oh albany!

Senate Democrats Hold a Brief, Meaningless Half-Session

Only the Democrats from the State Senate showed up to a governor-mandated special session at 3 p.m. today. The group had begun gathering at 6 a.m. to ensure they maintained control of the chamber, so the GOP didn’t even show up. Not that it mattered — the Dems started their session, and then declared that they couldn’t get anything done, as the State Assembly would be required to sign off on any bills they passed, and the latter body is already in recess. So they gaveled out and departed, leaving all of the bills mandated by Governor Paterson, including marriage equality, mayoral control of schools, and vacancy decontrol, untouched. This, of course, raises the question: Is it better to have the clowns running the circus, or nobody running it at all?

Mini-Session [NYDN]

Senate Democrats Hold a Brief, Meaningless Half-Session