None of this is to suggest that Mayor Ed isn’t sometimes blazingly right. Take his leadership of the movement to insist that New York practice basic democracy by stripping the majority leaders in both houses of the right to draw their own districts. He insisted that all the politicians sign a pledge and allow an expert outside group to draw the lines. Most of the Republicans signed that pledge thinking that they would stay in the minority. When it turned out that they edged into the majority by two votes, they changed their minds in one of the greatest instances of political hypocrisy of all times.

You know how they do it. They bow before the computer that draws the lines to their advantage and intone, “Oh great computer, draw us districts where we can’t lose!” Like Snow White’s evil step-mother and her magic mirror (“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”) the Republicans called on their computer to give them the answer (districts) that they wanted. Eventually, the mirror told the evil stepmother that she no longer had the designation as the most beautiful. Now the great legislative computers are telling the Republican Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos that no matter how he moves the bodies, he just doesn’t have enough Republicans.

What’s more, we are about to have an election for President and Barack Obama will carry the Democratic state of New York in a surge of blue. That surge will probably carry the disgraced New York Democrats in the legislature back into office. The Republican conference is counting on Skelos to save their political hash. So in addition to objecting to Koch’s plan for getting an outside group to draw the lines, the Republicans went a step further, coming up with another way to save their majority. They decided to add another seat which gave them more material for the great computer to play with. To do that fairly, the Republicans should put that district in New York City where all the bodies are but they can’t because there are too many Democrats in New York. Frankly, their moves are disgusting. At the same time New York is losing two congressional seats, the Senate Republicans want to add a seat in the “upper” house.

I once asked Koch what he would do if the Republicans broke their word to him and retreated on their pledge to allow an outside group to draw the districts. He replied that he would travel the state yelling, “Liars, liars, pants on fire!” Instead, he makes the news by saying a wonderful retiring congressman who, unlike himself, has stuck to his principles was “eliminated” by God. Shame on you, Ed Koch. It’s time to apologize.

Originally published in the Legislative Gazette, 1/23/12

There, you’ll see airplanes hanging from the ceilings and the original Higgins boats constructed in the city by the guy Dwight D. Eisenhower said was the main reason we won the war. The boats, named after their inventor, opened in front and could deliver soldiers right to the beaches.

The famous author Joe Persico, who has written extensively on American history, heard that we were going to New Orleans and was kind enough to write ahead to the president and CEO of the museum on our behalf. Dr. Nick Mueller, who co-founded the museum along with the late Stephen Ambrose, spent an hour with me on the radio. It was a fascinating conversation. If you want to hear it, go to WAMC.org.

World War II was the apex of American morality. It has sometimes been referred to as “the last good war.” It was a war in which the United States was attacked by two despicable regimes, the nationalistic Japanese and their allies, the Nazis. When the country was attacked, everyone got on board. It represented a time when women who wanted to work got to work. Kids walked around their neighborhoods collecting newsprint and rendered fat. The country’s automobile factories were converted so that they could turn out tanks and ships. Some of the ships that were built were constructed in as few as three days. People accepted the hardships of food rationing and other shortages because their sons, daughters, husbands, wives, mothers and fathers were fighting.

When I ask if we could have lost that war, there are many people who say, “Absolutely not.” Yet all the great historians with whom I have spoken about the conflict are pretty clear that it was touch and go, and had a few things been different the Nazis and the Japanese could have won. Let’s remember that the Nazis had great scientists who were working on an atomic bomb. In fact, the only reason Albert Einstein approached President Roosevelt about making such a bomb was that he was convinced that the Nazis would beat us to it. It didn’t stop there. The German Luftwaffe introduced jet planes into the conflict. Had they done so a year earlier, the war could well have gone the other way. For their part, the imperialist Japanese, who operated with incredible cruelty, had been successful in occupying huge parts of Asia and the Pacific Rim.

Had Hitler won the Battle of Britain, or had he not made the fatal mistake of attacking the Soviet Union, and husbanded his resources to maintain what he had, the outcome of the war might have been very different — and so it goes. Admiral Yamamoto, the architect of the Pearl Harbor attack, who had spent considerable time in the United States, correctly predicted that the risk was “waking the sleeping giant.” This country, still very much remembering the slaughter of its sons in the First World War, had no stomach for a rematch with the Germans. Some of the country’s greatest heroes, like Charles Lindbergh, admired the Nazis and did everything they could to fight against our entry into the conflict. The attack on Pearl Harbor ended all of that. People will fight like hell to preserve their homeland. In WWII, the French and many other European and Asian countries couldn’t, but in America, the attack lit the public fuse.

America as we know it has been defined by three wars: our own Revolution, the Civil War and World War II. If you plan to visit New Orleans, I suggest that you put this remarkable museum on your must see list. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.

Originally published in the Berkshire Eagle, 1/21/12

Jonas kindly invited us to a party with some of his friends who were watching the Saints win one of the biggest games of the year. The room was filled with thirtysomethings, and every time the Saints made a good play the 20 people sitting there made enough noise to wake the New Orleans dead, who are preserved above, rather than below, the ground.

Jonas, whom I suspect is a Patriots fan, would play an interesting role. As the referees were being booed and called every name in the book for blowing a call, he would calmly and lovingly tell his friends why the refs were right and why a particular play would be called against the crowd. He would explain to them, “I wish I was wrong, but I think I’m right.” That takes guts. These people are real fans, and every once in a while you know how things can occasionally get out of hand at an international soccer match. People can get hurt or killed.

New Orleans is a sports town. Everywhere one walked, people would say, “Go Saints.” Not only was there a Saints professional game, but two nights later there was an LSU (Louisiana State) game against the hated Alabama team. While the locals were delighted that the Saints won their game, LSU got clobbered.

The senior Chartocks declined the honor of going to watch the LSU game at yet another giant-screen television party.

I began to think about the relationship between sports and war. Football does have some interesting facets to it. These people really hammer each other. I needn’t tell you that a football player’s chances of ending up sustaining a serious injury in the line of duty are quite pronounced. I personally think it would be a good idea to ban the game altogether. Hey, we make people wear seatbelts, so the idea of allowing these modern gladiators to continue doing damage to one another is just wrong. The fact that we allow this so-called sport in our high schools and colleges doesn’t speak highly of how we value our kids.

In addition to being a sports town, New Orleans is a foodie’s paradise. We ate until we almost exploded. There were oysters on the half-shell complete with pearls. There were buckets of boiled shrimp. There were beignets. And there was incredible coffee.

We made it to Commander’s Palace, one of the toughest places to get into in the city. People fight for the right to feed four people for the price of a very good lawn mower. The lawn mower you can have for years. The meal, well, the meal doesn’t last all that long.

The food was quite good, but the service made me nervous. It was over the top. When you walk in, all the servers, bus persons and maitre d’-type people greet you, but somehow you get the feeling that they don’t really mean it. I’ll take the service at Castle Street or Café Adam, where you get the feeling that the servers are sincere. Plus, there is nothing worse than a server hanging over as you examine a wine list featuring bottles that would cost you $1,000 or more.

We also took a wonderful tour — we were the only ones on the bus — that lasted for three hours and were told the story of Hurricane Katrina. The remnants of that great storm are still visible. You are left at the end thinking that no matter what they do to protect the city, it could happen again.

We’ve been to New Orleans a lot, and it is a perfect place to go and enjoy the best jazz in the country. But maybe you should skip the lawn mower.

Originally published in the Berkshire Eagle, 1/14/12

Well, let’s take a look and see. Let’s start with the premise that money is a big factor in a successful education. Which kid has a better chance, the one sitting in a room with thirty-five other students or the one sharing the teacher with twenty others? If a child is having a tough time learning to read or needs help with a math problem, do you think a teacher’s aide might be useful if there was enough money to pay one? It is absurd to think that starving a school system will help our children learn.

One might make the case that our newly self-appointed children’s lobbyist, Governor Cuomo, is doing just that. After all, this very same governor has been given great credit for putting a tax cap on local government expenditures. That tax cap has placed the state’s school districts between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Some school districts are facing the choice of cutting millions of dollars from their budgets. If a small city school district finds itself millions of dollars in the red, you can bet more kids will be added to every class and essential programs will be cut. It’s not magic, they have no choice.

When the folks who wrote the New York State Constitution put their master work together they decided to try to take education out of partisan politics. In order to do this they established the New York State Board of Regents. This one policy area was deemed so important that its commissioner would not report to the governor but to a separate board of outside citizens who would be the advocates for the state’s school children. Of course it would be naïve to believe that all politics were removed from the Regents but it certainly was a step in the right direction. The whole idea was to get the traditional grubby politicians out of the game. Of course, the Democrats in the New York State Assembly have been electing the Regents since they have the most votes in the Legislature. By and large, however, the politicians have been smart enough to find and elect Regents who have excellent backgrounds and qualifications.

Right now, Regent Merryl Tisch, a selfless children’s advocate, has been doing a great job running the Board of Regents. An educator herself, Tisch has now been placed in a terrible situation by Cuomo who wants to set up yet another commission to study why our kids aren’t learning. This is equivalent to poking a sharp stick in the eyes of Tisch and the Regents. Let there be no mistake about it — our teachers and school boards care about their students. They advocate for them. They want the state to come up with the money to educate them.

From where I sit, it looks like the teachers and school boards are far greater advocates for children than the politicians who are taking their money away. After the governor’s address, the gutsy Speaker of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver, said that he thinks the Regents are doing a very good job. As for me, I wonder how the governor can say that he’ll advocate for the kids when he’s the guy whose tax cap will deprive them of the education they need.

Originally published in the Legislative Gazette, 1/9/12

I have said from the very beginning that if the Republicans want to win, he is their only choice. Tell that to Nelson Rockefeller, John Lindsay and so many moderate Republicans of the old style. Their problem, and we all know it, is that those men were in the wrong party. Only a small group of people come out to vote in primaries, and it is an immutable law of contemporary politics that the further right you are in the Republican Party, the more certain you are to participate.

The Democrats in Massachusetts are not above electing tall, handsome Republicans with jackets thrown over their backs, walking through gardens with their wives and kids by their sides. Just look at Scott Brown, same cookie-cutter. It works every time. Despite being the milquetoast, two-faced candidate that he is, Romney has the best chance of capturing the American middle class. The right-wing fringe crowd cannot win a general election. They won’t capture the voter in the middle. Romney’s Republican opponents are already throwing his early words back at him.

If you examine the virtual tie in the Iowa caucuses, you can see the split between the right-wing “we don’t care if we win, we want to stay pure” versus the “we need to win to fund the party, make the judges and get the power.” The middle class, urban Iowa voters went heavily for Romney. The rural voters went overwhelmingly for Rick Santorum.

In New Hampshire, the bedroom state that shares a Boston media market, it would appear that Romney is a sure bet. Nevertheless, there are some things to look out for. I have been hearing from my students and from Vox Pop radio callers that Ron Paul, now in his mid-70s, has become the favorite of a lot of young voters who previously went for Obama because he offered the promise of change.

The Libertarian philosophy is tricky. The young people love the idea of not policing the world. They love the idea that the government should not dictate our personal behavior. When it comes to government spending, however, they have reason to fear that some of the programs from which they had expected to reap benefits, such as education and health care, will not be there for them.

Also, young people are very impatient. They want someone who is not above demanding dramatic change now. In fact, many of our younger people saw that as the primary message of Barack Obama.

Ron Paul may be 76, but right now he is a potential wild card — figuring he doesn’t have that many years left so, should he lose the fight for the Republican nomination, he may well run on a third party, Libertarian line. That could be a catastrophe for the Republicans. One can only expect that this is going to be a very close primary.

Closer to home, it appears more and more likely that Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr. is looking up a lonely road in his quest for the 1st District Congressional seat. The incumbent Congressman, Richie Neal, who will run for the newly drawn district that includes this county, has been getting the royal treatment from everyone when he shows up in the Berkshires. He recently received a tremendous ovation as he met his public at the Colonial Theatre’s presentation of “A Christmas Carol” with James Taylor and was spotted in Great Barrington touring our Mahaiwe Theatre. I like Andy Nuciforo, but some Dutch uncle ought to read him the facts of life.

Finally, if Obama runs as strongly as I think he will in Massachusetts, it will spell good news for U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren and bad news for the Romney-like Scott Brown.

Originally published in the Berkshire Eagle, 1/7/12

Governor Andrew Cuomo: I resolve to clean up the Democratic conference in the State Senate by backing good, progressive and honest Democratic candidates rather than collaborating with the Republicans. I vow to remember that in 2016 I will be running for President of the United States and some Democrats will have a long memory and accuse me of being a bad Democrat. I will keep my distance from Rupert Murdoch — people are beginning to talk. Speaking of talking, before my run for President, I really have to get some coaching about my regional dialect.

Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver: I resolve to keep on keeping on. Even while under the worst kind of fire, I have kept my progressive principles and supported the things that brought me to the Legislature in the first place; helping people with education, health care and the environment. Speaking of the environment, I resolve to put a stop to the hydrofracking nonsense. Finally, I have to give way on the redistricting mess. It really isn’t right for me to draw lines that maximize my chances to control the Assembly, and I know it. After all, there are so many Democrats in the state that we can’t lose. The Republicans, on the other hand, really do have something to worry about.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos: I resolve to play it fair. People are getting very tired of my flip flopping around on things like a fair reapportionment plan. I realize that it is probably the only way I can preserve my majority but do I really want to be known forever as “The Man Who Perverted Democracy?” There’s also a cynical notion going around that I’d buy off some dissident Democrats in order to stay in power. Pretty soon, voters will have a really bad taste in their mouths. On the one hand, I keep telling people that this is coalition government at its best and on the other, I make sure that the Democrats in the Senate are not allowed to participate in the process.

New York State Democratic Minority Leader John Sampson: I resolve to stand tall and share power with people of all persuasions in my conference and not to hog power for a select few of my colleagues. I will throw out any clown in my Senate Democratic conference who even sounds corrupt. I resolve never, ever to be pushed around by thugs like Pedro Espada, Hiram Monserrate or Carl Kruger. I realize now that once the stink gets on you, it can never be washed off.

Senator Chuck Schumer: I resolve never, ever to give the appearance that I would use my clout to get my brother-in-law a federal judgeship.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: I resolve to raise more money in a shorter time than anyone else in the Senate. Hey, if that’s the way this game is played than that’s what I have to do. I didn’t write the rules. I resolve not to give the suckers back undue influence for what I have raised.

Hillary Clinton: I resolve to be the most admired woman in the United States, again.

Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr.: No matter what it takes, I resolve to keep the world’s best newspaper, the New York Times, afloat.

Barack Obama: I will read Jean Edward Smith’s superb biography, FDR. I will study every page carefully. I will emulate FDR’s love of the game and his guts. I will defend our Social Security program to the end, ditto Medicare. I will take my message to the people. I will recapture the spirit of the last campaign and this time, I will do what I promised.

The Occupy movement: We will stick with our agenda and bring the message about financial and political corruption to the people. It will be our mission to tell people what they ought to know about our banks and financial institutions.

Originally published in the Legislative Gazette, 1/3/12

Real estate sales in the Berkshires will go through the roof.

A weekly newspaper publisher will get himself into legal and financial trouble. There will be a showdown between environmentalists who believe in wind power and some Berkshire residents who do not. The benefits and costs will be debated in a public forum even though the residents will resist such a discussion.

WAMC public radio will win wide approval for an expanded BSO year long schedule.

James and Kim Taylor will launch a highly successful national radio show.

The new mayor of Pittsfield will seek reconciliation with outgoing Mayor James M. Ruberto. The always decent Ruberto will accept an honorary position. North Adams’ John Barrett III will prepare to run for mayor of his city.

Pittsfield Mayor Daniel L. Bianchi will reach out to the city’s arts organizations who believe he dissed them during the campaign. His peace offering will be public praise for the wonderful Megan Whilden, the city’s director of cultural development. The mayor will make it clear that while he wants to spend city resources on what he calls “the neighborhoods,” he understands how important the arts are for the city.

Kate Maguire, the genius who has presided over the marriage of the Colonial Theatre and the Berkshire Theatre Festival will be summoned to the White House for a high honor.

Maguire and Barrington Stage’s Artistic Director Julianne Boyd will join forces on an important educational project.

The reconstruction of Great Barrington’s Main Street will run into substantial unanticipated problems.

A police officer will be fired.

William “Smitty” Pignatelli will become the go-to dean of the Berkshire Legislative delegation.

A vicious blogger will be jailed for illegal activities. He will run afoul of the Internal Revenue Service for serious violations.

Two daily newspapers in the region will combine some of their operations, including printing on a brand new German press.

Barack Obama will be overwhelmingly elected president of the United States for a second term. His opponent will be Newt Gingrich.

The Democrats will make significant gains in the House but things will stay the same in the Senate.

Crime will drop in Pittsfield as the District Attorney gets tougher and tougher.

There will be a push toward war with Iran. An Occupy protester in Great Barrington will correctly say, “The military industrial complex has to be fed and this is the best way to do it.” The town of Lenox will find itself in a brouhaha that will make everything up until now pale by comparison.

The Norman Rockwell Museum will announce a major exhibit on Medical Illustration. A private school will close its doors.

Yo-Yo Ma will play a benefit concert for a public radio station. Murray the Dog will be crowned king of his species.

The old Great Barrington Fair Grounds will be sold to a not-for-profit group that will announce exciting plans.

Jane Iredale of Iredale Cosmetics will be honored by a national women’s organization for her incredible contributions. Ice cream wars will break out in Great Barrington. The police will be summoned over illegal street sales.

Illegal speeding on “The Hill” in Great Barrington will stop because the neighborhood is inflamed and has gone so far as to purchase a radar gun and spotters to take down license plate numbers. This model of community action will spread all over the Berkshires.

You, dear readers, will have a happy, healthy New Year.

Originally published in the Berkshire Eagle, 12/24/11

Sensing a firestorm over the hydrofracking issue and recognizing the mounting scientific evidence against it, Governor Andrew Cuomo will reverse his position as he did with the millionaire’s tax. When he comes out swinging against this dangerous policy, he will be roundly credited for having done the right thing. His environmental commissioner will breathe a sigh of relief that he won’t have to carry his boss’ water on this loser.

Speaker Sheldon Silver will have a major work of art dedicated to him outside his conference room. The little smile on his face will remind people of the Egyptian Sphinx.

There will be a split between Cuomo and Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch’s troubles will continue to grow and Andrew will distance himself. Murdoch will feel betrayed and tell Andrew, “I am very disappointed in you, Andrew. I thought we had a deal.”

One of Murdoch’s most trusted reporters will quit and be appointed to a prestigious spot on the Governor’s executive chamber staff.

The New York Times will adopt the Associated Press’ policy prohibiting their reporters from offering their personal opinions on social networks like Twitter after one of their people is caught in Joe McCarthy mode.

Two more State Senators will be indicted, convicted and go straight to jail. Meanwhile, former Republican Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno will not see a day in the pokey for selling a worthless horse to someone seeking influence.

The staff of one state senator will testify against the solon.

A lobbyist will turn state’s evidence against a sitting Senator at his trial. For his help to the prosecution, the lobbyist will get a very light sentence and will teach political science in prison to his fellow inmates. His musings will continue to be quoted on a popular political blog.

The new ethics commission will undergo serious scrutiny. David Grandeau, the only person to have ever taken the ethics position seriously (and who was unceremoniously dumped because he was doing his job) will triumphantly return to the top ethics position. Andrew Cuomo will be heard to say, “I told you I meant business.”

Three assemblymen from the boroughs will be indicted.

Despite their inability to govern in the past, the Democrats will be returned to the majority in the state Senate. Andrew Cuomo will give some surreptitious help to the Republicans to prevent that from happening and will be secretly disappointed. The conservative Democratic governor will not want a repeat of the tomfoolery that plagued the Democratic majority the last time around. When the results are announced and the Democrats win the majority by two votes, four dissident Democratic senators say that they won’t join their majority unless they are given the top spots in running their conference. Chaos will follow and, as Yogi would have said, it will be “…déjà vu all over again.” The New York Post will print a cartoon of a circular firing squad composed of Democratic senators.

A carved sign will appear in the Governor’s Press Office with a single number on it, “2016.”

There will be a wedding in the executive mansion. Soon thereafter, the chef will quit. Cans of soups and other processed foods will start to appear in the pantry.

An ombudsman for a major public broadcasting organization will be fired for ethical breaches.

The Albany Times Union will receive top honors for their political coverage.

Finally, you, dear readers, will experience a happy and healthy New Year.

Originally published in the Legislative Gazette, 12/19/11

As you can well imagine, he and I have had our differences when it comes to guns. I think we Americans are too in love with firearms and that there are far too many of them out there. We’ve all heard about children ending up dead or maimed after finding a parent’s weapon. Because there are so many of them, they are too easily purchased by outlaws.

Thanks in large part to the Second Amendment to our federal Constitution, legal guns are as American as apple pie. Nevertheless, government has put some needed brakes on the sale and distribution of guns. One way is to ask that gun dealers check with the federal government as to whether the buyer has any restrictions that would prevent him from owning a firearm. The whole process usually takes a few seconds and those selling guns at gun shows (big stuff in the United States and in New York) can dial a phone number and get clearance to sell a gun to an individual.

My friend the gun dealer believes that it is right and proper to do what the government asks of him. Usually, people are cleared but he says that every once in a while, someone has to be told that the feds won’t approve the purchase. The reason may be an arrest warrant or a past crime or a stint in a prison. At that point, my friend turns to the would-be purchaser and tells him that the deal is off. When the client asks why, my friend simply tells him to take that up with the federal government.

My friend is not tolerant of those who break the rules. One day, he was standing with a relative of his at a gun show. His relative, who he dearly loves, is a cop. The officer noticed that a guy who had purchased a gun from someone else at the show had no business owning one. In fact, the officer had himself arrested the man. He was stopped and the gun he had already purchased was confiscated. Someone had broken the rules.

This is where our fighting New York state Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, comes in. Schneiderman says that too many people at gun shows have broken the rules and he sent investigators out to pose as would-be purchasers. The undercover agents actually told the gun dealers that they could not pass the background check required under the law yet the salespeople still sold them the guns. Schneiderman says that they could have done this hundreds of times. Now the AG wants the Legislature to pass laws that would hold the people running the gun shows criminally responsible if firearms are illegally purchased on their watch. My friend the gun dealer says that some of the shows are constantly warning people over the public address system that they have to go through the gun check. Even if they’re just covering their own behinds, it’s still better than allowing rapists, violently mentally ill people, stalkers and many others to get guns.

Schneiderman is showing some real courage here. There is a powerful gun lobby that takes offense at any rules that would make it harder to purchase guns. My friend the gun man thinks that Schneiderman is doing the right thing, believing as he does that all the people who follow the rules are being tainted by those who do not.

Hardly a day goes by that we don’t see terrible carnage in our cities and towns. To those who maintain that guns don’t kill people but the people who pull the triggers do, I would argue that if there were tighter standards for gun ownership and fewer guns on the street, there would be less violent crime. I am not alone in this. Major police groups and people like Mayor Bloomberg agree. While my friend doesn’t agree with me on the “too many guns” argument, he does agree that rules have to be in place and vigorously enforced. Let’s face it, that’s the least we can do.

Originally published in the Legislative Gazette, 12/13/11

The shrewd Cuomo turned around and looked at the Democratic army behind him who were beginning to make faces at their leader. As he steadfastly refused to “re-up” the millionaires tax that is now in place, the great mirror on the wall told him that he is not the fairest in the land and his army and the voters could go south on him. You can take him at his word that he never meant to raise taxes or you can believe that he knew he would have to reverse his field at some point. In doing so, he would regain the trust of all those people who vehemently believe that millionaires should pay their fair share. Every poll has shown that people who don’t make more than a million dollars think that those who do should pay more. Cuomo advanced spurious arguments and painted a picture of all the rich people heading over the George Washington Bridge or the Holland Tunnel. No one bought it because it isn’t true. My bet is that Cuomo knew it wouldn’t fly and has been waiting for the moment to pull the parachute cord.

He couldn’t appear to change course until he got the Republican majority in the State Senate to reverse their absolute commitment to no new taxes. The Senate Republicans control their house by one vote so they can’t afford to lose one seat which they clearly would do should the Democratic Senate candidates point out that they voted against the so-called millionaires tax. We hear that the Republicans began to panic and there were talks of defections. My bet is that with the prospect of losing his conservative political allies, Cuomo struck, just as Roosevelt would have done. He started to talk about new “tax brackets” which would mean that many middle class (whatever that meant) voters would pay less and the wealthy would pay more. Of course, the devil is in the details and if “wealthy” turns out to be people who make more than a couple of hundred thousand dollars a year, Cuomo will have lost a lot of his new found friends.

Like the Cheshire Cat, Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver just smiled and kept his mouth shut. Do you really think Shelly would have kept silent if he didn’t know how the game was going to end? To those people who believe that this is a real defeat for Cuomo, I can just say, “Maybe.” I think the guy is so good at playing this game that this is what he had in mind all along. Machiavelli would have been proud. After all, the ends do justify the means.

Originally published in the Legislative Gazette, 12/6/11