Keep up the good work!") and then excused myself so I could get to own gathering in time. Valerie was good enough to bum me a dollar and change so I could actually get some coffee in my system, demonstrating the true spirit of helping each other out in times of need.

As I walked out the door and looked up the street, the Irish were gathering all over. Green shirts and hats were already everywhere and merchants selling shamrocks and Guiness logos set up on the corners. But the colors that caught my eye were the inspiring primaries of red, white, and blue...

...a parking enforcement officer! I ran up the slope of Capitol Hill and got to my Obamamobile in the knick of time. I wished the officer good luck with the revelry that day and headed uptown to Uncommon Grounds, not knowing exactly what would happen next.

As I arrived, it was just turing to 1 pm. As an aside, don't forget to spring your clocks an hour ahead this evening! Dead broke, I got a free cup of water as I started to get my laptop going in safe mode. Unfortunately, there was no WiFi. So I tapped out the first half of this blog, finishing by 1:30...

...and at this point I began to notice a roundtable in the center of the cafe's floor begin to murmer about the Coffee Party. I stepped up to introduce myself to the five or so early birds before stepping out for a smoke.

By the time I came back in, our numbers had easily tripled.

By the end of the event, about forty citizens from all over the Capital Region were in attendance.

The meeting got off to a slightly late start at 2:07 as I was interviewing with a reporter from the New York State Legislative Gazette. Keep your eye out for the story.

I then got the meeting started since the attendees had moved the tables together themselves and created a perimeter around them. I introduced the meeting by going over a few things provided by the good folks at Coffee Party USA. Keep in mind that anybody can organize one of these things and it doesn't matter if four or forty people show up. With one exception, I started things off by directly following the Coffee Party USA's Local Facilitator's Guide. I'll quote these instead of what I said verbatim as they are exactly what will be made available to you should you decide to start your own chapter:

The Coffee Party Movement's Mission Statement

The Coffe Party Movement gives voice to Americans who want to see coooperation in governemnt to create positive solutions. We recognize that the government is not the enemy of the people, but a vehicle for our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that we face as Americans. As voters and grassroots volunteers, we will support leaders who work toward positive solutions that benefit all Americans, and hold accountable those who obstruct them.

Ground Rules for Common Ground

1. Respect everyone. Even if we disagree, listen to understand. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Check party affiliations at the door.

2. Big tent. We need all kinds of people coming together to create solutions.

3. This isn't a debate. Don't waste time arguing or proving you're right. The answer is usually "Both/And." We are here as a community

Soundpolitic Blogger's note: I added that in improv comedy, the way to keep the sketch going is to not "block" your fellow performer by saying "no," but to instead say, "Yes. And..." in order to keep the sketch going wherever it may go. Isn't poltics funny?

4. This isn't a pity party. Don't spend too much time complaining. Focus on common ground solutions and what each of us can do.

5. Step up/Step back. Step up if you're shy, step back if you usually talk.

6. Take initiative! Speak up, volunteer for things, jump in with both feet.

7. Respect people's space. No inappropriate financial/personal solitications.

Soundpolitic Blogger's note: While I made no such thing, the Coffee Partiers passed around a plate to tip the employees of Uncommon Grounds for their hard work in dealing with a surprise group of 40 political activists! Way to go, guys!

8. Act like your mama raised you right! If someone is being blatantly disruptive or disrespectful, the facilitator should inform that peson respectfully: "if you continue to be disruptive, I'll need to ask you to leave."

9. Support the facilitator. It's good for one person to be empowered to guide the group. Support that person! Don't undermine them! If you don't like their style, cool! Vote with your feet and start your own coffee shop!

10. We are here as a community to advance the common good.

Six Purposes of March 13 National Coffee Party Day

* Come together to build community as people who care about our country.

* Make our voices heard in the media through our photos, video, and signs.

* Model community to replicate every coffee shop in America.

* Change our national narrative to cooperating on solutions.

* Plan Coffee Day 2 (March 27) and "Coffee With Congress" (March 29-April 11)

Soundpolitic Blogger's Note: While we took all the first five steps quite well, with such a large group it was difficult to get a second gathering set in stone. However, multiple Coffee Partiers left expressing their intentions to form their own groups in Schenectady, Saratoga, and Rensseleaer Counties! So...great success!

Five Phases of the Coffee Party Movement's Plan

1. Listening and organizing in as many coffee shops as possible (Spring 2010) on national tone, process and solutions (Spring 2010) via gatherings, possibly a march on Washington (Summer 2010) via non-partisan voter mobilization (Fall 2010) our next steps together (Winter 2010)

2. Making our voices heard

3. Show our power

Soundpolitic Blogger's Note: I suggested that a march on Albany might well be added to our agenda given our Legislature's infamous dysfunction. On this, there was resounding consensus!

4. Hold elected officials accountable

5. Debrief our first year and envision

I followed these up with a couple of lists that I'd discovered myself in a book called Mindful Politics: A Buddhist Guide to Making the World a Better Place. The final chapter of the book contains some "pithy statements" by Zen Master Kazuaki Tanahashi:

Four Commonplace Truths of Politics

1. No situation is impossible to change.

2. A communal vision, outstanding strategy, and sustained effort can bring forth positive changes.

3. Everyone can help make a difference.

4. No one is free from responsibility.

Ten Laws of Political Breakthrough

1. Breakthrough may or may not occur. The result is unpredicatble and how it happens is mysterious. All we can do is work towards breakthrough.

2. Some breakthroughs are life-affirming and others destructive.

3. The chance for breakthrough increases when the objective and the process are clearly stated.

4. The chance for breakthrough increases when the blocks are clearly identified.

5. The smaller the objective is, the greater the chance for breakthrough.

6. An effective, intense, and continuous effort builds a foundation for breakthrough.

7. The more forces combine, the greater the chance for breakthrough.

8. The greater the objective is, the easier it is to bring together force for breakthrough.

9. The chance for breakthrough increases when more attention is directed to the process than the goal.

10. Nonattachment is a crucial element for breakthrough

Emphasis added to passages most relative to the Coffee Party Movement's mission. All four truths and all ten laws are equally important. -SP

After this (and a round of applause!) I passed around my tape recorder as a kind of Native American talking stick so that everybody could introduce themselves, share a little bit about themselves, and get started coming to a consensus on the biggest of issues. After this, we all agreed to make some signs, all while I juggled the role of photographer and media interviewee.

I'll let the Capital News 9 coverage and the photos I took speak louder than words since I'm already way over budget:

By 4 pm, that was it. The Coffee Party Movement had officially kicked off in Albany as it had across America. I'll tell you what: it was great to be a part of it. I hope you take the initiative to capture that feeling as well. Because while the luck of the Irish is something good to have, indeed, this was an example of true Americans coming together...

...and making their own luck.

This concludes the three-or-four part series on the transition from the Tea Party to the Coffee Party on Soundpolitic Sundays. Tune in next week for something completely different and, as always, thanks for reading and keep up the good work!

Coffee Party Hits Albany County Airwaves

2010-03-12T19:26:00.001-05:00

Blogger Colin Abele, aka Soundpolitic organizer of the Albany County Coffee Party is interviewed on the highest-rated morning radio show in the Capital Region

This morning, I appeared on the Don Weeks Show on News Talk Radio 810 WGY to talk a little bit about the Coffee Party. The movement has grown from a small Facebook comment to nearly 120,000 members as of tonight.

Tomorrow, the movement will have it's National Coffee House Day as the nationwide kick-off to reboot our democracy through citizen initiated civil discourse, with the mission of getting our democracy out of gridlock and back on track to express the collective will of the people.

But enough extra typing. You can listen to the interview right here in streaming MP3. Or, you can read the transcript below!

You know, it was kind of funny transcribing my own interview. I feel kind of like Hunter Thompson, just without all the alcohol and guns. Here's what I said if you couldn't get your computer to listen. You'll have to imagine the opening riff to U2's "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" for the audio intro bed (an excellent choice, Justin!)

Don Weeks: I'm Don Weeks WGY morning news. You've probably heard about the Tea Party. Oh, they've been generating all kinds of headlines over the past couple of years. And now there is a new party called the Coffee Party. And they have a national kickoff day scheduled for, oh, lemme see here, this coming uh, it looks like, uh, tomorrow as a matter of fact. Well, the man who would know would be Colin Abele. Good morning!

Colin Abele (aka Soundpolitic): Good morning Don! How are you?

DW: Doin' terrific! I'm kinda curious about the Coffee Party. First of all, how did it start.

CA/SP: It actually started based off of one accidental comment on FAcebook and it has since grown to - I'll betcha it's about 110,000 Facebook members now today because it's been growing and growing exponentially since this lady from Washington, Anabell Park, just posted a Facebook comment. She was a little bit upset with the Tea Party and said that it didn't really represent her. She saw a lot of anger and animosity and adversity there. But still a kind of, definitely a love for America and a need to be engaged. So she was frustrated that, you know, there really wasn't a place for someone of her viewpoint to take the same kind of action that the Tea Party is taking in getting civicly engaged. Um...so she just posted a little rant on FAcebook and said we need to do something to counter this. Let's start a coffee party or a latte or chai party or a Red Bull party.

DW: Okay...

CA/SP: Then one person said yeah lets do that then another one did then a whole bunch of people did. And they now have a website, CoffeePartyUSA.com, and there's over, I think there's over 300 of these things gonna be happening tomorrow.

DW: How do, now, how do you differ from the Tea Party?

CA/SP: Well, you know, the more I speak with - because I went to a Tea Party a couple of weeks ago. And I've actually got a letter to the editor in the Altamont Enterprise this week...

DW: Uh-huh.

CA/SP: ...on respectable newstands all over the capital district. Um...and I said to myself, "You know, I...the more I talk with these Tea Party people, the more I realize we have a lot in common." Because I"m very progressive and the Tea Party, of course, is very conservative. But the way the media portrays it is there's two different camps and we really are, you know, I think it's time to realize that we're one nation on a person to person level. Because, my little saying is that "We The People?"

DW: Mm-hmm.

CA/SP: It means "You the Person." And what I"ve noticed with the Tea Party is that there's a lot of anger at government, there's a lot of fear about big government and even a hatred of the idea of the government doing things for people. But the government, in a democratic republic, it's an expression of our collective will. And if you're angry at the government or fearful of the government, since you're the government, you're really hating on yourself right there.

DW: How do you see, now...what kind of feedback are you getting from folks from the Tea Party? Do you find that theres...You kind of mentioned that you thought there was, like, you know, common ground here where you could both find, hey look, I disagree with you on this but I agree with you on that, y'know, where's the common ground between these two different groups?

CA/SP: Well...it's hard to say. It's on so many issues. And that's all we're going to do at this Coffee Party at Uncommon Grounds at 2 pm tomorrow. And there's one at Starbucks at noon on North Pearl Street, I believe. Um, we're just going to talk with people of all different stripes, whoever shows up, over coffee, nice and civil. But we're finding common ground on, like, basically the gridlock in Washington. Y'know, these people are our representatives. And we are their employers. The thing is...we have to take responsibility for that ourselves, Don. We can't just sit back and say, y'know, why isn't Washington doing anything? It's kind of reflection of, y'know...you ever been in a coffee house and you see one guy who's really off the right and another guy who's really off the the left...

DW: Yup! [Laughs]

CA/SP: ...and they're just yelling and hooting and hollering at each other...

DW: [Laughs] Yeah... [Laughs]

CA/SP: ...nobody leaves getting anything done. But the more I talk with the Tea Party folks that I met in nice calm conversation, instead of, you know. A lot of these Tea Parties have speakers that talk at you...

DW: Yeah.

CA/SP: ...instead of speaking with you. Y'know, if the Constitutional Convention was just George Washington presiding and talking at all those other guys, nothing would have gotten done.

DW: Wouldn't have got very far.

CA/SP: It was all based on compromise. And these guys, back in 1787, they had a lot of very, very different opinions. Read the Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist Papers and you'll see this. But, they set some ground rules for civil discourse and they said, okay, I'm gonna give this up if you give that up. And I think if we start doing that as citizens - and also if we start voting as citizens because this is off-year election and...

DW: Might get...

CA/SP: ...turnout's really really low...

DW: ...might get something done. Might get somewhere.

CA/SP: I think that will finally be represented for us in Congress. And so we're going to organize...

DW: Colin, Colin, I gotta jump in here cuz we're running out of time. Where's the Coffee Party USA here locally?

CA/SP: Uh, here locally I've started the Albany County chapter and we will meet at 2 pm tomorrow at Uncommon Grounds on Western Avenue in Albany.

DW: I wish you well in finding, uh, common grounds.

CA/SP: [Laughs]

DW: Thanks so much for being with us this morning!

CA/SP: Thank you very much Don. Good luck to you.

DW: Thank you, Colin Abele. 6:56, Don Weeks, WGY Morning News.

I have to thank Don Weeks and the producer, Justin Fiet, at WGY once again for this incredible experience. I've called in to local talk radio shows before (btw, they just fired my favorite local DJ, Al Roney and replaced him with Glenn Beck...guess which one I liked better and accepted my calls regardless of my opposing views?) but this was the first time the radio station actually called me, a lowly 26-year old unemployed paralegal and political blogger.

I think that just goes to show how big the Coffee Party Movment is going to prove itself to be tomorrow afternoon. See you there!