Funny thing this politics, eh?  It’s circulating in Albany that reform coalition member Pedro Espada may be rejoining his State Senate Democrat colleagues and has struck a deal with them to become Majority Leader, ousting Malcom Smith (although I thought John Sampson had already done that?).

Espada obviously can do whatever he wants as I’m pretty sure this is still a free country (at least for now).  But here’s the question.  Will all of his Democrat Senate colleagues take him back?  Recall that when Senators Espada and Hiram Monserrate first joined the reform coalition, Senate democrats immediately went on the attack.  They released statements and details about the charges both Senators faced (Espada on financial filings and Monsserrate on assaulting his girlfriend) even though they previously covered up and protected the two while they were on their side.  Protest thugs showed up at their homes and someone broke into one of their homes.  Political robo calls from Senate democrats flooded their districts.  

Monserrate cracked under the pressure, forgoing his calls for reform in exchange for putting an end to the Democrats’ political attack machine.  Bad press on the face slashing Monserrate immediately ceased.  Democrats claimed that Monserrate joined the coalition in exchange for the promise of financial support to cover his legal fees.  Apparently the Democrats offered to financially cover a larger percentage, but that’s O.K.

The attacks on Espada, however, continued.  The Democrats claimed he was the scum of the earth because of his legal issues and for possibly the first time ever, through several rounds of robo calls, used his New York City residence against him as a reason Upstate citizens shouldn’t trust him and shouldn’t support the reform coalition.  Never before do I recall seeing NYC Dems crap on a Dem from NYC to play to Upstaters.  He was branded a traitor by the Democrats.  They cut him loose.

But now that Espada is supposedly going to side with the democrats to give them the absolute power they so desperately want to regain, he – like Monserrate – now becomes best buds with the Senate democrats and all is forgiven.  Statements about what a horrible guy he is will be recanted and look for numerous “candid” photos of Espada with various Senate Dem colleagues smiling, hugging and shaking hands like none of their former attacks on him ever happened.  BFF shouts for everyone!

Here’s what will occur if this is actually true: the reforms passed on June 8th that fixed decades of dysfunction will go in the trash, state government will go back to operating at status quo, three New York City men in a room will decide the fate of Upstate NY residents and citizens can now brace for yet another round of tax increases planned by Senate Democrats.

Oh, I almost forgot, we’ll still have to deal with the issue of our non-elected Governor and his illegal LG.  Aint NY grand?