DEM MOVES CONFOUND LANZA

http://blog.silive.com/politics/2009/04/strictly_political_for_april_2.html

Strictly Political for April 26, 2009

DEM MOVES CONFOUND LANZA

What are Albany Democrats thinking?

That's what state GOP Sen. Andy Lanza (R-Staten Island) is wondering these days.

Democratic Gov. David Paterson recently introduced legislation to legalize gay marriage in New York, even though most agree that there's not enough Democratic support to get the bill passed in the Senate, never mind the expected opposition from Republicans.

On top of that, Democratic lawmakers last week announced a bid to legalize the use of medicinal marijuana.

"Timing is important," Lanza said. "I feel that right now, there's a disconnect."

Quoting former President Bill Clinton, he said: "It's the economy, stupid."

"When Clinton ran on that theme in 1992, it resonated," Lanza said. "He picked up on what people were feeling. And right now, the consensus is that people are focused on the economy. People are afraid for their futures. That's where the governor needs to be."

Not that issues like gay marriage aren't worthy of debate, Lanza said.

"But it's almost as if these other things are being thrown out there to draw attention away from what else is going on in Albany," he said.

Meanwhile, it's been interesting to see that while the Democrats have control of the statehouse and both houses of the Legislature, they still can't move their agenda forward.

More interesting still is to see Democrats and others cast the Republicans as the obstructionists, even as Democratic leaders have been reaching out to the GOP in a bid to secure votes they can't get from their own party.

A case in point is the long-stalled Metropolitan Transportation Authority bailout package. Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith has been unable to get a plan through because he can't keep his own 32-member Democratic majority in line.

But that hasn't stopped transit advocates from slamming GOP lawmakers, including Lanza, in ads that blame Republicans for not getting on board with the Democrats.

Democrats may disagree, but Lanza said the process itself is flawed, thanks to the one-party rule seen in Albany. In years past, he said, changes would be made to legislation to reflect lawmakers' concerns.

"We don't have a process of discussion that leads to compromise on issues," he said. "Right now, it's just a hard-core looking for votes. It's not about coming together. It's about, 'What's your price?' That's not what's needed here."

Lanza, for example, said he worked to soothe Democratic concerns over his video violence bill, which passed the Senate while the GOP was still in control.

"If they were serious about something like gay marriage, they would sit down with folks, make some calls," Lanza said.