New York... Making Californians feel good about their government

ALBANY —Republicans and Democrats attempted to hold separate Senate sessions at the same time on Tuesday, leaving the Capitol in confusion and bickering as members of both parties shouted over each other on the Senate floor, and each party claimed it was in control.

Though Democrats had entered the Senate chamber through a back hallway just before 12:30 p.m. and locked the doors — much to the surprise of Republicans — Republicans moved ahead with plans for their own session and began calling for votes on bills as Democrats sat silent in protest.

Exactly who was in control of the Senate — or whether any of the procedural action the Republicans had taken was legally valid — was unclear. Democrats were successful in blocking Republicans from taking control of the Senate gavel, which remained firmly in the hands of Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins of Westchester County, who was guarded by sergeants-at-arms on both sides.

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You just can't make this stuff up.

The state Senate is split down the middle with the defection of at least one Democrat to the Republicans and there is no Lieutenant Governor to break ties. He became Governor after Elliot (Mr. Clean) Spitzer was caught renting high priced entertainment of the sort most men would not want their wives discovering. And of course this being New York there is no constitutional provision for filling the office of Lt. Governor between elections.

The Democrats and Republicans are both behaving like children in this matter, though I fault the Democrats mostly. They gained a majority in the Senate for the first time in decades in last year's election. But the Republicans pulled a fast one and managed to persuade two Democrats to defect to their side giving them a one seat majority. To be honest, I was pretty impressed by that one.

One of them has since re-defected leaving the Senate split with no tie breaking vote. Even during their brief (it was days) tenure in their one seat majority the Republicans were hampered when Democrats locked the doors to the Senate Chamber, refusing to surrender the keys rather than admit the Republicans. Then they hid all off the pending bills and legislative materials. Again they refused to hand any of them over. "If I'm not in charge then I'm taking all of the marbles and no one is playing anymore."

Sadly I am cursed twice over. I live in California, but am a native of New York. Sigh.

How about them Mets?