Meet The "Reformational" Pedro Espada Jr.

We've already heard Senator Golden's wonderful statements about Hiram Monserrate, so what do we know about the other soulless turncoat, Pedro Espada? Well, some of the press has already gotten started digging. A few of the items are old news, you know, typical "reform-minded" elected official stuff like not living in the district you represent and not bothering to follow the meager campaign finance laws that New York has on its books.

Then there is the new stuff, the reason (or part there of) why we are in this mess:

ALBANY — State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. requested more than $2 million dollars in Senate earmarks this year for two groups with links to the health care organization that he founded and which appeared to have been created in part to receive such grants, according to several Democratic officials and aides with knowledge of the requests.

But Senate Democrats rejected the grant requests in early April because they could not confirm that the groups were legitimate nonprofit organizations. Around the same time, Mr. Espada began discussions with Senate Republicans to leave the Democratic caucus, ending with the Republicans’ surprise takeover of the Senate on Monday.

At the end of March, Mr. Espada requested $1,348,000 in grants for the Bronx Human Services Council Inc., an organization that registered with the state as a nonprofit organization on March 26, roughly a week before the state budget deal under which the Senate and Assembly were allocated about $170 million in pork-barrel spending, known as member items.

State records indicate that the council is headquartered at the same Bronx address as a clinic that is part of the Soundview HealthCare Network, which Mr. Espada founded. The chairman of the board of Soundview, John A. Feliciano, Jr., is also listed as a special assistant on Mr. Espada’s Senate staff, according to Senate records.

Mr. Espada also requested $875,000 for Green ECO Energy Incorporated, a group that was created on March 19. State records list the contact for the organization as Daniel Pagano, a lawyer who works part-time for Mr. Espada as counsel to the Senate Housing Committee and who is also representing the senator in his ongoing dispute with the state Board of Elections over missing campaign filings.

So "Mr. Reform" didn't get his $2.2+ million in dirty money from the Democrats, so he decided to cast his lot with the Republicans. Espada is so corrupt and so arrogant, he barely even tries to hide the money he is extorting from New York's taxpayers.

Now he's claiming he wants reform in his "coalition government," but really, all he cares about is obtaining more power and enriching himself. He may have a new fancy title in the Senate for the time being, but before long, as fellow Senator Diane Savino told him, "Life is circular, my friend." Circular for Espada means that voters in the Bronx will kick him to the curb next year, where he belongs.

President Obama Touts Pay-Go

This isn't a Monopoly game we're talking about, President Obama is serious about real reform and he is urging Congress to enact "pay-go" so we start reining in the out of control spending:

Some Choice Comments For Monserrate From Sen. Golden

This just has to be printed in full. The Daily Gotham got an anonymous email that clipped together statements, mostly from Republican State Senator Marty Golden, about how he feels about his new colleague, Hiram Monserrate:

''When you let people like Senator Monserrate stay in office,'' said Senator Martin Golden, a Republican from Brooklyn, ''and you do fund-raisers for them, and you pat them on the back and you say, 'Go for it!' you know, there's a disgrace, a disgust, in people across this state.'' (March 25, 2009)

Sen. Martin Golden, a Brooklyn Republican, said Monserrate should resign - and he blasted Democratic leaders for continuing to support Monserrate."If we're going to protect people that would abuse women and abuse anybody in this fashion, there is something wrong with that," he said. (March 24, 2009)

Republicans called for Monserrate's resignation and assailed Smith for not taking further action. "He's going to have to step down," said Sen. Marty Golden, R-Brooklyn. "The longer he stays, the more of a spectacle it is." "Sen. Smith's failure to take action against Sen. Monserrate in the face of this criminal indictment, just one week after hosting a fundraiser on his behalf, clearly sends the wrong message to all New Yorkers," said a statement from two Republican senators, Betty Little of Queensbury and Cathy Young of Olean. (March 24, 2009)

Sadly, I didn't catch the Bruno comments Padavan and Golden made on video. But here's some footage of them railing on Monserrate. Padavan argued that the charges against Velella were "white collar" and therefore didn't take up as much of his time to fight. Golden agreed, saying: "We're not talking about a simple crime. We're talking about three D felonies. We're talking about a serious indictment here." (March 24, 2009)

And then Golden chimed in: "He left because he suspected it. He knew that this was not going away and he wanted to deal with it. He got out of the Senate so he could deal with this issue without being, without the Senate itself being a target." (March 24, 2009)

Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn) pushed a resolution calling on the newly Democratic-controlled Senate to keep Hiram Monserrate (D-East Elmhurst) - charged with slashing his girlfriend - from being seated before the swearing-in. In 1999 Monserrate, saying he suffered from psychological disorders, quit the NYPD after 11 years, it has been reported. Golden told Newsday that Monserrate's being a former cop had "absolutely nothing" to do with the case. "Domestic violence is a dirty secret throughout society that's been swept under the rug," he said. "Hopefully the courts will deal with this ... If he's guilty he should suffer the consequences." (January 12, 2009)

At the time, Mr. Golden, a Brooklyn Republican, was talking to a group of reporters about why he felt Mr. Monserrate should be turned away. ''I don't think he should be seated,'' Mr. Golden said as Mr. Monserrate approached him and extended his hand, apparently taking Mr. Golden by surprise. The two men shook hands and exchanged brief pleasantries. (January 8, 2009)

Afterward, Golden said he still felt Monserrate was a "ticking time bomb." "It's a pretty significant charge when you break a glass in a woman's face," said Golden, who, like Monserrate, is a former city cop. "To have that hanging over your head and sitting in this body takes this body down a little bit of a notch." (January 8, 2009)

Golden told The Associated Press that the Queens Democrat should have been kept out of the seat Wednesday, and that the pending criminal case involved "an absolutely horrendous assault on a woman." "It definitely takes the institution down and we don't need that," Golden said. (January 7, 2009)

Brooklyn Republican Sen. Martin Golden, a former police officer, said Wednesday he will continue trying to remove Monserrate for what Golden called "an absolutely horrendous assault on a woman." "It definitely takes the institution down and we don't need that," Golden said. "This obviously takes us down a couple of notches." (January 7, 2009)

Now Mr. Monserrate is in Golden's caucus, whether he calls it a "coalition government" or not. Espada, Monserrate and Skelos can play semantics all they want but for all intensive purposes Monserrate has cast his lot with thirty Republicans and whatever you want to call Espada. Of course, Golden has no problems sticking with his comments (but don't expect any new ones), since Monserrate will be kicked out if and when he is convicted for slashing his girlfriend with a broken glass. Still, for Golden (and the rest of the GOP) to even tolerate bringing two criminals into their caucus is revolting. Of course speaking as a Democrat, I'm glad they're off our hands now, so we can finally get real representation for those parts of the Bronx and Queens.

NYC Wants Bloomberg Gone But Doesn't Know His Opponent

The bad news for Democrats in the latest NY1 poll is that the mayor still enjoys a 60% approval rating from New Yorkers. The good news though is that 55% of the same group of respondents want to see him gone. NY1 asked plenty of questions, and it leads to some important answers. If Bill Thompson (or any other candidate) wants to take advantage of the political landscape, he'd better take notice.

From NY1:

The poll shows that while 60 percent of New Yorkers approve of Bloomberg's job performance, 55 percent say the want "someone else" in City Hall next year.

The poll also shows that an overwhelming number of New Yorkers are unfamiliar with Bloomberg's top rival, Democrat Bill Thompson.

The poll surveyed 683 adults throughout New York City with a margin of sampling error of +/-4 percentage points.

The poll is much more detailed inside, showing that Bloomberg's highest negatives come in the area of taxes (remember this?), education and especially the term limit extension fiasco. Seven in ten New Yorkers still want term limits and six in ten disapproved of the mayor and council's egregious action that extended the limit to three terms.

While some people know of Bloomberg's downsides, there are areas that the people are lacking in information. For instance, the poll doesn't even register a blip of outrage over the fact that Bloomberg helped the Yankees receive more than $1.3 billion in taxpayer assistance to build their new stadium and a few hundred million that went to the construction of Citi Field.

Then there's the fact that hardly anybody knows that Thompson is actually running for mayor. With less than five months before the election, 86% of surveyed New Yorkers have no opinion of Bill Thompson. That means the front runner has some serious work to do so that the overwhelmingly Democratic town understands that there is a Democrat in the race that is opposing an plutocratic "independent" Bloomberg.

Part of the problem is a broken down and bent out of shape party structure that can't seem to get fully behind a Democratic candidate. Even the current Democratic Council Speaker can't bring herself to support the eventual nominee of the her party. What it all boils down to is that Thompson and whatever percentage of party leaders and activists must work tirelessly to combat Bloomberg's onslaught of deceptive campaign material and other dubious activities so that New Yorkers clearly know what choices they have when election day comes upon us.

Maddow Highlights Roeder's Call For More Abortion Violence

In a carefully worded statement to the press, Scott Roeder claimed he had knowledge of future abortion clinic attacks but refuses to tell police about them. Whether he does know specifics or not, this is a call to other radical reactionaries such as himself to use more violence to um, advance the pro-life agenda.

Rachel Maddow has Frank Schaeffer (a former reactionary) join her to talk about the issue of abortion and the violence some on the right uses.

The Days Are Numbered For Espada And Monserrate

The large amount of pressing legislation for the Senate to consider this month had enough trouble to contend with at the beginning of the day yesterday. Once the day was out, most of those and bills, and the Democratic agenda was thrown out the window.

I was busy with getting ready for the petitioning process here in NYC during the mid-afternoon hours yesterday and intermittently checked the news. When I clicked the refresh button to read about the coup in the Senate, (or possibly the attempted coup) I felt as shocked and disgusted as I did when Spitzer's prostitution scandal went public, if not more so. What Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada concocted to stab our democratic institution in the back was far worse than what any hooker could ever do. Seeing those self-serving disgraces masquerading as public servants flipping to the Republican side was absolutely horrific.

I'm mad as hell, but now, as Roatti said, we'll get even with the two crooks and the Republican leadership for this ridiculous and unethical action. Espada can claim that he has a "coalition government," but anyone with with a few working synapses in their brains can tell what this is about. Monserrate and Espada, especially Espada wanted power in the worst way and they screwed over New Yorkers that voted for change in last year's election. All the reforms that could have been are over with for now. Instead, we who are interested in true change for Albany must work to rid ourselves of Espada and Monserrate. It is likely that all we'll need is to find a replacement for Monserrate, certainly if that videotape the police claim they have will convict him of beating his girlfriend.

So now the thief and the thug have their moment in the sun, but as most turncoats do not last long once they've flipped, those two will be gone before long.

Speaking of gone, and looking for a silver lining in all of this (trust me, it's hard) I can't help but think that Malcolm Smith will never get his Majority Leader spot once the Democrats take back control in 2010. If Smith had any principles, he would have held the high ground against the Gang of Four at the end of 2008 and made the "amigos" play their hand then. Espada, Monserrate, Kruger and Diaz were not to be trusted then, there was no reason to believe that they'd act like Democratic senators on a mere handshake.

Cry Me A Hipster New York Times

The New York Times went with an article today on the woes of the hipster class in these trying times. In what seems like is becoming a series of articles, the Times continues to highlight the rich who cry poor in this recession. Unlike the poor elites who have trouble getting by on less than half a million a year, today's article focuses on the privileged youth that live in gentrified Williamsburg.

From The NY Times:

Luis Illades, an owner of the Urban Rustic Market and Cafe on North 12th Street, said he had seen a steady number of applicants, in their late 20s, who had never held paid jobs: They were interns at a modeling agency, for example, or worked at a college radio station. In some cases, applicants have stormed out of the market after hearing the job requirements.

“They say, ‘You want me to work eight hours?’ ” Mr. Illades said. “There is a bubble bursting.”

Famed for its concentration of heavily subsidized 20-something residents — also nicknamed trust-funders or trustafarians — Williamsburg is showing signs of trouble. Parents whose money helped fuel one of the city’s most radical gentrifications in recent years have stopped buying their children new luxury condos, subsidizing rents and providing cash to spend at Bedford Avenue’s boutiques and coffee houses.

While the Village Voice feels bad for the way the Times rips these carefree 20-somethings, I would rather the Times use ink in more industrious ways.

The article includes an in-depth exposé on trustafarians and their parents. Summing it up, the balance scale has tipped, meaning less money from the parental units and more time in finding a job that pays for Williamsburg apartment life. Now, it isn't as if I don't sympathize a little, but really, the Times should be focusing more on the real pain the recession is causing, like the foreclosures in Southeast Queens and the rise in crime there that the Bloomberg Administration would love to keep under wraps. Now to be fair, the Times does have a "Living With Less" section online, but many of those stories do not get the prominence in the paper that they deserve.

Sen. Shelby Tries To Play Revisionist Historian, Fails

Senator Shelby went on Fox News to talk about bank bailouts yesterday, but he mysteriously forgets that last fall when the President approved of bank bailouts, it was Bush, not Obama who started doling out hundreds of billions to the banks.

Bloomberg's Unethical Union Deals

As the Mayor of New York, it is important to make sure that city employees are happy with their jobs and what they get paid for them. Yet it is also important for that same Mayor to be fiscally prudent with the city's finances, especially when we are in a devastating recession like the current one. Mayor Bloomberg justified extending term limits based on his financial expertise and strong, "independent" leadership, but the latest deal he made with the municipal unions is as the NY Daily News' Adam Lisberg describes, is "bizarre."

From The NY Daily News:

He cut a bizarre deal with municipal unions last week, one that postponed layoffs for 1,000 or so city workers for 90 more days of negotiations.[...]

But it also leaves plenty of time for the mayor and union bosses to scrounge for some extra millions, figure out a furlough package, or find some other way to save those jobs - then shake hands for the cameras.

And if Bloomberg ends up the savior of municipal workers, it will happen right around the time his political team is asking the workers' unions to endorse him.

That perfect timing isn't something new for the Mayor either. Back in 2005 he did something similar for the Teachers' Union, who mysteriously backed away from endorsing the Democrat in the race. Nowadays he's sticking up for union workers that he initially threatened when the debate over the budget crunch began.

Unfortunately, in the article Thompson says he isn't concerned about the Mayor's about face just in time for the election and the crucial period where candidates get backed up by union support. Thompson is seriously behind in this race and if he wants to get competitive with Bloomberg, then I hope that he worried about it, and more importantly doing something about it in private.

Mitch McConnell Admits Public Option Is The Best Way To Go

Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell would never go for a public option in the health care debate our nation is having. Making things easier for those that need insurance is simply not McConnell's top concern. Helping his buddies within the insurance industry is, and he made his allegiance known on a recent Sunday talk show at his favorite network.

From DailyKos:

Because Democratic Leaders (such as they are) too often tend to be idiots when it comes to developing narratives and memes (we're talking "marketing" here), they too often overlook or don't understand GOP "gifts" when they're given. Case in point: on May 17 Mitch McConnell admitted to Chris Wallace on the May 17 FNSunday:

"The private insurance people would not be able to compete with a government option."

The video is provided in the link above. McConnell may not have meant to lead viewers to see that a public option is only a bad idea for the corporations that profit off our health (or lack there of) but it certainly came across. As the diarist above states, Democratic Leaders are much too hesitant in offending the health insurance industry. That is why it is up to the rest of us that care about real health care reform to push the issue that Americans deserve good, affordable health care just like almost every other advanced democracy out there.

More To Quinn Than Her Smile

This mini-documentary by Donny Moss (YouTube has a ten minute limit) comprehensively covers Speaker Christine Quinn in a way that few have done before. We all remember her tainted by the slush fund scandal, but nothing ever came of it. It wasn't too long ago that gay men were being falsely arrested by vice-cops and Quinn was nowhere to be seen. And don't get me started on term limits. There are many issues that Quinn will not bring up to support her candidacy for a third term, but Donny Moss does.



Update [6/9 12pm]: Unfortunately, it seems that Robert Pinter has something to say about his unwilling participation in the documentary. While it blows a hole in that part of the argument against Quinn, the rest of it still stands.

Addabbo's Constituents Want His Vote On Same-Sex Marriage Now

Out of 62 senators, there are still 14 that have not stated whether they will vote for or against the bill to give equal rights to same-sex couples wishing to get married. One of those senators is Joseph Addabbo. The eastern Queens Senator is apparently holding out to the very last minute or is not willing to say in case no vote comes to pass. Either way, NY1 tells us people in his district want to know how he feels.

From NY1:

Constituents wanted to hear what freshman State Senator Joseph Addabbo has to say about gay marriage.

"He needs to make a decision, quick," said one Queens resident. "A lot of people are interested in knowing."

But on Friday they did not know, as Addabbo would not respond to the question of how he would vote on legalizing same-sex marriage in the state.

"It's very important," said a constituent. "He needs to say if he is for or against it."

"I really think he should have a position on that; he definitely should have something to say because he's a senator," said another.

"I think he should have a response one way or the other," agreed a third.

NY1 did find a few that thought the opposite, but said they were few and far between. Now whether or not he follows those three voters' advice is another thing, but Addabbo will probably stay silent if he hasn't said anything already. Perhaps because he is a new Democrat in the district (Republican Serph Maltese represented the area for years and year), he's not up to angering a sizable portion of the community if he doesn't have to.

However, as MENY blogged last November, Joe has been a reliable vote for LGBT issues when he was a Councilmember (though he still hadn't taken a position on same-sex marriage) so perhaps when push comes to shove, he'll vote with the majority of the Democratic caucus and say yes to marriage equality.

Of course, it would be nice to add him to list of yes votes beforehand so residents should keep calling and pressuring him to take a stand regardless of where Addabbo is at now.