Our state government is back in operation, which may or may not be a good thing. It’s hard to cheer when the negotiated outcome rewards the crass opportunism of a low-life like Pedro Espada, Jr. Espada, who has now triple-crossed his erstwhile co-conspirators and returned to the Democratic fold after getting a month of b.j.s from the power-horny Repubs, will come home—and become Senate Majority Leader!
Amazing. By Albany logic Aldrich Ames should be made head of the CIA.
In South America the term for this type of professional sleaze-monger is cara de palo or the even ruder cara de raja, which is shortened in Chilean dialect to the more brutish-sounding careraja. A fair translation might be: ‘guy who doesn’t mind putting his asshole in your face and laughing uproariously about it’. It describes shamelessness taken to an art form.
The Daily News listed who won and who lost in this remarkable circus act, but I have my doubts that anyone will remain in the latter category for long. If Espada lasts six months as M.L. after doing everything but sell the statehouse furniture, then all bets are off.
There are also no guarantees that this is the end of the story since the Democrats extracted no penalty from Espada for his brazen coat-turning. No doubt others laboring in the dreary vineyards of Albany are wondering why they don’t try switching sides for a few weeks as well to see what they can scoop up in concessions and payoffs.
For their part, the Republicans set themselves up for infuriated retaliation after having pissed all over the minority for three decades, then tried to scam their way back into the leather throne. Can’t wait to see how the revenge plate is served up by the briefly panicked Dems.
Governor Paterson looked less hapless than usual but only by contrast with the playground-like ambience at the Senate. He’s toast anyway.
The only possible positive outcome of the summer opera buffa would be an agreement to dismantle the long-standing dictatorships of the head guys in both houses. The end of the decades-long Rule by Triumvir that has given New York one of the country’s worst state governments would be worth something.
Meanwhile, we didn’t have to watch reality TV for a whole month. Reality was no match for ‘reality’.
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