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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Klein's Dem. Gang Makes Deal with GOP



Kenneth Lovett of the NY Daily News reports that State Senator Jeff Klein and his three other Democrats who formed an independent caucus have been rewarded with coveted chairmanship positions and would not get strong Republican challenges. Klein and the three other Democrats -- Diane Savino of Staten Island, freshman David Carlucci of Rockland County and David Valesky of Syracuse — have worked closely with the Senate GOP over the past year. This group has a lot of influence in the Senate because the Republicans hold a slim 2 seat majority. They have said they will not support Democratic Leader John Sampson if the Dems win back the Senate.

44 comments:

  1. Wow . . . I'm impressed . . . Jeff Klein does it again!

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  2. Obviously, Mr. Klein knows how to play hardball.

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  3. Mr. Klein is just spinning his wheels at this point. Where exactly is his career going? He is over 50 and still passing "nibble around the edges" legislation. Or maybe he really doesn't care about his political career as long as it keeps feeding his law practice new clients that he can rip off and over charge. He headed the Senate Democrats campaign committee -- got ripped off by lousy consultants and lost -- left the committee in debt and then basically jumped ship to the Republicans. He might as well change his party.

    So if by "playing hardball" you really mean being a scumbag, you would be correct.

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  4. Klein in the msot dymanic of all local pols. To wit, so one of our local assembly people introduced three pieces of legislation in his 15 plus years in office. From day one, Klein has been a powerful force in the senate. It takes balls to buck the system, which is what he has done. If there were more independent minded pols in Albany we'd all be better off.

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  5. I like and support Jeffrey Klein because he is smart, organized, sincere, and effective.

    What hooked me on him is that he is not afraid to take bold steps, he knows how to leverage political power, and he is a remarkable fundraiser to boot.

    I belive that Albany would function so much better if we had more people like Sen. Klein in the State Legislature.

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  6. I'm thankful for Senator Jeff Klein's GRAFFITI REMOVAL PROGRAM.

    To report graffiti to be cleaned in your neighborhood, here's the link:

    http://www.nysenate.gov/webform/senator-jeff-kleins-graffiti-removal-program

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  7. Conflict of interest here ... Why don't you disclose how much money and support the NorthWest Bronx Democratic Alliance gave to Jeff Klein to help put him where he is today???

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  8. I admire State Senator Jeff Klein's briskness and energy. I marvel at the seemingly effortless way he gets so much accomplished. And it doesn't hurt that he exudes a sharp wit and a cool, rakish charm.

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  9. Although Klein has an appearance and manner that may be attractive to television viewers, to me he's all sizzle and no steak.

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  10. That' a very nice necktie he's wearing!

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  11. Jeff Klein for Mayor of NYC!

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  12. Speaking as a Riverdalian, I realize that Sen. Klein is the most powerful local elected official we have. So we are fortunate that he and his team have been rewarded with coveted posts. He should keep up the good work.

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  13. OK I get it . . . Jeff Klein's sycophants think that he just oozes charisma. So let's move on!

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  14. Check out Klein's financial backers - the Soda Industry, Landlords and the Check Cashing industry. He is a tool of all these interests.

    Most recently he is trying to reward check-cashers by pushing a Republican bill through committee that will allow Check cashing companies in NY to charge up to 400% on short term loans!

    Another donor to Klein, $1000 from "Total Tan, Inc." Whenever I see him in person, it looks to me like Klein is getting some in-kind kick backs from this outfit

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  15. So it looks like Klein is back in the game and he's rebounding nicely.

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  16. Senator Klein must have a very good PR crew

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  17. "Gang"???? It makes them almost sound like criminals.

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  18. I met Senator Klein at the Ericson Place Senior Center. I was dazzled by him.

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  19. A powerful local lawmaker like Jeffrey Klein is certainly a breath of fresh air compared to the mediocre hacks who hold the local congressional, city council and state assembly seats.

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  20. It seems that Mr. Klein's positions and personality have become subjects of increasing public interest and political speculation. Would your blog consider interviewing him?

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  21. I remember that Jeff Klein did not have nearly as much power back when he was in the Assembly (the lower house of the State Legislature).

    Clearly, it was a smart choice on his part to move up to the State Senate, where he represents more than twice as many people, and where he has really been able to maneuver and broker deals like the skilled politician that he is.

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  22. Doesn't Klein have a substantial campaign war chest that could set him up very nicely to run for higher office?

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  23. QUESTION to Anonymous @ November 10, 2011 1:30:

    You said that "one of our local assembly people introduced three pieces of legislation in his 15 plus years in office."

    Are you talking about Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (District 81), who has been in the same Assembly seat since 1994?

    And what proof do you have that the Assembly Member introduced only 3 bills in all that time? Also, what are the names of the 3 pieces of legislation?

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  24. I don't understand the hostility that some of your blog readers have against Senator Jeffrey Klein. As far as I know, he is a very well-respected and well-connected state legislator who does an excellent job representing his district.

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  25. The haters don't care if Klein is well-respected and well connected and does his job well. All they care about is trying to drag a good man down because of their own selfish political interests. If he's not on their team, they just attack him.

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  26. On the DINOWITZ thing about supposedly introducing ONLY THREE BILLS THAT HAVE ACTUALLY BECOME LAWS during his nearly 18 years in the NY State Assembly, be careful if the Assemblyman or his toadies try to confuse the situation by pretending that sponsoring a bill is the same as co-sponsoring.

    A SPONSOR of legislation introduces a bill and becomes its chief advocate in the member's respective chamber. Sometimes this member is called the "primary sponsor." In many legislatures (including the US Senate) multiple sponsorship is allowed.

    Part of the job of a sponsor is to solicit colleagues to become CO-SPONSORS. Co-sponsors merely add their names as supporters to the sponsor's bill.

    My point is that it's very easy to jump on the bandwagon as a co-sponsor, but it's an entirely different matter to introduce a bill as a sponsor and then successfully advocate on its behalf to see it through into law.

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  27. As a 2004 report from the Brennan Center for Justice at N.Y.U. School of Law has documented:

    "New York legislators introduce more bills than in any other state yet enact a lower percentage of bills into law than all but two other legislatures."

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  28. It's safe to say that Mr. Dinowitz has a weak legislative record and plays no meaningful role in the negotiation, final drafting, or passage of legislation.

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  29. An excellent NY Times editorial from July 25, 2004 titled "New York's Fake Legislature" stated the following about the busywork of bill-making (and specifically the high rate of bill introduction compared to the low rate of bill enactment):

    "New York's legislators do not actually enact many laws. They do, however, introduce more bills than any other state legislature in the Union. Two years ago, 16,892 bills were introduced in New York's two houses. That's almost twice as many as in the Illinois General Assembly, which ranks second. But how many of Albany's bills actually become law? About 4 percent, the third-lowest percentage in the country. (Illinois may have started out with only half as many proposals, but it managed to enact 746 laws compared with 693 in New York.)

    What about the other 16,199 bills that did not make it into law? Most are for the record only. Some bills are meant to allow legislators to boast to voters (in state-paid mailings) that they ''tried'' to do something for them. Other bills are meant to convince Albany's flush lobbyists that a legislator did enough to earn a nice, fat campaign contribution.

    All these bills do accomplish one thing, however. They waste reams of paper and hours of time and overtime and an unbelievable amount of money, considering the final product. To do all that extra work, Albany's legislators apparently need a lot of people -- more than any other state legislature in the country. Last year, for example, New York had 3,428 people on the Legislature's payroll. Pennsylvania was in second place with 2,947 and California came in third with 2,359. In 2001, the New York Legislature cost the taxpayers $197 million or about $333,000 per actual law.

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  30. Actually, it's Carmen Arroyo. Dinowitz has sponsored dozens of bills that have become laws, and cosponsored many more. Try doing some new research for once instead of using the same articles that you commenters bring up every other post.

    Oh, and to get us back on the topic of the blog post, weren't you more split on Klein during the last two blog posts about him? And now all of a sudden he's the greatest thing since sliced bread? And all this on a post where he's a lite version of Espada? I don't believe it. What has Klein really done for Riverdale? He doesn't even have a satellite office in the neighborhood, so most people would have to go to Tremont to get to him.

    Oh, right, I almost forgot: Screw Baby Diaz!

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  31. It's not that Klein is a bad guy or a bad politician. Not at all. He is very smart and dedicated, just...he has no courage. He has no real beliefs. He is just there saying what he thinks people want to hear. I'd like to see him be more spunky...be more liberal while we are at it.

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  32. No courage??? I respectfully disagree.

    From what I've seen, Jeff Klein is a tough, thick-skinned political leader who DOES NOT SHRINK FROM A FIGHT. I also think that he happens to be one of the savviest tacticians in the New York State Senate.

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  33. I just love his perpetual tan!

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  34. My opinion is that Dinowitz is conspicuous in his district but ineffective as a legislator.

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  35. This blog has nice lively exchange of ideas and opinions!

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  36. I think Klein abandoned the tan when his got his new girlfriend. Maybe she's looking out for his health. Overall, she seems to be having a very positive impact on him.

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  37. Oh poor Jeff Klien . . its tough at the top . . zzzzzzzzzz

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  38. The best reason to support Sen. Klein
    is because he has the pull to richly fund local non-profit organizations that address critical community needs.

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  39. Anonymous at Nov 16th 2:29,

    So Senator Klein "richly fund(s) local non-profit organizations". There is nothing left to say except; Will the defendant please rise......

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  40. I agree that Jeff Klein is a refreshing contrast to the mediocrity and shabbiness of almost all of the city and state legislators in The Bronx. In my opinion, the only other quality legislator in the borough is City Councilman James Vacca.

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  41. State Senator Klein reminds me of the bravest and most famous swordsman in France in the 17th century, the Captain and then the Brigadier General of the King's Musketeers, none other than d'Artagnan himself. It's nice to see him making his swashbuckling presence felt in Albany.

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  42. DON'T this J Klein guy..Ever stop Working..??

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