Bill, Already Challenged, Gets Final Nail In Coffin?
Moments ago, Republicans announced they convinced two “socially conservative” Democrats to vote Republican, effectively stripping State Senate Majority leader Malcolm Smith of his post. The two Senators have troubling backgrounds, more on that in a moment.
“Following the news, the Democrats walked out of the Senate Chamber and the power and television feed were cut.”
What does this mean for marriage equality in New York? With just two weeks left in the Senate’s session, and despite today having been designated “Statewide Marriage Call-In Day” by New York’s Empire State Pride Agenda, there’s little hope that the state’s gay marriage bill will now even be allowed to come to the floor for a vote. Smith had been hesitant about bringing the bill to the floor without knowing it could pass. State Senator Tom Duane last week claimed to have 32 votes to pass the bill, but that number has since been called into question.
Freshman Democratic State Senator Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) who reportedly was “undecided” on the gay marriage bill, is one of the two Democrats who have thrown their support to the Republicans. Needless to say, chances are his vote will be against the bill. The other Democrat, Pedro Espada, was reportedly a “yes” vote. Today’s news doesn’t automatically change his vote. Monserrate’s Democratic peer from Queens, Joseph Addabbo, has been vehemently in the “won’t say” category.
What is beyond perplexing is that these two Senators are even Senators. CBS 2 News reports,
“It’s a story with some really wild twists and turns.
Who could forget Espada and his run-ins with CBS 2 after we discovered he doesn’t even live in his Bronx district, and wore an orange ski hat when he was confronted about it in front of his real home in Mamaroneck?
Turns out the real joke is on Espada’s Democrat colleagues in the Senate after he and Monserrate, who has been indicted for attacking his girlfriend, sold out Senate Democrats and voted with the Republicans to make Rockville Sen. Dean Skelos the new majority leader.”
As of Friday, according to a report by NY1 News, there were 20 “yes” votes, 29 “no” votes, 9 “undecided” and 4 “wouldn’t say”.
**UPDATE 5:30 PM**
The New York Times is reporting that Espada will be the president pro tempore of the Senate.