One party to rule them all?
There was Gov. Cuomo Tuesday, officiating the joyous reconciliation between state Senate Democrats and the Independent Democratic Conference pols who partnered with Republicans to control the body, declaring “Democratic unity is for the greater good.” We could have sworn the very same governor for years threw up his hands, calling the split “an internal legislative matter.”
Cuomo, under attack from his left flank in a gubernatorial primary, now finds it well within his power to help orchestrate a shotgun wedding, which he proclaims necessary to combat a President Trump-led assault that threatens “eroding the progressive soul of New York.”
This doesn’t yet shift the Senate back into Democratic hands; there are two special elections to win, then a pesky Brooklyn senator named Simcha Felder, who calls himself a Democrat but caucuses with the GOP.
Felder won his seat, let’s not forget, thanks in no small part to partisan district maps Cuomo signed in 2012 after threatening to veto, and is unlikely to leave the Republican fold.
Still, for the first time in a long time, a singleparty legislature — in fact, a state government in which Democrats run the entire table — is finally a real possibility in New York. Be careful what you wish for. We would cheer the possibility of progress on a dozen supposed Democratic priorities bottled up by the Senate under GOP control: The Child Victims Act to extend sex abuse statutes of limitations, the Dream Act, early voting, criminal justice reform, protections for farm workers and more. But single-party rule brings real risks. Who will provide the brake on spending, which Cuomo, often warring with his own party, has managed to keep in check over the last seven years? Who will stand up to unions, especially teachers unions, who want nothing more than to frustrate attempts to hold schools accountable for results and give parents more alternatives?
Anyone?