Skelos out maneuvered the Governor at every turn this week and in doing so Skelos avoided all the trappings of the gang attack by Paterson, Malcolm Smith and Sheldon Silver. Governor David Paterson should walk away from this special session with a very special lesson - a better understanding that everyone has relevance in Albany and that he needs all the players to achieve his objectives.
Skelos' first score came when he called the bluff of Paterson's ill fated request that the Senate take up his legislation. Paterson should learn not everything will be taken as a flippant remark, which he has a tendency to do frequently, some days surprisingly people take the Governor serious.
Skelos' second score came when the conference of Senate Republicans voted to keep him as the leader, ensuring Paterson that he will have a formidable competitor for future negotiations and with a fragile non-majority for either party, he and the Republican have relevance. Paterson needs to make amends with Skelos and work with all the leaders to get the state back on track. As Governor he cannot afford many weeks like this week.
5 comments:
Hi PIV,
Did you really watch the 'game playing' by Skelos yesterday on the tube. He was called out by Malcolm Smith just as he should have been.
I'm so glad you got rid of the cleansing the rhetoric BS because this is about as partisan as it gets. Unless you've got elephant blood throughout, no one saw it your way--because your analysis is wrong and partisan.
He was probably 0-0-1 at best. Paterson didn't get the cuts he wanted and Skelos didn't take the head on hit he wanted to avoid. The glancing blow still damaged his conference.
As for the other "contest," being selected leader is not a victory over Paterson by any stretch. Does Tedisco count this on his record every two years against Silver?
Really, you might want to read another version of someone's opinion.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/11/18/2008-11-18_you_paid_for
_tax_session_but_got_circus_.html
...or this... or even this.
I understand Ted's criticism, but think PIV is right. Unfortunately, all this gamesmanship hurts all of us. The Gov should have put it up for a vote. If he had, Skelos would have disappeared from politics in NYS. Sure, the teachers would have won, THIS time. But the people can't win this fight if everyone is too afraid to throw a punch. Let's get on with it.
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