"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have"
Thomas Jefferson

Thursday, August 14, 2008

The Heat Is On

The 48th Senate seat race is heating up and pressure from candidate to candidate along with some miscues highlighted yesterday.

In a press release on Newzjunky candidate David Renzi challenged Darrel Aubertine to a series of debates, unscripted, free flowing conversations on the issues without bussed in extras like props in a movie production as witnessed the last election. The debates were to begin in September when the campaigns go into full swing.

The Senator initially deflected the notion of letting people hear what the  candidates have to say on the issues in a side by side setting by saying he was focused on doing his job and passing home heating assistance, which the only session they have scheduled at this point is next week, not September.

The flip flop: today it is reported he is accepting the debates. Then Aubertine makes the comment that Renzi should have picked up the phone.
"I've not yet seen his invitation," he said. "I think it's regrettable that rather than picking up the phone to call me, he's made it a political issue through the press.
Is this the same Senator who could not pick up the phone to call a colleague, Senator Betty Little to move the YMCA home legislation through?  Who, as an Assemblyman, allowed partisan mistreatment of Republican members in the Assembly (compare his staff to Dede Scozzafava's staff and she was even senior to him) and is now, (see clip art above) about supposedly being mistreated by partisan politics in the Senate instead of picking up the phone and calling Sen Little to move important legislation for a community organization through the channels.

Heads are spinning watching his inconsistencies. 

Senator, you are all over the board;
  • no phone calls, then you demand phone calls
  • partisan dysfunctional politics played when it suited you in the Assembly, now crying partisanship politics is hurting you
  • no debates, now debates ok
  • I was offered the NYPA job, it was a misunderstanding
  • more to come on the memo's, then oops no memo's
  • I voted for the ethics law, then I hired my sister

Then of course, the reminder on how our government operates in general. 

Your press release on Newzjunky calls for the Senate to address the home rule legislation. Minor detail as it may be, but the State Constitution mandates that the Legislature may take up NO OTHER ISSUE in an extraordinary session except for the specific bills that the Governor places on the agenda. The legislation for the Watertown YMCA is important, but it has not risen to the crisis level of the state's looming $6 billion budget gap, it's unlikely that Gov. Paterson will include it in the list of emergency bills.
Art IV
§  3.  The  governor  shall  be commander-in-chief of the military and
naval forces of the state. The governor shall have power to convene  the
 legislature,   or  the  senate  only,  on  extraordinary  occasions.  At
 extraordinary sessions convened  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  this
 section  no subject shall be acted upon, except such as the governor may
 recommend for consideration.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey genius, this isn't an extraordinary session. The Senate did not close session, only recessed it. This is not a special session it is a continuance of session. Stop apologizing for your party's failure to do what's right in the hopes of making political hay.

Anonymous said...

But IV, its Darrel, he doesn't have to be professional or efficient.

Here is my prediciton. When Aubertine is faced with a town hall style debate, he will find a reason to insist on a moderated debate.

Anonymous said...

Hey genius, a session called by the Governor to deal with the "emergency economic crisis" is an extraordinary session. The Governor sets the agenda. Did you go to the same legislative-process-school as Drew and Darrel?

IV succeeds again in pointing out Aubertine handlers' duplicity. Thankfully there's someone watching!

Anonymous said...

Town hall style is moderated, it just means there is audience questions and a more free flowing format. All debates have moderators, people.

Anonymous said...

Could someone explain to me what Renzi meant by this in his release: "They must make their individual study and believe of which candidate can best represent their interests and those of their communities." Wow. That's weird?

Anonymous said...

Someone tell Renzi that the Lincoln-Douglas Debates had a format. One would speak for an hour. The other would respond for an hour and a half. Then the first would speak again for half an hour. Can't wait for that exciting format.

Anonymous said...

they will have to have a moderator so darrel wont talk for 2 hours
and say nothing to avoid an answer as usual.

Anonymous said...

The commenters on this website sure are nasty.

Anonymous said...

Yes, the original Lincoln-Douglas were more speeches than debate. But the concept that has survived -- and is often cited as a model -- is that the campaigns agreed to a broad range of forums -- nine to be exact, one each in every Congressional district in Illinois. The purpose was so that voters could see and hear the candidates for themselves, then make their own judgments.

Darrel's favored scripted, phony, auditorium style debates that he can pack with partisan supporters who whoop, holler and try to intimidate their opponents. That's not a page ripped fromo Lincoln-Douglas, but rather Tammany-Brooklyn.

But we'll all find out soon enough, won't we, when Darrel agrees to the maximum number of debates proposed by Renzi.

Anonymous said...

Hey above commenter, go back to early this year. Just becase Darrel had more supporters at all the debates doesnt make it scripted. It amazes me how all the Darrel haters can always come up with an excuse when he beats ur guy. What are you going to say when Darrel goes to the townhall debates and really impacts people in a positive way? Then how do you spin it as him fixing the debates?

Anonymous said...

I guess we'll never find out how Darrel will do at the town hall style debates since it seems he is balking at participating in them!

Darrel has clearly taken to heart the old Civil defense lessons learned in his grade school -- duck and cover!

Anonymous said...

darrel only impacts people in a positive way when he helps secure money for his friends and himself. he's a worthless slimeball. probably the biggest fraud in the history of district 48. i expect someone will be jailed from the gross actions of the cape board

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