Spitzer: I Love New York Senate Mayhem

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 11, 2009 9:25 AM CDT
Spitzer: I Love New York Senate Mayhem
The Senate Chamber remains dark and locked at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y., Wednesday, June 10, 2009.   (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Madness has descended on Albany, NY. When two Democrats switched sides at the last minute, the Democrats literally locked the Republicans out of the state senate, followed by name calling, court action, and threats to hold a session in an empty field. And that’s actually an improvement, writes Eliot Spitzer for Slate: "This chaos will be good for the state, its government, and democracy."

"Democracy is often an ugly process," Spitzer writes, and the rogue Democrats are lousy heroes; one’s being investigated for illegal campaign contributions and another was charged with assaulting his girlfriend. But until their defection, everything in Albany was decided by “three men in a room”—the governor, senate majority leader, and assembly speaker—making them downright inspirational, the disgraced former gov argues: "After playing the role of sheep for years, legislators are now recognizing they have the power to be coyotes." (More Eliot Spitzer stories.)

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