Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

This New York Times piece tells us how politics works under Pataki, and for that matter in every state of these United. <!--break--> From the New York Times, May 6, 2003 Nudging Turns to Shoving in Albany Budget Fight By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. ALBANY, May 5 — The first victim of the Republican civil war over the state budget was Assemblyman Pat M. Casale of Rensselaer County. Mr. Casale was the lone Assembly Republican to vote with the Democratic majority on two critical budget bills last week, defying his party's leader, Gov. George E. Pataki. On Thursday afternoon, he was called into the minority leader's office, just before a vote, and told he was expected to vote no with the rest of the caucus. He said he could not do that, and would instead support the Senate Republicans, who have stood united against the governor. Later that night, a messenger arrived to inform Mr. Casale, a close political ally of the Senate majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno, that he had been stripped of his $9,000-a-year position as the ranking minority member on the Racing and Wagering Committee. Mr. Casale blamed the governor, though Mr. Pataki's aides say he did not have a hand in the move. "All these tactics are not becoming of the governor," Mr. Casale said. "They are actually disgraceful." Mr. Casale is not the only Republican being asked to take sides these days, as the countdown to the governor's promised veto of the budget begins. While legislative leaders say they have the votes to override the governor, Mr. Pataki and his handpicked chairman of the state party, Alexander F. Treadwell, have been trying to head off that possibility. Mr. Pataki has until May 14 to decide on vetoes, and is likely to use the time to make his case. Last week, Mr. Treadwell began asking all county party leaders to sign a letter opposing the decision of the Senate Republicans to support the Legislature's budget. The plan raises taxes to restore about $2 billion in cuts to education and health care that the governor had proposed to close an $11.5 billion budget shortfall. Over the weekend, Mr. Pataki began personally lobbying individual senators by telephone, trying to convince them that the $93 billion budget they had passed would ruin the state's finances and lead to more deficits. The governor was careful not to make direct threats, legislators said. His civil appeals to reason stood in contrast to the tactics his senior aides and intermediaries used last week. Several senators said they were given not so subtle hints their relatives might lose patronage jobs and their calls to state agencies would go unreturned if they stood their ground. Though Mr. Pataki controls an immense number of patronage jobs and could cut off financing for pet projects to hurt individual lawmakers, the Senate also has some leverage over the governor. Among the weapons at the Senate's disposal would be holding up Mr. Pataki's appointments, embarrassing him by sending him bills that he might not want to sign or holding hearings on state contracts. All would be highly unusual steps for Republican legislators to take against a Republican governor. Tensions continue to rise, and many Republicans are worried about what the feud between Mr. Pataki and Senator Bruno might do to their party if the rift is not healed before next year, when the Republican National Convention will be held in New York City. "I described it as like being in cross-fire," said Charles H. Nesbitt, the Assembly minority leader. "There is no way to escape without some wounds." Making things more complicated, one of the state's other top Republicans, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York City, is also at odds with the governor over raising taxes. Today the two men appeared together at two events in Manhattan and tried to make the best of it. Senator Nicholas A. Spano, a Westchester County Republican, predicted the fight was likely to affect the party here for years to come. "We are heading toward a showdown with the governor," he said. "And it's an uncomfortable position for many of us who consider the governor a friend and a partner." Mr. Treadwell, the state party chairman, said he thought the party would be unified again by next year. But he said the internecine bickering over the budget had become a full-blown fight about what it means to be Republican in New York State. "This is a battle about principle and philosophy," Mr. Treadwell said. "We are the party of fiscal responsibility and of lowering taxes and cutting governmental spending." Mr. Treadwell's effort to rally the support of county leaders against the senators seems to have met with mixed success. He said that at least 40 of the 62 county chairmen had signed a letter supporting the governor, though he has yet to release it. Republican leaders are divided over whether it is better to raise state taxes or allow local taxes to rise because of a loss of state aid. County Republican chairmen in Buffalo, Syracuse and Westchester County were backing the governor, but the chairman in Nassau County, which has more registered Republicans than any other county, was remaining neutral. The county chairmen supporting the governor have tried to put pressure on their senators, so far to no avail. Some said the disagreement within the party would lead to fractious primaries next year. After a week of publicly denouncing the Legislature as fiscally irresponsible, Mr. Pataki changed his tactics on Saturday. He called Mr. Bruno late Saturday morning and, in a tense conversation, told him he would lobby the senators directly, a legislative aide said. The governor then made calls to a number of senators, laying out his arguments. One was Senator Thomas W. Libous, a rising Republican lawmaker from Binghamton who has been a strong ally of the governor in the past. Like many of his colleagues, Senator Libous had found it impossible to support Mr. Pataki's plan because it would cut school budgets and hurt hospitals. "Health care and schools are my major employers," he said. Mr. Libous said the governor never threatened him with retaliation. Like many Republican lawmakers, he is still holding out hope that the governor will reopen negotiations and somehow avert a veto-override battle. Governor Pataki could also block an override of his veto by convincing a handful of Democratic Assembly members to break with the majority conference, and side with him and the Republican Assembly members. That would ensure that the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, would not have enough votes for an override. Such a strategy is not impossible. Several Democratic Assembly members endorsed Mr. Pataki in the last election. Others have clashed publicly with Mr. Silver. A few have been called by the governor's aides. "I have heard of agents of the governor calling people in my conference," Mr. Silver said, without elaborating. Still, it does not appear that the governor or his aides are yet seriously pursuing that path. Several Democratic Assembly members who represent heavily Republican areas, some of them strong Pataki supporters, said today that they had not yet heard from the governor. All of them pledged to support Mr. Silver, if the governor vetoes the budget.

<p>This New York Times piece tells us how politics works under Pataki, and for that matter in every state of these United.</p> <!--break--><p>From the New York Times, May 6, 2003</p> <p>Nudging Turns to Shoving in Albany Budget Fight<br /> By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.</p> <p>ALBANY, May 5 — The first victim of the Republican civil war over the state budget was Assemblyman Pat M. Casale of Rensselaer County. </p> <p>Mr. Casale was the lone Assembly Republican to vote with the Democratic majority on two critical budget bills last week, defying his party's leader, Gov. George E. Pataki. On Thursday afternoon, he was called into the minority leader's office, just before a vote, and told he was expected to vote no with the rest of the caucus.</p> <p>He said he could not do that, and would instead support the Senate Republicans, who have stood united against the governor. Later that night, a messenger arrived to inform Mr. Casale, a close political ally of the Senate majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno, that he had been stripped of his $9,000-a-year position as the ranking minority member on the Racing and Wagering Committee. Mr. Casale blamed the governor, though Mr. Pataki's aides say he did not have a hand in the move.</p> <p>"All these tactics are not becoming of the governor," Mr. Casale said. "They are actually disgraceful."</p> <p>Mr. Casale is not the only Republican being asked to take sides these days, as the countdown to the governor's promised veto of the budget begins. While legislative leaders say they have the votes to override the governor, Mr. Pataki and his handpicked chairman of the state party, Alexander F. Treadwell, have been trying to head off that possibility. Mr. Pataki has until May 14 to decide on vetoes, and is likely to use the time to make his case.</p> <p>Last week, Mr. Treadwell began asking all county party leaders to sign a letter opposing the decision of the Senate Republicans to support the Legislature's budget. The plan raises taxes to restore about $2 billion in cuts to education and health care that the governor had proposed to close an $11.5 billion budget shortfall. </p> <p>Over the weekend, Mr. Pataki began personally lobbying individual senators by telephone, trying to convince them that the $93 billion budget they had passed would ruin the state's finances and lead to more deficits.</p> <p>The governor was careful not to make direct threats, legislators said. His civil appeals to reason stood in contrast to the tactics his senior aides and intermediaries used last week. Several senators said they were given not so subtle hints their relatives might lose patronage jobs and their calls to state agencies would go unreturned if they stood their ground. </p> <p>Though Mr. Pataki controls an immense number of patronage jobs and could cut off financing for pet projects to hurt individual lawmakers, the Senate also has some leverage over the governor. Among the weapons at the Senate's disposal would be holding up Mr. Pataki's appointments, embarrassing him by sending him bills that he might not want to sign or holding hearings on state contracts. All would be highly unusual steps for Republican legislators to take against a Republican governor.</p> <p>Tensions continue to rise, and many Republicans are worried about what the feud between Mr. Pataki and Senator Bruno might do to their party if the rift is not healed before next year, when the Republican National Convention will be held in New York City. </p> <p>"I described it as like being in cross-fire," said Charles H. Nesbitt, the Assembly minority leader. "There is no way to escape without some wounds." </p> <p>Making things more complicated, one of the state's other top Republicans, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York City, is also at odds with the governor over raising taxes. Today the two men appeared together at two events in Manhattan and tried to make the best of it.</p> <p>Senator Nicholas A. Spano, a Westchester County Republican, predicted the fight was likely to affect the party here for years to come. "We are heading toward a showdown with the governor," he said. "And it's an uncomfortable position for many of us who consider the governor a friend and a partner."</p> <p>Mr. Treadwell, the state party chairman, said he thought the party would be unified again by next year. But he said the internecine bickering over the budget had become a full-blown fight about what it means to be Republican in New York State. </p> <p>"This is a battle about principle and philosophy," Mr. Treadwell said. "We are the party of fiscal responsibility and of lowering taxes and cutting governmental spending."</p> <p>Mr. Treadwell's effort to rally the support of county leaders against the senators seems to have met with mixed success. He said that at least 40 of the 62 county chairmen had signed a letter supporting the governor, though he has yet to release it.</p> <p>Republican leaders are divided over whether it is better to raise state taxes or allow local taxes to rise because of a loss of state aid.</p> <p>County Republican chairmen in Buffalo, Syracuse and Westchester County were backing the governor, but the chairman in Nassau County, which has more registered Republicans than any other county, was remaining neutral.</p> <p>The county chairmen supporting the governor have tried to put pressure on their senators, so far to no avail. Some said the disagreement within the party would lead to fractious primaries next year.</p> <p>After a week of publicly denouncing the Legislature as fiscally irresponsible, Mr. Pataki changed his tactics on Saturday. He called Mr. Bruno late Saturday morning and, in a tense conversation, told him he would lobby the senators directly, a legislative aide said. The governor then made calls to a number of senators, laying out his arguments.</p> <p>One was Senator Thomas W. Libous, a rising Republican lawmaker from Binghamton who has been a strong ally of the governor in the past. Like many of his colleagues, Senator Libous had found it impossible to support Mr. Pataki's plan because it would cut school budgets and hurt hospitals. "Health care and schools are my major employers," he said.</p> <p>Mr. Libous said the governor never threatened him with retaliation. Like many Republican lawmakers, he is still holding out hope that the governor will reopen negotiations and somehow avert a veto-override battle. </p> <p>Governor Pataki could also block an override of his veto by convincing a handful of Democratic Assembly members to break with the majority conference, and side with him and the Republican Assembly members. That would ensure that the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, would not have enough votes for an override.</p> <p>Such a strategy is not impossible. Several Democratic Assembly members endorsed Mr. Pataki in the last election. Others have clashed publicly with Mr. Silver. A few have been called by the governor's aides. "I have heard of agents of the governor calling people in my conference," Mr. Silver said, without elaborating.</p> <p>Still, it does not appear that the governor or his aides are yet seriously pursuing that path. Several Democratic Assembly members who represent heavily Republican areas, some of them strong Pataki supporters, said today that they had not yet heard from the governor. All of them pledged to support Mr. Silver, if the governor vetoes the budget. </p>

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line http://rochester.indymedia.org/node/541

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line http://rochester.indymedia.org/node/541

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line

Pataki using thug tactics to get Republicans in line