12:26 pm Nov. 21, 20121
Jeff Klein wrote an op-ed that is an argument for advancing a progressive agenda, but could also function as a guide for the Republican conference he and his four-member Independent Democratic Conference would join to form a State Senate majority.
He spoke about the IDC's record in Albany and wrote, "In 2013, we will further our progressive Democratic agenda."
"We will fight to raise the minimum wage so that workers can receive a paycheck they can actually live on, while our state’s economy can receive the boost that it so clearly needs. We will work to implement a New York Dream Fund for children of undocumented immigrants, a vital first step in realizing a NY Dream Act. We will continue to defend women’s reproductive health, while championing vital new methods of health education that ensure the well being of New York’s next generation. We will push to implement much-needed campaign finance reform legislation so that we can restore voters’ trust in the process."
Ths argument for forming the coalition government is, in a word, Cuomoesque.
The governor echoed many of Klein's points in recent interviews: the need for bipartisanship, the benefits of having a functioning government over an ideologically pure one, and identifying specific policy goals rather outside the context of partisan platforms.
It's a legitimate argument, but is in the case of both Klein and Cuomo intended to rationalize a strategy of abandoning the Senate's poorly regarded Democratic conference rather than working to fix it.
Klein did nothing to improve the Dem conference after the coup - when he couldn't be leader, he jumped out. His IDC...and Cuomo's animosity to the Dem conference...is all about their personal agendas coming first.
When Cuomo wants to be Prez, and Klein seeks some other office, they will both receive the rejection by the majority of Democrats and allied groups that they have richly deserved. Dems will NEVER forget their cynical behavior when needed most.