The Anti-Trump Wave Helped Democrats Almost Everywhere That Racism Isn't Enshrined As The State Religion

Paul Ryan was whining about how long it was taking for all the votes to be counted in California, primarily because absentee ballots were coming in overwhelmingly for Democrats and after election day, vote counting flipped 4 more Republican seats including one in Orange County and two in the Central Valley that left Ryan allies Mimi Walters, Jeff Denham and David Valadao unemployed. But what Ryan failed to mention is that there are still ballots being counted and recounted all over the country. The Alaska state legislative races are a good example. First Alaska's Republican Senate President Pete Kelly was ousted by Fairbanks state Rep. Scott Kawasaki (D) after a handful of votes were counted a week after the election. But the vote to replace Kawasaki is still in turmoil. On election night Republican Bart LeBon held a 5-vote lead over Democrat Kathryn Dodge but since then, the lead in that race has gone back and forth as ballots have been counted. Control of the House depends on the final outcome! And this week, it came down to whether or not one ballot would be counted! Last Friday, the Division of Elections gave LeBon the win with 2,263 votes to Dodge's 2,262. Yesterday Dodge announced that she's appealing the recount.

But, whether decided on election night or a few days or weeks later, the anti-Trump wave was significant in state legislative races almost everywhere in the country. It looks like 393 seats flipped nationally-- give or take a few. That includes 7 chambers that flipped from red to blue (Senates in Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and New York and, quite spectacularly, Minnesota's House.) On top of that GOP supermajorities were broken in state Senates in North Carolina, Michigan and Pennsylvania, while Democrats gained supermajorities in the Illinois, Vermont, Nevada and Oregon state Houses and in the California and Oregon Senates-- while holding onto supermajorities in Senate races in Illinois, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Hawaii and Maryland and in state Houses in New York, California, Maryland, Rhode Island, Delaware, Hawaii and Massachusetts.

There were a handful of reactionary, low-education, racist states, mostly in the Old Confederacy (like Alabama and Arkansas), were the GOP made gains, but most of the gains went to Democrats, even in states like Georgia and Texas. In Arizona the Democrats picked up 4 House seats, putting them 2 votes away from grabbing the majority. In California , Democrats picked up 4 Assembly seats and 3 Senate seats, as the state GOP continues to disintegrate. Out of the 80 California Assembly seats, just 19 are in Republican hands, although one seat is still too close to call.

These were some of the other highlights:

• Colorado House- Democrats expanded their 36 to 29 seat majority by picking up 5 more seats
• Connecticut House- Democrats expanded their 80-71 seat majority by picking up 12 more seats, while breaking the 18-19 Senate deadlock by winning 5 Republican seats
• Florida House- Dems picked up 6 seats
• Georgia House- Dems picked up 9 seats with 2 more too close to call
• Idaho House- Dems picked up 3 seats
• Iowa House- Dems picked up 5 seats with 2 more still uncalled
• Kentucky House- Dems picked up 3 seats
• Maryland House- Dems picked up 6 seats with one still uncalled
• Maine House- Dems said goodibye to Paul LePage by picking up 16 seats (while watching their pals in the Senate turn that chamber blue by picking up 4 seats
• Michigan House- Dems picked up 6 seats in the super-gerrymandered state
• Minnesota House- Dems crushed it-- picking up 20 seats
• Montana Senate- Dems picked up 2 seats
• North Carolina House- Dems broke the GOP supermajority by taking 9 of their seats, while Dems in the state Senate did the same by winning 6 red seats
• New Hampshire- Dems flipped control of both chambers. But the House went from 176 Democrats and 217 Republicans to 233 Democrats and just 167 Republicans
• New Mexico House- Dems flipped 9 seats with another seat still not final
• New York Senate- Dems flipped 8 seats and took control
• Nevada Assembly- Dems created a supermajority by flipping 2 seats that Trump had won
• Pennsylvania House- Dems picked up 11 seats
• Texas House- Dems flipped 12 seats
• Utah House- Dems picked up 4 seats
• Vermont House- Dems picked up 15 seats
• Washington House- Dems picked up 7 seats
• West Virginia House- Dems picked up 5 seats including John Doyle's win over GOP Majority Leader-designate, Riley Moore.

What Was Important About New York's Primary Results Yesterday? (Not Cuomo's Win)

Cuomo won but time is up for his IDC allies

Cuomo's establishment Dems won across the board at the top of the ticket in New York yesterday-- he, himself (the avatar for corruption), Kathy Hochul (a hair away from being a Republican), and Letitia James (his hand-picked candidate, chosen to keep his criminal activities as governor from being investigated by Zephyr Teachout). Cuomo won with 975,552 votes (65.6%) against Cynthia Nixon (34.4%). Jumaane Williams did better, winning decisively in Brooklyn and Manhattan, but losing to Hochul 731,459 (53.3%) to 640,530 (46.7%). In the 4-way Attorney General race Letitia James led the field with 578,412 votes (40.6%) to Teachout's 442,567 (31%), Sean Patrick Maloney did his job for the establishment by splitting the upstate vote with Teachout. He wound up third with 356,702% (25%). If he kept her out of Cuomo's hair, there is at least the satisfaction of knowing he will probably lose his House seat in November.

But lower down the ballot... nirvana! "Years of anger," according to the NY Times, "at a group of Democratic state senators who had collaborated with Republicans boiled over on Thursday, as primary voters ousted nearly all of them in favor of challengers who had called them traitors and sham progressives."

Blue America has been working for years to help oust IDC leader Jeffrey Klein. Yesterday, with help from the SEIU, Alessandra Biaggi beat him, 53-47%. 6 of the 8 IDC assholes were defeated-- as well as the entrenched and powerful Marty Dilan who has been playing footsie with the IDC for years.

SD 11 (Queens)- John Liu beat Tony Avella
SD 13 (Queens)- Jessica Ramos beat Jose Peralta
SD 18 (Brooklyn)- Julia Salazar beat Marty Dilan
SD 20 (Brooklyn)- Zellnor Myrie best Jess Hamilton
SD 31 (Manhattan, West Side)- Robert Jackson beat Marisol Alcantara
SD 34 (Bronx)- Alessandra Biaggi beat Jeffrey Klein
SD 53 (Syracuse)- Rachel May beat David Valesky

Normally a member of the legislature in New York has to be found guilty of a crime-- or at least be indicted-- to lose reelection. To see 6 of the most conservative Democrats in the state Senate all go down at once is miraculous. Mayor de Blasio helped Myrie to beat Hamilton and , shockingly, Gillibrand endorsed Biaggi against Klein. All the victors had taken inspiration from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The only IDC creeps left are Diane Savino (Staten Island north shore, Brooklyn south shore) and David Carlucci (Rockland County + Ossining). “We will not tolerate the same old way of doing politics,” said Alessandra Biaggi, who defeated Mr. Klein. “Enough.”

Democrats must still pick off at least one Republican seat this fall to seize the State Senate majority. But if they do, the party will be represented by a drastically different cast of characters.

“Some of the elements that won’t be around anymore were sources of division,” said Senator Michael Gianaris of Queens, who feuded with Mr. Klein. “It should be more unified.”

If you'd like to help these progressives win in November, please consider clicking on the 2018 state legislative ActBlue thermometer right above. Some may even face the opponents they beat yesterday running on third party slates. Others will have to beat back Republicans. All of them can use some help.

New York Primaries

Zephyr and Bernie

The polls close in New York at 9 tomorrow... so there's nothing left to do but vote if you can-- and to sit back and watch the returns come in. I'll update this post as they do. Remember, these are state races, not federal primaries, which already happened.

The big ones tomorrow night are the gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial races, the AG race and the state Senate races. The first two are very clear. The villains are Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul. He's corrupt beyond reason-- basically a conservative-- and she's basically a Republican with a "D" next to her name. Progressives Cynthia Nixon and New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams are running on full-bore progressive planks. The whole panoply of garbage status quo politicians has come out to back Cuomo, from Schumer, Gillibrand and Biden to Hillary and DNC chair Tom Perez. Bernie didn't endorse in that race but he did endorse Jumaane. The NY Times, the Working Families Party, Our Revolution, and all the state reform organizations endorsed him as well. Everyone in politics for corruption endorsed Hochul.

Who endorsed Nixon? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Working Familes Party, DFA, Justice Democrats, PCCC, The Nation and all the reform groups. Don't expect any miracles tomorrow-- or it would actually take a miracle. The last poll I saw had Cuomo beating her 63-22%; probably not accurate. Maybe voters think he's his father. Cuomo has blanketed the sate with close to $10 million in TV ads-- in just the final 3 weeks.

The race where Blue America attempted to concentrate our efforts was for Attorney General, where progressive champion Zephyr Teachout-- also endorsed by Bernie-- is running against a couple of worthless status quo galoots, conservaDem Sean Patrick Maloney and Cuomo candidate (Cuomo doesn't want to be investigated by Teachout) Letitia James. Besides Cuomo she is being backed by the wretched EMILY's List and a gaggle of establishment politicians, including Crowley and outright crooks like Greg Meeks. Zephyr was endorsed by both the NY Times and the Daily News, Alexandria, Cynthia Nixon, Shaun King, Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick, Our Revolution, The Nation, and the Buffalo News-- but by no one who fears the wrath of Cuomo.

No one endorsed Maloney-- not a single one of his congressional colleagues... just one national gay organization, a gay version of EMILY's List.

And then there's the state Senate and the progressive hopes of ousting right-wing IDC creeps who caucus with the Republicans and prevent progressive legislation from moving forward. There are 9 key challenges tomorrow. These (incumbent villains first, good guys afterwards):

• 11th (Queens)- Tony Avella, John Liu
• 13th (Queens)- José Peralta, Jessica Ramos
• 17th (Brooklyn)- Simcha Felder, Blake Morris
• 20th (Brooklyn)- Jesse Hamilton, Zellnor Myrie
• 23rd (north State Island, Brooklyn)- Diane Savino, Jasmine Robinson
• 31st (Manhattan- West Side)- Marisol Alcantara, Robert Jackson
• 34th (Bronx)- Jeff Klein, Alessandra Biaggi
• 38th (Rockland Co)- David Carlucci, Julie Goldberg
• 53rd (Syracuse)- David Valesky, Rachel May

I bolded the candidates endorsed by Blue America. Below is a last minute plea from Alexandria to her New York supporters:

We already knew that New York machine politics were toxic-- every day, they prevent working class folks from participating in our democratic system, stifle public input, and dash people’s faith in the power of our democracy to answer their concerns.

But their toxicity and divisiveness has reached new levels, just days before the New York State Primary.

'Here’s the situation: Just a few days ago, the New York State Democratic Party sent out a mailer for Andrew Cuomo-- a mailer that claimed Cynthia Nixon was anti-semitic based on policy positions she does not hold.

A public outcry ensued. Party leaders claimed that no one had authorized the mailer, and still refuse to tell voters who authored the mailer, or explain why they received it in the first place. But that doesn’t matter, because the damage is done-- it doesn't matter how blatantly false they are, those attacks are going to be the last thing in many voters minds as they head to the polls on Thursday.

...Instead of using these party resources to help register new voters, or hosting events to engage the community, the resources of the New York State Democratic Party went towards helping one Democrat attack another Democrat in a contested primary. Does that sound right to you?

All of this just goes to show that despite our incredible primary win, the corrupt New York political machine is still alive and kicking. That’s why we need to continue to fight, and help elect progressive champions that buck establishment politics, and focus on running grassroots, people-powered campaigns.

...A future where machine politics are gone for good is possible-- but no one is going to hand it to us. If we want a progressive future where candidates stand for the interests of working class communities, then we have to build it ourselves.

I’m ready.

Are you?

Pa'lante,
Alexandria

The Corrupt Forces Of The Status Quo Come After A Young Latina In Brooklyn-- Meet Julia Salazar

Blue America is primarily a PAC that endorses candidates in congressional races, but occasionally we endorse in a state legislative race. With thousands of legislative seats up for grabs, we look for men and women who will strengthen Democratic benches in their states or who have an important and extraordinary contribution to make. Right now we have a dozen candidates on our state legislative page, half of whom in primaries coming up imminently. One of our candidates is Julia Salazar, running for the New York state Senate next Tuesday in Brooklyn's 18th district, which stretches from Greenpoint and Williamsburg in the north all the way down through Bushwick to Cypress Hills in the south. Her opponent is Martin Malavé Dilan who was first elected to the Senate in 2002 and is generally considered an Albany sleazeball with financial ties to the IDC, the crooked Republican wing of New York's Democratic Party.

Salazar, a community organizer, is running as a progressive from Dilan’s left, focusing on issues such as affordable housing, healthcare, and immigration while refusing donations from the real estate industry, which has been generous to Dilan and, even more so, to Klein and the IDC. She has criticized Dilan’s record, particularly on housing and tenant protections, over his eight terms in office, highlighting the rampant gentrification that has hit the northern Brooklyn district, which includes Williamsburg and Bushwick, and taking aim at his vote for vacancy decontrol, which he has since disavowed.

..."The recent flood of endorsements for Julia Salazar and IDC challengers demonstrate how electeds and key institutional players are following the cues of progressive grassroots activists,” said Susan Kang, a spokesperson for No IDC NY, a group opposing the former IDC members which has its own multi-candidate campaign committee. “Incumbents like Dilan with deeper connections to the real estate interests than his own constituents are out of the step with the current political moment," she added.

Julia is a Democratic Socialist, like Bernie and Alexandria. She identifies as Jewish and because her father came to the U.S. from Colombia also identifies as coming from a working-class immigrant background. Her right-wing brother-- with his own political ambitions-- has called these claims into question and her honestly has become an issue, stoked by Dilan, his IDC allies and other conservatives within the Democratic Party. On Wednesday, 9 of her classmates from Columbia University stepped forward with a compelling OpEd in the Jewish Daily Forward to settle the ginned up controversy over her background.

We came to know Julia during her college years, a key period where her politics and Jewish identity were shaped and formed. Her personal story is complex, and it has been misrepresented by her opponents as she has gone from being a private individual to a public candidate for office over the course of just a few months.

We are writing this letter to affirm who we know Julia to be as a Jew and as someone with moral character that we believe more than qualifies her to represent North Brooklyn in the New York State Senate.

All of us lived in Jewish community with Julia at Columbia and Barnard. We knew her as a woman with her own place in Judaism’s complicated history who yearned to connect with her roots and her past. Julia’s story is a celebration of 21st-century American Jews who embrace Judaism and Jewish life as adults, even when provided few resources to do so while growing up.

As an activist and student leader in the Columbia Jewish community, Julia was a model of integrity. Fierce and committed, she was never afraid to stick her elbows out, especially when she perceived injustice or unfairness.

Yet she also approached leadership with a quiet dignity and humility. We knew Julia as someone who took risks yet wasn’t afraid to question her own beliefs or even change her mind.

She is the sort of Jewish leader we are proud to see seeking elected office in these times.

So we have been furious and saddened to see articles questioning her character.

It seems there are those who want to plant a seed of doubt about Julia, her Jewishness, her class background, and the many-layered heritage of men and women who come from immigrant families. We can only conclude this is an attack on her candidacy, in part because the policies, programs, and politics that she is advancing are resonating in her district and across the country.

It also suggests that Jews like Julia-- a working-class Latina woman who grew up outside of traditional Jewish educational settings-- aren’t fit to lead. These misdirections are plain wrong and deeply hurtful.

During Julia’s time on campus, we shared Shabbat dinners with her. We prayed with her. And we knew her in the many informal ways that living in a Jewish community draws its members close to one another.

We are happy and proud that Julia has found grounding and purpose in Judaism, in her values, and, now, in local politics. But we cannot be silent when cheap shots for political gain have placed a beloved member of our campus Jewish community under attack.

Now more than ever, we need truth to be at the center of our democratic process. We believe that Julia’s integrity and leadership qualities are unquestionable, and we hope this helps her potential constituents confirm what they have surely already sensed from her remarkable campaign.

The people of North Brooklyn have a chance to elect a new state senator with a serious vision for her district. Julia’s calls for universal rent control, affordable housing, single-payer healthcare, labor rights, immigrant rights, a living wage, and more are the kind of progressive policies that our unequal society-- and our Jewish tradition’s model of covenantal community-- demands.

Voters should be thrilled and excited to cast a vote for Julia on September 13th.

The right-wing campaign against Julia has them throwing every crap accusation they can muster and make up against her. The shady characters at Tablet, a status quo Democratic Party hack operation, has been leading the smear campaign. Their latest bullshit is that she was suspected of impersonating a family friend, Kai Hernandez, the then-wife of baseball player Keith Hernandez. The assholes at Tablet have been trying to get someone to run with this but no legitimate papers wanted to because Julia was never charged with anything. One of the UK scandal sheets did pick up on it from Tablet though, dredging up the "fake Jew" nonsense and claiming she was having an affair with the Mets legend while he was in the middle of divorcing Kai. Salazar sued Kai claiming she "engaged in character assassination by falsely accusing her." Kai paid Julia to settle the case. Tablet is so obsessed with destroying Julia-- and progressives in general-- that they're peddling this crap worldwide.

We agree and if you'd like to help Julia win her race against a corrupt, real estate developer-backed conservative, please consider contributing to her campaign by tapping on the thermometer above.

Crucial Special Elections In New York Tomorrow For Control Of The State Senate... And Then There's Colorado Springs

The real bad guy in New York politics-- Simcha Felder (fake Democrat)

Conservatives know the gig is up once the big blue wave sweeps dozens of Republicans out of Congress in November. Or is it? As we mentioned yesterday, there are forces on the right, trying-- trying hard-- to put together an effective governing coalition of mainstream conservatives-- from both parties-- to run the show in November with a corrupt conservative Speaker (former New Dem chieftain Joe Crowley) and a motley crew of DCCC candidates from the New Dem and Blue Dog coalitions from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party and whichever non-fascist Republicans are left. Perhaps you've noticed, for example, that Alabama Senator Doug Jones and Pennsylvania Blue Dog "Collin" Lamb (as Pelosi fondly calls him) have been voting with the GOP. No? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Lets look at New York state for a recent example. Although New York is a blue state, with a statewide PVI of D+12 (tied with California, Maryland and Massachusetts) and although Hillary beat Trumpanzee 4,556,124 (59%) to 2,819,534 (36.5%) and although there are 103 Democrats in the state Assembly, enough conservative Democrats caucus with the Republicans in the state Senate to give the GOP control of that body. As the New York Times explained over the weekend the intense scrutiny for a seemingly obscure seat is the result of a fragile deal that was recently brokered in which a group of breakaway Democrats who had long shared power with Senate Republicans agreed to return to the Democratic fold. That collaboration had helped give Republicans control of the Senate, despite Democrats holding a numerical majority, until early April, when the so-called Independent Democratic Conference agreed to return to the mainstream fold. The deal gave the Democrats a chance to sweep the Legislature and governor’s office. There was just one hitch: two Senate seats that had previously been occupied by Democrats will be decided on Tuesday in special elections." That's tomorrow.

The Democratic shitheads from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party have kept governing power out of the hands of the Democrats-- with Cuomo's connivance-- for 7 years. A week ago the Democrats "welcomed" back 8 of the shitheads. Senate District 37 in eastern Westchester is the pivotal seat. It was Democrat George Lattimer's old seat when he beat a Trumpist for County Executive and it pits Assemblywoman Shelley Mayer (D) against Julie Killian (R), a former member of the Rye City Council. The 2 to 1 Democratic registration advantage favors Mayer. City&State New York took a solid shot at explaining tomorrow's 2 Seante special elections. "While New York state political observers are captivated by the drama over a deal between state Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeff Klein to reunify Democrats in the state Senate, control of the chamber may actually be determined by the outcome of a special election in Westchester.

The suburban Senate seat has been a swing district. Republican Bob Cohen lost narrowly to Democratic incumbent Suzi Oppenheimer in 2010 and to Latimer in 2012. Westchester County was previously led by Republican Rob Astorino, who launched an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in 2014 and was defeated by Latimer in an upset victory in 2017.

Jeanne Zaino, a professor of political science at Iona College, said that the race between Mayer and Killian is closer than many observers had expected given the advantage Democrats have in enthusiasm. Zaino noted that one of Killian’s strategies has been to tie Mayer to the aura of corruption that permeates Albany. Mayer was chief counsel to state Senate Democrats from 2007 to 2011, during which time the Senate Democratic leaders were Malcolm Smith and John Sampson, who were later convicted of corruption in separate cases.

“Killian is trying to pitch Mayer as the incumbent, if you will, and the insider, and painting herself more as the underdog and the outsider,” Zaino said, noting that dissatisfaction with the political establishment was an important theme in the 2016 presidential election.

Michael Lawler, Killian’s campaign manager, said that corruption in Albany is an important electioni issue, and that voters want to ensure that one party doesn't have full control of the state.

“You have a Democratic governor and a Democratic state Assembly, and so having a Republican majority in the state Senate to provide balance in state government is important,” Lawler said. “I think a lot of people want to ensure that one-party rule in New York state doesn't happen.”

However, the desire to see a balanced government may be outmatched by the strong Democratic headwinds going into the 2018 midterms, both in New York and nationally. President Donald Trump is deeply unpopular in New York state, and recent races-- including in Westchester-- have seen a surge in Democratic enthusiasm.

Zaino said that when she did polling in the 2017 race between Latimer and Astorino, she found that 4 in 10 voters said that Trump would be a factor when making their decision about who to vote for in the county executive race. That dynamic was continuing to play out in the race between Mayer and Killian, she said, as Westchester residents often want to talk about national politics in conjunction with this race.

The interest in national politics has led to an unusual level of voter and activist engagement for a local special election. Doug Forand, a spokesman for Mayer’s campaign, said that the campaign was sending out 100 volunteers each weekend to canvass.

“I've never seen the kind of volunteer effort that is coming through for this race,” he said. Forand conceded that the campaign would have to work to ensure strong turnout, as voter participation is generally low in special elections. However, he remained optimistic that Democrats and independents would vote for Mayer because “they're so upset about what's happening nationally.”

But Lawler argued that voters would be more concerned with district-specific issues than with national politics when voting.

“I think voters are very concerned about what's going on locally and in New York state, and those are the issues that we're focused on, and that Julie's been addressing every day since getting in the race,” he said. “The political climate is certainly against Republicans at the moment, but Julie is defying that.”

Even as Democrats generally emphasize national politics, Mayer has campaigned on the district’s specific issues-- including the opioid epidemic, taxes and gun control-- to woo local voters. Meanwhile, independent expenditure groups have poured money into the race, including charter school and education reform supporters backing Killian. Both candidates have peppered local media with ads.

While Trump has indirectly influenced the race, other major political players have gotten directly involved. Cuomo has endorsed and held a rally and a fundraiser on behalf of Mayer, and former Gov. George Pataki is supporting Killian. Since the race may determine party control in the state, big dollars and big names are flooding the district.

The IDC reunification deal might harm Mayer, as it would take away her argument to turn out Democratic voters that she must win for the IDC to return to the fold. But Democrats still need to hold her seat to gain the majority. Her campaign argues that, thanks to the IDC agreement, she can now point to a greater likelihood of actually being in the majority and having the power to get legislation passed.

“People vote much more on the individual than they do based on the insider, macro political battles that are going on,” Forand said. “I think it's good for what Shelley would be able to achieve as a senator, and I think that's going to be great for her in November.”

Lawler agreed that the reunification announcement will not have an effect on the race’s outcome. “Ultimately, voters in this district are not going to be swayed by the machinations of the Albany power brokers,” Lawler said. “They're going to be swayed by who is best suited to address the issues and concerns of the community here.”

Lawrence Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, said that how suburban Westchester residents vote could even be an indicator of state or even national headwinds.

“What happens in this district not only may determine control of state government, which is important enough,” Levy said. “The performance of these swing suburban voters could serve as a bellwether for the political direction of the entire country.”

UPDATE: Meanwhile, In Colorado Today...

And something very special happened in Colorado today. The 5th congressional district-- primarily El Paso County-- is the reddest district in the state (R+14). It's an evangelical hellhole centered around Colorado Springs. Obama did poorly both tines he ran and in 2016 Trump, a great ethical and religious figure, crush Hillary 57.2% to 33.2%. Hallelujah! Right-wing crackpot-- and incumbent-- Doug Lamborn, was knocked off the ballot today by the state Supreme Court. There are 4 other Republicans on the ballot, two of whom, state Senator Owen Hill and El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn, have been running serious primary campaigns, and three Democrats are vying to get on the ballot, one of whom, Stephany Rose Spaulding, has relatively serious campaign.

Just hours after the Supreme Court decision, the Denver Post reported that "While the decision-- that Lamborn’s re-election campaign improperly gathered voters’ signatures to land a spot on the ticket-- is unlikely to mean his 5th Congressional District seat leaves GOP hands, it injects the very real prospect that a fresh face will take over after years of unsuccessful challenges to Lamborn’s reign." Lamborn says he'll challenge the decision, presumably in a federal court.

In NYC we learn (once again!) to beware candidates whose only promise is "change"

Did NYS Sen.-elect Marisol Alcantara just forget to
mention that she's allied with hated Sen. Jeff Klein?

"Marisol Alcantara won a highly contested campaign against these two failed candidates, because the voters trusted her to do everything in her power to change the way Albany works. She will fulfill the commitment she made during her campaign to be an agent for change on behalf of the people of this state."

-- Alcantara spokesperson Lis Smith, in a statement to DNAinfo NY

by Ken

The above statement was issued in response to a letter to Senator-elect Alcantara from September primary opponents Micah Lasher, chief of staff to NYS Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, and former NY City Councilman Robert Jackson, referred to in the statement as "these two failed candidates. Before we proceed to the issue at stake, let's note for the record just how badly these failed candidates failed, and how much "the voters trusted" the victor.

31st Senate District

NYS Board of Elections

If you prefer it by percentages, it breaks down to Alcantara 32.43 percent, Lasher 30.19 percent, and Jackson 29.72 percent. Alcantara, then, edged out Lasher by a grand total of 294 votes, while "these two failed candidates" between them tallied 16,121 votes to Alcantara's 8.469 -- not quite twice as many, but not that far from it. If I were a spokesperson for the senator-elect, I might be a careful about belittling her defeated opponents. And as we'll see in a moment, the spokesperson does know how to keep her trap shut.

So why am I telling you all this. By way of preparation for expressing my shock at a DNAinfo NY report that begins:

Don't Help Republicans Keep Power in Albany, Foes Urge Marisol Alcantara

By Carolina Pichardo | December 27, 2016 11:52am

INWOOD — Senator-Elect Marisol Alcantara should think again before joining the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) — an independent conference that tips power in Albany to the Republicans — when she steps into Adriano Espaillat's old seat next year, the losing candidates for her seat urge.

Former Councilman Robert Jackson and Micah Lasher — who both lost to Alcantara in the primaries with 32.43 percent of the vote to Lasher’s 30.19 percent and Jackson’s 29.72 percent — wrote a letter to Alcantara urging her to caucus with the State Senate Democrats instead.

I nearly gagged. My new senator plans to join the IDC?

You remember NYS Sen. Jeff Klein [right]. He's the stinking pile of puke who betrayed every voter in NYS who voted for a Democratic State Senate candidate by forming a freakish gang of four freakish outcast state senators into his "coalition," thereby turning a slender Democratic Senate margin into a Republican one -- with, of course, a specially carved out leadership post for the "coalition"-maker. If you need a quick refresher, check out Howie's August 2014 post "Bronx Lawbreaker Jeffrey Klein Says He's Entitled To Be A Lawmaker."

Jeff Klein is the rotting cauldron of political filth who inspired former State Assemblyman and AG G. Oliver Koppell, one of the authentically distinguished figures in NYS political history to come out of his political retirement to launch a primary campaign against him -- a campaign that just might have succeeded, given Koppell's residual popularity in what, as an assemblyman, had been his part of the 31st SD, if he hadn't been promptly and unceremoniously abandoned by all the big-talking state Democrats who were supposedly committed to ousting the abominable Klein. It turned out that all it took was a little back-room backs-slapping -- in this case apparently overseen by no less than Gov. Andrew Cuomo -- for them to make their peace with the abomination.

In that August 2014 post, Howie quoted from the NYT's primary endorsement of Koppell:

Senator Jeffrey Klein is facing a primary challenge this year largely because he led a disruptive power grab in Albany that gave Republicans veto power over some of the state’s most important issues. Mr. Klein and several other state senators created the Independent Democratic Conference, which broke away from the Democrats almost four years ago. Their defection hobbled the Democrats while giving Mr. Klein a new title (temporary president of the State Senate) and more ability to raise campaign funds. His alliance with the Republicans resulted in the failure to approve public financing of campaigns and stronger protections for women.

Mr. Klein’s challenger is Oliver Koppell, a former City Council member and one of New York’s most experienced public servants. Mr. Koppell would spend his time working for New Yorkers, not for himself. As a former Assembly member and briefly the state’s attorney general, he is by far the better candidate. We enthusiastically support Mr. Koppell in this district.

Against the spineless betrayal of NYS Democratic pols, the NYT's enthusiastic support didn't count for much. Oliver Koppell  [right] is a man of enormous dignity and political accomplishment, by NYS standards something close to a saint, the kind of who makes you believe in the possibilities of American politics. He got into that race entirely because of the outrage of Jeff Klein's continued presence in the NYS Senate. That body may be a snakepit, but how much better a place would it be if Oliver Koppell rather than Jeff Klein were representing the 34th SD? Instead, this proud man was left hanging out to dry.

Here's one way of thinking of the much-abused, but never sufficiently abused, NYS Legislature. Think of one of those game shows which culminates in a shopping spree for the winner, where he/she gets to pile up all the swag he/she can in a shopping cart in, say, a minute. Members of our esteemed leg know, each time they're elected, what their next end date is, and make it their mission to pile up as much loot as humanly possible. Of course they also play the "long game": piling up consecutive terms to not only extend that end date but amass seniority and legislative power that enables them to pile up the goodies even faster and furiouser. This is the game played, for example, by now-convicted former Assembly Speaker "Smelly Shelly" Silver -- and Sen. Jeff "The Man Who Should Be a Pariah" Klein.

Now I didn't vote for Marisol Alcantara in the September primary. I voted for Micah Lasher, because I was wowed by his political credentials, starting with the large measure of trust placed in him by his boss, AG Eric Schneiderman. I suppose if he hadn't been in the race, I would have been happy to vote for Robert Jackson, my former city councilman. I just didn't know much about Alcantara. I didn't think, though, that I would find myself in this position of regarding her as a horror that has befallen the 31st SD.

Naturally my first thought was, how did I manage not to know about Alcantara's seemingly missionary fervor to align herself with the Klein Collusion. So I followed a link back to DNAinfo NY's Carolina Pichardo's report on Alcantara's September primary victory.

Adriano Espaillat's 'Year of the Woman' Candidates Win Primary Uptown

By Carolina Pichardo | September 14, 2016 11:20am

UPTOWN -- The "Year of the Woman" is beginning Uptown.

The two candidates for state senate and assembly endorsed by Congressional nominee Adriano Espaillat as part of his prediction that elected offices needed more women of color were victorious in Tuesday's primary.

Marisol Alcantara, who was handpicked by Espaillat to take over his State Senate District 31 seat, won with 32.43 percent of the vote, besting Micah Lasher who earned 30.19 percent and Jackson who earned 29.72 percent, according to the Board of Elections. Tenant advocate Luis Tejada earned 4.89 percent of the vote.

The district covers the West Side of Manhattan from Chelsea to Washington Heights, Inwood and several sections of The Bronx.

Alcantara said the win was a “step forward towards a State Senate that reflects the diversity in New York.”

“As a union organizer, a tenant advocate, and a community board member, I’ve been an activist my entire life, and I am ready to take my experience and values to Albany,” Alcantara said Tuesday.

The piece went on to chronicle the victory of Carmen de la Rosa, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez's chief of staff, in the primary for the Democratic nomination in the 72nd Assembly District, covering Inwood, parts of Washington Heights, and Marble Hill, with 46.2 percent of the vote, against her nearest rivals' 32.44 and 12.42.

Hmm, no mention of Klein or his Independent Democratic Cabal as the candidate's chosen tool for "change." And it appears that I wasn't the only one who was caught by surprise by Senator-elect Alcantara's fervent support for Jeff Klein's "coalition" of horrors. The DNAinfo NY report on the letter just sent to her by former opponents Lasher and Jackson goes on to say:

The pair say that voters who provided Alcantara with a 294-vote margin of victory had no idea that she planned to “caucus with the IDC,” nor that she had received “hundreds of thousands of dollars” from them for her campaign. Alcantara won the seat in primary election with 32.43 percent of the vote to Lasher’s 30.19 percent and Jackson’s 29.72 percent, according to the Board of Elections.

The IDC was formed in the wake of the 2012 elections by Bronx State Senator Jeff Klein after several Democrats concerned with the “disarray” of the Democratic party agreed to work with the Republican party to give them a majority.

“For four years now, the IDC has perpetuated Republican leadership of the Senate,” Jackson and Lasher wrote in the letter.

When “the stakes are even higher, with the leadership Donald Trump is bringing to the Republican Party, dividing the Democrats has a real impact,” the letter continued.

I breathed the smallest sign of relief. At least I wasn't the only one who didn't know. I can imagine how Lasher and Jackson felt when -- safely after the primary election -- they found out that Alcantara not only planned to join the IDC but had received so much money from them. How much money? Going back to the DNAinfo NY report:

Richard Fife, spokesman for Robert Jackson, said Alcantara received $539,558.37 from a Senate Independence Campaign Committee that was set up by IDC to help their candidates, and at least $28,000 directly from IDC members.

In a NYS Senate district, that's a lot of money. There's just one more line in the new DNAinfo NY report: "Lis Smith, spokeswoman for Alcantara, declined to comment on the campaign contributions." Like I said, Ms. Smith does know how to keep her trap shut -- when there's apparently no good way to spin an answer.

One person as yet unheard from is our new congressman-elect, outgoing 31st SD incumbent Adriano Espaillat. Would anyone argue that Alcantara at the very least owes those 294 votes she won by to Espaillat and his "Year of the Woman" endorsement. My guess, in fact, is that without that endorsement she would have wound up closer to fourth-place finisher Luis Tejada. It would be interesting to hear what he has to say.

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Will The New York Republican Party Save The Day For Plutocracy?

Robert Mercer gave Ted Cruz's campaign $30 million and John Flanagan, who's preventing the overturn of Citizens United, Is NY GOP Senate Leader-- and Mercer's senator

The Supreme Court's Citizens United decision has unleashed unprecedented amounts of legalistic bribery into the political system. When predatory hedge fund billionaires like Robert Mercer spend $30,000,000 on the Ted Cruz campaign or when an agent of foreign governments like Mafia-related billionaire Sheldon Adelson spends even more-- not to mention the $900,000,000 the Koch brothers say they plan to spend in the 2016 election or the billionaires trying to buy the election for Marco Rubio or Hillary Clinton-- do we still even have a democracy? State legislatures are passing resolutions to overturn the Citizens United decision through a constitutional amendment. States that have already taken action include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia and resolutions are pending in Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.

A couple days ago, the Albany, New York Times Union editorial board said New York is just one vote away. The Assembly already passed a resolution and the Senate is on the verge. "One signature," wrote the editors. "That’s all it would take, from one courageous, unbought politician in the state Senate, to send a message to Congress that New Yorkers-- like most Americans-- are tired of having their system of government hijacked by big money."

Don’t be misled by talk that this is a partisan issue. It isn’t. Whether it’s liberals lamenting the influence of the 1 percent or conservatives decrying crony capitalism, this is the common backlash against the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. A Bloomberg poll this fall found that 78 percent of Americans want the ruling overtuned.

So far, 16 states have called on Congress to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution establishing that corporations and unions are not entitled to the same rights and protections as natural persons, and that Congress and states can put limits on political spending. America could finally rein in the billions that wealthy individuals and interests are using to skew our political system to their favor.

In New York, more than 20 municipalities, including Albany, Guilderland and Troy, have voiced support for an amendment. The state Assembly has signed on. So have 31 state senators-- one short of a majority.

One more signature, and New York would be the 17th state to respect the will of its citizens, and declare that it is time for the people to reclaim their government.

Here’s who has yet to sign. We urge them to do so, and hope citizens will urge them, too.

Frederick Akshar II: 607-773-8771; akshar@nysenate.gov

George Amedore Jr.: 455-2350; amedore@nysenate.gov

John Bonacic: 845-344-3311; bonacic@nysenate.gov

Thomas Croci: 631-360-3356; croci@nysenate.gov

John DeFrancisco: 315-428-7632; jdefranc@nysenate.gov

Ruben Diaz: 718-991-3161; diaz@nysenate.gov

Hugh Farley: 455-2181; farley@nysenate.gov

John Flanagan: 631-361-2154; flanagan@nysenate.gov

Rich Funke: 585-223-1800; funke@nysenate.gov

Patrick Gallivan: 716-656-8544; gallivan@nysenate.gov

Martin Golden: 718-238-6044; golden@nysenate.gov

Joseph Griffo: 315-793-9072; griffo@nysenate.gov

Andrew Lanza: 718-984-4073; lanza@nysenate.gov

William Larkin Jr.: 845-567-1270; larkin@nysenate.gov

Kenneth LaValle: 631-473-1461; lavalle@nysenate.gov

Elizabeth Little: 743-0968; little@nysenate.gov

Carl Marcellino: 516-922-1811; marcelli@nysenate.gov

Kathleen Marchione: 371-2751; marchione@nysenate.gov

Jack Martins: 516-746-5924; martins@nysenate.gov

Terrence Murphy: 914-962-2624; murphy@nysenate.gov

Michael Nozzolio: 315-568-9816; nozzolio@nysenate.gov

Thomas O’Mara: 607-735-9671; omara@nysenate.gov

Robert Ortt: 716-434-0680; ortt@nysenate.gov

Michael Ranzenhofer: 716-631-8695; ranz@nysenate.gov

Patty Ritchie: 315-782-3418; ritchie@nysenate.gov

Joseph Robach: 585-225-3650; robach@nysenate.gov

Sue Serino: 845-229-0106; serino@nysenate.gov

James Seward: 607-432-5524; seward@nysenate.gov

Michael Venditto: 516-882-0630; venditto@nysenate.gov

Catharine Young: 716-372-4901; cyoung@nysenate.gov

Most of those names belong to right-wing Republicans, although one, Ruben Diaz, is a right-wing Democrat (from the Bronx). Two Long Island Republicans are on board-- Phil Boyle (Suffolk County) and Kemp Hannon (Nassau County). But otherwise the 29 other New York Republican senators refused to sign on. Why? I can't say I know, but perhaps these 3 charts from OpenSecrets.org of some of the biggest industries that bribe Members of Congress (last year only). Look closely at who got the most bribes:

New York's Top Republican, Dean Skelos, Convicted On All Counts

2 down-- one to go

When I was 2 my parents moved from Brooklyn out to the suburbs-- Valley Stream, the heart of Dean Skelos' state senate district 9. Hard to imagine this modest working family area, just east of JFK Airport, could actually elect a Republican... until I noticed the state Senate district also included Inwood, Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, and Hewlett, the legendary-- and very wealthy-- Five Towns. Traditionally a Jewish-Democratic area, the Five Towns have strayed a little to the Dark Side in recent years. Harvey Milk was born in Woodmere but now one of the Five Towns' best known residents is fascist agitator and ugly racist sociopath Pamela Geller, who lives in Hewlett. [An aside, now that Skelos was booted from the Senate the second he was found guilty, is that Obama won this state Senate district 71,204 (53.5%) to 60,608 (45.5% against Romney and Kirsten Gillibrand won reelection there with 64.4%.] Skelos, was first elected to the state Assembly in 1980 from this area and to the state Senate in 1984, 3 decades of corruption that came crashing to a loud halt when he and his son were arrested on May 4 of this year on federal corruption charges, including solicitation of bribes, conspiracy, and extortion. He was the Republican Party Majority Leader of the state Senate. Yesterday he and the son were found guilty on all 8 counts.

The Skeloses were charged with using the father’s position as majority leader to pressure a Manhattan developer, an environmental technology company and medical malpractice insurer to provide Adam Skelos with roughly $300,000 via consulting work, a no-show job, and a direct payment of $20,000.

Dean Skelos had been one of the three most powerful men in state government until his arrest earlier this year, and his conviction close on the heels of his former colleague, the longtime Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, is sure to have repercussions beyond the courtroom. As in Mr. Silver’s case, which ended Nov. 30, the verdict resulted in Mr. Skelos’s expulsion from the State Legislature, where both men had served for more than three decades.

...Minutes after the verdict was given, a Twitter post went out on [United States Attorney Preet] Bharara’s account: “How many prosecutions will it take before Albany gives the people of New York the honest government they deserve?”

...The trials of Mr. Skelos and Mr. Silver illustrated how some lawmakers can wield their considerable power to extort benefits for themselves or others; how the weak enforcement of lax financial disclosure requirements gives legislators ample opportunity to mask bribes and kickbacks as outside income; how moneyed real estate interests spend millions of dollars in campaign contributions to influence legislation; and how power is concentrated in the hands of the so-called three men in a room: the legislative leaders and the governor.

Mr. Bharara, an outspoken proponent for reform, has characterized Albany as a “caldron of corruption,” and decried its concentration of power. Those sentiments prompted some to question the propriety of his statements.

In the trial of Mr. Skelos and his son, the testimony detailed how the senator’s power was leveraged in three separate schemes, aimed at pressuring companies-- all of them dependent on legislation that the senator in some measure controlled-- to provide benefits to Adam Skelos.

Skelos' dweeby midget-son, Adam, told his boss, who was concerned the spoiled brat was't coming to work "Talk to me like that again and I'm going to smash your fucking head in. Guys like you aren't fit to shine my shoes."

The Skelos' attorney says they'll appeal but this shakedown scheme was such an open-and-shut case, complete with wiretapped tapes of the two of them plotting, that it's unimaginable that there aren't decades of prison in front of these two. New York's Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins:

"We need to implement a full-time Legislature and restrict legislators' outside income; we need to close the LLC loophole; we need to prohibit taxpayer reimbursement of campaign and legal defense funds and strip pensions from public officials convicted of corruption."

In all likelihood next up will be New York's even more corrupt governor, Andrew Cuomo.

After all their zigzagging around Albany to avoid reporters, NYS GOP senators admit their indicted leader has to go

Now-former NYS Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, seen here heading for his office, is one GOP senator who can stop slinking around Albany dodging reporters now that he's bitten the bullet and stepped down from his leadership post.


"Many Republican senators appeared eager to avoid discussing Mr. Skelos’s future in recent days. To avoid reporters, some even zigzagged around the Capitol using back doors and passageways."

-- from "Dean Skelos, New York Senate Leader,
Vacates Post" by the NYT's Thomas Kaplan

by Ken

I tell you, if the NYS Legislature just put in tables, they could sell their antics as "dinner and a show." Take the Republican majority in the State Senate. Please!

Where do they come up with this stuff? Zigzagging around the Capitol using back doors and passageways to avoid talking to reporters? This is an image that will live in my imagination as long as my imagination lives, those Republican senators zizagging around the Capitol using back doors and passageways to avoid talking to reporters.

And what they were so eager to avoid talking about was the oopsadaisical situation of their leader, Sen. Dean Skelos, who you'll recall was collared the other day by the feds, along with his pride-and-joy, young Adam Skelos. The senator is accused, as the NYT's Thomas Kaplan puts it today ("Dean Skelos, New York Senate Leader, Vacates Post"), "of using his influence to extort payments for his son, who is said to have collected more than $200,000 as a result, mostly through a consulting position arranged for him at an environmental company."

Now, at a paltry 200 Gs, this is a mere bag o' shells compared with the hijinks now-former NYS Assembly Speaker "Smelly Shelly" Silver is said by the feds to have been up to in the indictments that led to his stepping down from his leadership post, where the numbers start at $4 million. Maybe this explains why Senate Republicans tried to stand by their man, even after they had been jumping up and down screeching that Smelly Shelly couldn't remain Assembly speaker after charges were filed against him. Maybe this, or maybe they're just brain-challenged schmucks.

Last Monday, after Mr. Skelos and his son were arrested, Senate Republicans emerged from a meeting to announce that there was a “strong consensus” that Mr. Skelos should remain as majority leader. That ended up being the high point in his effort to keep his post.

Unfortunately for those Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats, who normally don't have much to do when the Republicans are running the Senate, came up with a dastardly strategy to intimidate their GOP brethren: try to make them go on the recording supporting their leader.

Talk about ruthless! Isn't there some Geneva Convention or other that forbids such inhuman treatment of captives?

In an effort to force rank-and-file Republicans to declare their support for Mr. Skelos’s continued leadership, Democratic senators sought on Wednesday to force a floor vote on the matter, resulting in a parliamentary squabble. Republicans blocked the effort, but Democrats vowed to try again on Monday.

This was a most astonishing spectacle, by the way, the Senate Republicans pretending that their fellow senators didn't exist, ignoring their basic right to speak, like power-mad peltty bureaucrats in a tinpot dictatorship. By rights they should all have been marched out into the courtyard and machine-gunned, then had their worthless carcasses turned into a bonfire for a marshamallow and wienie roast, so that for once in their sorry existences they could do some good for decent humans. It's not too late, you know.

Anyway, this is what had those Senate Republicans zigzagging around the Capitol and using back doors and passageways today. Theydon'twannatalkabout it.

Apparently, though, the pressure got to them, and to the majority leader. "As newspaper editorial boards around the state demanded his ouster," says reporter Kaplan, "and a growing number of his colleagues went public with calls for him to step down, it became clear that he would probably be unable to keep his grip on power."

They gave it the old college try, or maybe the old community-college try.

In an apparent bid to show that Mr. Skelos still had a base of support, a group of 16 senators — 15 Republicans and a Democrat who caucuses with the Republicans — released a statement on Wednesday expressing their support.

But the Republican conference has 33 members, and the statement served only to highlight the number of senators who were missing. By Monday, at least nine Republican senators had publicly called for Mr. Skelos to step down.

So today the team found a back room to hole up in and emerged with a new leader, Sen. John J. Flanagan, like Senator Skelos from Long Island.

The Senate's official No. 2 Republican, Thomas W. Libous, from the Binghamton area, who chairs the Education Committee, "was indicted last year on accusations that he lied to federal authorities in a corruption investigation, and has been battling cancer." I tell you, you can't make this stuff up.

With all the comedy, it's easy to forget that these clowns have work to do. This year's legislative session, reporter Kaplan points out, as less than two months to run, and "anumber of major policy issues have yet to be resolved, including the future of rent-regulation laws and mayoral control of New York City’s schools." Well, quality law-making can't be rushed.

I haven't confirmed it yet, but since all the stories I've seen refer to our Dean "stepping down from his leadership post," I'm guessing that, like Smelly Shelly in the Assembly, that's all he's given up, and not his actual seat in the Senate. And wouldn't it be a shame if the Legislature were to be prematurely deprived of these fine legislators' services?

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USA Preet Bharara takes aim at his second target among NYS's legendary "Three Men in a Room"

Might as well be mugshots: Reuters photog Eduardo Munoz snapped this shot of Dean and Mini-Dean, aka NYS Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his boy Adam, approaching FBI HQ this morning, before they were indicted on assorted federal corruption charges.

"It's like [expletive] Preet Bharara is listening to every [expletive] phone call."

-- Adam Skelos, in a phone call with his father
(recorded by the feds, of course)

by Ken

Here I was, thinking of doing a follow-up to my Friday post "New Jersey USA kicks up the heat on Bridgegate Krispykronies, and we learn some nasty new stuff," based on Matthew Katz's report this morning for WNYC's "Christie Tracker" that "Yes, Chris Christie Is Still Planning To Run For President. Here's Why." (Some of the reasons: Bridgegate still hasn't been pinned on the governor, his billionaires still love him, and the Bridgegate story has been virtually shunned by certain key segments of the media, meaning Fox Noise.)

Meanwhile, however, over on this side of the Hudson one of our U.S. attorneys, Preet Bharara (USA for the Southern District of NY), took prosecutorial aim at bigger game than NJ's USA, Paul Fishman, bagged Friday, with the indictment of NYS Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his boy Adam on federal corruption charges. This makes two of the famous "three men in a room," the men who run NYS government, USA Bharara has brought down -- first then-Assembly Speaker "Smelly Shelly" Silver and now th Senate's presiding officer. This leaves only Gov. Andrew Cuomo standing, and makes you wonder if he's looking over his shoulder.

(Let me stress that I haven't heard any reports to this effect. I'm just free-associating. Still, if no one has started the rumor yet, somebody has to. You remember how gung-ho for ethics Boy Andrew was back when it was state legislators' ethics that were at issue?)

After all, it was Boy Andrew who slammed shut the state ethics investigating commission which he himself had created as soon as it started doing, you know, actual investigating, meaning it started lapping up against friends of his. And who knows? Maybe eventually that lapping might have lapped up against his very best friend, his own self. And in a way, Boy Andrew also set the stage for the Silver and Skelos indictments, because it seems generally agreed that USA Bharara, who had been cooperating (and closely watching) the state ethics panel, felt obliged to take over at least some of its work when it was so unceremoniously shut down.

The Skelos indictments are an ugly blow for NYS Republicans, who haven't had an awful lot to cheer about in recent year and so were practically peeing in their pants with the excitement of the indictment of Smelly Shelly, who'd pretty much run the NYS Assembly for 21 years until he stepped down under pressure on February 2 following his indictment. Now, rather awkwardly, they're likely to be on the receiving end of advice from legislative Democrats similar to what they were offering back then -- like how dare Majority Leader Skelos not resign immediately? (It should be noted, for the record, that while Smelly Shelly resigned the speakership, he did not give up his Assembly seat. Even as we speak, he remains a member.)

Here's the report by the AP's Larry Neumeister and Tom Hays:

NEW YORK -- The leader of the New York Senate surrendered Monday to face charges including extortion and soliciting bribes after investigators looking into the awarding of a $12 million contract to a company that hired his son said they captured him on wiretaps boasting of his power.

Dean Skelos, 67, of Long Island and his 32-year-old son, Adam, surrendered at the FBI's offices in lower Manhattan as a criminal complaint was unsealed against them in federal court, where they were expected to appear later in the day.

At a news conference announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara alleged that Skelos's "support for certain infrastructure projects and legislation was often based, not on what was good for his constituents or good for New York, but rather on what was good for his son's bank account."

In a statement, Dean Skelos said he expected to be exonerated at trial.

"I am innocent of the charges leveled against me. I am not saying I am just not guilty, I am saying that I am innocent," he said. A lawyer for his son did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Authorities said Dean Skelos - New York state's most powerful Republican official -has used his position as a carrot since at least 2010, taking official actions in return for payments to his son.

According to court papers, some evidence was obtained through court-authorized wiretaps on cellphones used by the father and son.

The complaint said Dean Skelos bragged to his son recently in one conversation after he was re-elected majority leader in January, a post he shared with another senator from 2011 to 2013: "I'm going to be president of the Senate. I'm going to be majority leader. I'm going to control everything."

The charges were unveiled four months after former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, was charged with accepting nearly $4 million in payoffs. Silver, maintaining his innocence, gave up his leadership post but is keeping his legislative seat as he fights the charges. Earlier this month, Silver's son-in-law was charged in a $7 million Ponzi scheme.

Bharara, who has called Albany a "cauldron of corruption," told a news conference that the case was further proof that "public corruption is a deep-seated problem in New York State. It is a problem in both chambers. It is a problem on both sides of the aisle."

But the prosecutor also appeared more cautious with his remarks in the wake of a ruling by a federal judge recently that criticized him for overdoing the publicity surrounding Silver's January arrest.

"Let me emphasize at the outset that these are only charges," he said. "The complaint contains allegations only, and both defendants are absolutely presumed innocent unless and until those allegations are proven beyond a reasonable doubt, which is what we intend to do."

The complaint said Dean Skelos used his position to extort money from others, including hundreds of thousands of dollars from a senior executive of a major real estate development firm who was cooperating with the government.

Dean Skelos promoted and voted for real estate legislation sought by the developer, including some pertaining to rent regulation and property tax abatements, the complaint said.

Skelos said last month he was cooperating fully and would not resign his leadership post. He's hired an attorney in response to the investigation, which focuses on whether Skelos influenced Nassau County's decision to award a 2013 contract to Arizona-based AbTech.

Adam Skelos worked for the company as a consultant. The complaint said AbTech, which was only identified as an "Environmental Technology Company," more than doubled its monthly payment to Adam Skelos after the $12 million contract was approved.

AbTech has said it is cooperating with authorities and is not considered a target in the probe.

"The process through which local authorities selected AbTech was comprehensive and diligent, involving several levels of Nassau County government," the company said. "AbTech is proud ... to have earned this contract after a thorough and fair review process conducted by Nassau County."

Dean Skelos has represented a portion of Nassau County on Long Island in the state Senate since he was elected in 1984. He was elected to the Assembly in 1980.

An attorney, Skelos is known as a shrewd negotiator and a frequent ally to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat. He is the seventh top lawmaker to face criminal charges in the past six years. Since 2000, 29 New York lawmakers have left office because of criminal or ethical issues.

Another top Senate leader, Sen. Thomas Libous, R-Binghamton, has pleaded not guilty to a federal charge that he lied to the FBI about using his clout to arrange a job for his son, who was convicted earlier this year of filing false income tax returns.

UPDATE: Daily News Says Skelos Must Go
-by Howie

To prison, I hope... with Adam. "Federal criminal charges lodged against state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos," opined The News depict him as wringing hundreds of thousands of dollars out of Albany supplicants for his 32-year-old son (Adam). Skills believes, they reminded us, that "anything goes in Albany, no matter how much money changes hands or how vigorous the back-scratching."

[H]e must step down as majority leader and join the recently deposed Sheldon Silver in demonstrating that Bharara is imposing law and order on the Legislature’s standard operating procedures.

All too predictably, precious few members of Skelos’ Republican conference had the integrity to quickly call for his ouster-- with Long Island’s John Flanagan flatly declaring that Skelos “should stay on as leader, plain and simple.”

That’s how the Corruption Caucus in Silver’s Assembly behaved until the public revolted. Plainly, Skelos’ days are numbered. Flanagan’s should be, too.

Backed up by wiretaps, emails and cooperating witnesses, the facts show that Skelos put the arm on Glenwood Management, a major landlord, to hire his son during meetings in which the company lobbied him on rent regulation and tax breaks.

They show that Skelos guided $200,000 from Glenwood to Adam through a title insurance company and an engineering firm.

They show that Skelos reciprocated with legislation in Albany and by securing a $12 million contract from Nassau County. He even discussed the deal with Nassau Executive Ed Mangano at the wake for a slain NYPD officer.

As the Skeloses became worried about getting caught, Adam complained to his father: “You can’t talk normally because it’s like fucking Preet Bharara is listening to every fucking phone call.”

Revealed in a footnote was that the elder Skelos has garnered $2.6 million from a Long Island law firm without performing “any actual legal work”-- a whole scandal in itself.

Skelos is at least the 31st Albany pol accused of serious wrongdoing in the past 15 years-- including a governor, a controller, an Assembly speaker and five of the last six Senate leaders.

The place is corrupt to the core.

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