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.

Republicans Abandoning State Senate?

Now that the S.S. State Senate Republican Majority has capsized, it might just sink even faster into the depths due to retirements. Plenty of Senators are well into their senior years and without the power of being in power, it might just be time to call it quits. So far the rumors have two Senators getting ready to throw the towel in.

From The Daily Politics:

Democrats are already pushing the story that at least one - and potentially two - Senate Republicans may be poised to consider mid-term retirements now that they find themselves relegated to minority status for the first time since 1965.

This is, of course, a good way to debstabilize the GOP and also to send a message to the Gang of Four that the power they're enjoying from their current swing status may not last.

For what it's worth, among those on today's speculation list are:

- Sen. Stephen Saland, 41st SD, a veteran lawmaker, who served in the Assembly from 1980 to 1990 and then went to the Senate.

- Sen. Hugh Farley, 44th SD, a close friend of former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno who was first elected in 1976.

According to a highly-placed GOP source, Saland, who defeated Democrat Ken Dow on Tuesday, has already informed the GOP assemblyman most likely to seek his seat, Marc Molinaro, that he intends to leave sometime between now and April, sparking a special election.

Of course both deny it, but that's nothing new in politics. While it could be a ploy by the Dems to control the "gang of four" it is highly likely that the old fogeys will be heading out of Albany sooner rather than later. Though perhaps they'll retain a little dignity and just serve out the next two years. And if Padavan holds onto his narrow lead in the current election, he'll most likely be one of those on their way out as well. His picture on the poll site A frames may show a lively guy (because the picture is many years old), but in person he's anything but.

GOP Reject Now Carrying Their Banner In Staten Island

Just as Charlie Cook keeps uprating the Democratic party's chances in NY-13, the Republicans of Staten Island play along and make the prospects of flipping the district that much stronger. The Republican machine (if you can call it that) has decided to go against Independence Party pick Carmine Morano for ex-Assemblyman Robert Straniere. Straniere was defeated a few years back in a re-election bid in his South Shore area. Now this isn't all said and done, that would be too simple. It appears that many Republicans, including James Molinari are not too happy about Straniere's endorsement.

From The Staten Island Advance:

Straniere was tabbed by a five-member GOP committee on vacancies last night to replace the late Frank Powers as the party designee for the bi-borough seat. Straniere is now set to battle Dr. Jamshad Wyne, the GOP finance chairman, in a Sept. 9 party primary.

The vote was 4-1 in Straniere's favor, with only Joseph Borelli, chief of staff to South Shore City Councilman Vincent Ignizio, casting a vote against Straniere.

Ignizio defeated Straniere in a 2004 GOP Assembly primary, ending Straniere's 24-year career in the Legislature, and last night said that he "will not be supporting Bob Straniere for Congress."

So to beg the question, why is there so much hostility in SI Republican-land, especially with the limited pool of talent that the party has down there? Well, as Molinari points out ominously:

Two words that strike me: Ethics and morality," said Molinari. "There have been so many questions raised about ethics in government over the last few months, the last thing we could have expected is to see someone put up for office with serious ethical concerns. That's mystifying."

Ouch!

I'm going to take a wild guess and say this has nothing to do with hot dogs and everything to do with his time in the Assembly. Of course this could also be a way for Republicans like Molinari and Ignizio to play down expectations of holding onto the seat following Fossella's shameful departure.

NY GOP Still Broke In The 13th

It has been a rough year for Republicans on Staten Island so far. Their embattled, but still incumbent Congressman Vito Fossella was caught driving drunk in Virginia, which subsequently led to the discovery of his secondary family and that brought down his house of cards...and his chances at being re-elected. Then a slew of possible challengers declined to run for the seat and when one finally stepped up, he died tragically of a heart attack. Now the petition filing deadline is looming next week and the only hope they have isn't even a Republican. Oy for them!

From The NYT Cityroom:

Republican leaders say that Mr. Powers campaign had collected about 1,500 signatures on Mr. Powers’s petitions. If there are more than the required 1,250, Mr. Powers’s committee on vacancy would be able to name a candidate to take his place on the ballot. That committee is controlled by party officials.

Mr. Morano said that he was planning to begin collecting signatures to qualify for the Republican line, apart from Mr. Powers’ petitions, in the event he is selected by Republican leaders to run on that party’s line.

Meanwhile, Jamshad Wyne, a cardiologist who is the finance chairman of the Staten Island Republican Party, is also a candidate for the seat. Dr. Wyne said that he has already collected 2,000 signatures and that he plans to continue getting more until the filing deadline.

But he has little support among the party’s leaders. They point to the fact that Dr. Wyne was fined $5,000 and placed on probation for three years in 2003 by the state Health Department’s Board for Professional Medical Conduct. The board said that he had practiced “with negligence on more than one occasion.”

So right now, the battle is between an Independence Party member and a negligent cardiologist. I'd really hate to be in Guy Molinari's shoes right now. How embarrassing would it be if they lost the seat in blowout fashion. It certainly could happen, and as we work for the Democratic nominee, whether it be a progressive like Harrison or Councilman McMahon, we will flip NY-13 to the Democratic Party.

Ex- NY GOP Chairman Tied To Sweeney Investigation

William Powers office on 90 State St in Albany was the center of attention yesterday for FBI agents investigating ex-Congressman John Sweeney's connection with the former NY GOP Chairman and now-lobbyist. Powers and Sweeney have been buddies for a long time and now that Sweeney has been found to be a(n alleged) crook, it seems that the spoils of Republican leadership prior to 2006 was beneficial to Powers. At least a judge thought it was worthy enough to look at and see if information in Powers' office could help their case against Sweeney.

From The Times-Union:

ALBANY -- A federal criminal investigation is focusing on the relationship of lobbyist William D. Powers and former U.S. Rep. John E. Sweeney in connection with a series of federal grants that were steered to Powers' clients, according to several people familiar with the probe.

The probe is being overseen by the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section in Washington, D.C.

Several people familiar with the case said it is centered on a period when Powers' clients received the earmarks while Sweeney's then-wife, Gayle, was working for Powers' Albany-based lobbying firm.

Armed with a search warrant, federal attorneys and FBI agents from Albany and Washington appeared at Powers & Co.'s 90 State St. office building on Friday. They confiscated files and interviewed employees who were encouraged to remain in the office during the search. It's not clear whether Powers was present.

Powers may or may not be involved with all of this, but there are interesting coincidences all around. Sweeney's wife at the time worked at Powers' firm until Sweeney lost his re-election bid. Now why would she suddenly lose her job (or resign, whatever) in such fashion? And does their subsequent divorce have anything to do with that? We'll have to see what the investigators find from Powers and if it comes out when Sweeney has his day in court.

NY GOP Does Two Huge Favors For Dems

It isn't often that the New York State Republican Party likes to bend over for their opposition, but their Chairman Joseph Mondello did just that this week. Not only did he book the Sheraton in Midtown for their party (Republicans love to bash Democrats for only caring about downstate NY) in all of their hypocritical glory, but he added a nice big cherry on top of that sundae.

From The Daily Politics:

A number of Republicans are shaking their heads in astonishment over the fact VP Dick Cheney has been tapped by state GOP Chairman Joseph Mondello to headline the party's annual dinner May 29, DN Capitol Bureau Chief Ken Lovett reports.

"I'm glad that we're following the winning model that they put forth in Mississippi," an aide to former Gov. George Pataki quipped. "It's just so ridiculous, I can' t even be pithy because it's asinine."

Cheney stumped for the losing Republican Greg Davis in a special House election last week in Mississippi. It was the third off-cycle loss for the House Republicans (the others were in Illinois and Louisiana).

A Senate Republican questioned how at a time when the GOP is fighting to maintain its slim majority the party can bring into New York "the only person more unpopular than George Bush."

That is a very good question, and I'm glad I'm not the one having to answer for it. I'm ecstatic that he went forward with the plan though. I hope all New Yorkers can see just who the Senate GOP Majority loves to hang out with, even if he is more unpopular than George Bush. They'd just prefer that it not be made public.

Oh well.