Say This For Ben Nelson: He Voted For Harry Reid As Majority Leader

Ah, the New York Senate, the world’s second worst deliberative body:

New York Republicans joined forces with a group of dissident Democrats on Tuesday to form what they called a “bipartisan governing coalition” to run the State Senate, preventing the Democratic Party from taking control even after it appeared to have won a majority of Senate seats in elections last month.

The announcement was the latest twist in a state capital that has had more than its share in recent years, with a string of leadership squabbles, corruption investigations and sex scandals that at times crippled the government and made Albany a laughingstock.

The power-sharing deal announced Tuesday was a victory for New York Republicans, who are outnumbered 2-to-1 in the state’s electorate and who fared unexpectedly poorly in a series of Senate races last month. The exact outcome of the election remains unclear, because ballots in two close races are still being counted, but the consensus in Albany is that the Democrats won more seats than the Republicans.

[…]

Mr. Skelos said in a statement, “Senator Klein has proven to be a thoughtful and effective leader, and I look forward to partnering with him to move this state forward.”

But a spokesman for the Senate Democrats, Mike Murphy, called the deal between Mr. Skelos and Mr. Klein “not a coalition but a coup against all New Yorkers who voted for Democratic control of the Senate and a progressive state government.”

And it’s worth nothing as well that it’s not as of the Independent Democratic Caucus De Facto Republican Assholes Who Hate Democracy come from rural districts where they might see electoral necessity in appearing independent. Simcha Felder, who was crucial in triggering the coup, is a representative from Brooklyn, and Malcolm Smith is a representative from Queens (just like Hiram Monserrate, the criminal domestic abuser who led the anti-democratic coup in 2009.)

And, by the way, I’m sure Andrew Cuomo talked to Democratic fundraisers to do what he could to ensure that the Senate reflected the will of the voters, right?:

In a statement, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s spokesman called the new coalition an “internal legislative matter,” but a supportive statement by Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, his pick to co-chair the Democratic State Commitee, was taken as a sign of Cuomo’s blessing. A source told Andrew Hawkins that Klein had run the arrangement past Cuomo before proceeding.

I don’t know if Cuomo actually has any presidential ambitions, but if he runs he’ll make Lieberman 2004 look like a juggernaut. That’s one effect of Obama endorsing SSM: by committing the Democratic Party to it, it ensures that if Cuomo thinks that his getting a same-sex marriage bill passed will save him, he’s delusional. It’s not going to be an issue in the 2016 primaries.