On this page, you can select links to read various op-ed pieces that have been published by members of the Hugh L. Carey Center.

NY Parallels to California Recall

With the state Senate’s “gang of four” spoiling New York’s Senate Democrats’ celebration of their victory in the upper house, Joshua Spivak and the rest of the team at the Hugh L. Carey Center for Government Reform, thought you might find it interesting to note a recent historic parallel from the left coast. This note is adapted from his article in the publication California History -- California’s Recall: Adoption of the Grand Bounce for Elected Officials.

In 1994, the California Republican Party scored across-the-board victories, the likes of which they had not seen in a generation. In addition to their national successes, the Republican Party retained the California governorship and succeeded in gaining a razor-thin forty-one to thirty-nine seat majority in the California Assembly, their first majority in twenty-five years. The Republicans expected to be able to elect their own leader as speaker, allowing them to finally topple their long-time nemesis, Speaker Willie Brown. But Brown, a maestro of legislative politics, pulled a rabbit out of his hat. He got one of the Republicans to vote for him, tying up the legislature in knots, and then through further political maneuvers, won reelection.

This was just the start of a unique fight. Infuriated Republicans looked to the recall to revitalize their political fortunes --- with drastic results. One leading Republican called referred to the events as “Banana Republic.” On the other side, Brown managed to repeatedly outmaneuver the Republicans, including what the NYT called a “a stunning farewell display of political power.” Three recalls, two successful, eventually gave the Republicans their majority, but for just a short period of time.

The impact on the disloyal members was unsurprisingly harsh – perhaps an object lesson for the members of the gang of four. Even if NY doesn’t have a recall, they may be facing similar payback down the line.

Download the article and notes .

Running Mates

We're already hearing plenty of chatter about possible vice
presidential choices. But as pundits and politicians debate who will provide party
tickets with the most electoral bang, the one thing we won't hear is why the VP selection
is important. Read more .

NY Prez Vacuum

With Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani leading the national polls throughout 2007 (and Mayor Bloomberg eyeing a third-party run), 2008 once looked to be New York's year. But none of them will be occupying the White House in January.

Indeed, the Empire State hasn't produced a major-party nominee since 1948, and only three losing veep candidates (two of them the losers in blowouts). Read more .

Obama Clinton: McCain's Dream Ticket

It's an idea that won't die. As Barack Obama has all but sewn up the Democratic nomination, pundits continue to float the idea of a "dream ticket," this time with Hillary Clinton as the vice presidential choice.

According to its proponents, the dream ticket would draw in Clinton's faithful supporters, ward off any possible embarrassing problems at the convention, and result in the party's easy victory in November.

The dream ticket is actually a good name for this arrangement. Unfortunately for the Democrats, it happens to be John McCain's dream. Read more .

Why More Recalls? They Work

The June recall of state Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Atwater, seems to be sputtering to an end. Even the recall's most important backer, outgoing Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, has said he's abandoning the effort. Denham will likely survive the vote, but the ease of getting the recall onto the ballot shows that California politics might be entering a new phase, one in which recalls play a prominent role in partisan wrangling. Read more .

Break Their Iron Grip

After 42 years in the minority, New York State’s Senate Democrats were becoming emboldened.
Craig Johnson’s Feb. 6 win of a vacated Republican seat on Long Island put them with a hairs-
breadth of taking back control of the state Senate within two years. It also sparked talk among
Albany Democrats about “inducing” several Republicans to switch parties, thereby handing the Democ-
rats an instant majority. Read more .

Reform Not Revenge

When former Assemblyman Darrel J. Aubertine won election late last month to a New York State Senate seat along the St. Lawrence Seaway, senate Democrats began looking forward to the day, perhaps as soon as this coming November, when they might finally take control of the legislature’s upper chamber.

If and when that happens, the new Democratic majority will face a choice: whether to use their opportunity to reform a dysfunctional legislative process, or whether to take seek revenge by treating a Republican minority as they have been treated for all but one of the past 39 years.
Should a senate Democratic majority choose revenge, the rest of us who live outside the calcified bubble that is Albany, whether upstaters or downstaters, Democrats or Republicans, will once again be the losers. Read more.

Super Delegates May Sink Democrats

With the presidential nominations still very much up for grabs, the 2008 primaries have quickly shaped up as the most interesting in recent memory.

Some early predictions were that the nominations would be a foregone conclusion by now or, at the latest, after Feb. 5, when 24 states, including California, hold primaries and caucuses. But both parties' races are still so tight and in flux that there is a chance in each party that no candidate will capture enough votes to secure the nomination before the conventions. This development would lead to great upheaval for either party, but it may be a significantly bigger danger for the Democrats because of a rule enacted in 1982 by party leaders. In 2008, the result may be a Democratic convention choosing a nominee who lacks the legitimacy of being the "people's choice." Read more.

The Primary System Must Change

 After years in which party presidential nominees are effectively chosen before most voters cast their ballots, 2008's primary season has been a refreshing breath of fresh air, with real races lasting through most of the primaries - if not beyond, as we might see with the Democrats. However, it is also clear that despite this year's excitement, the two parties should look to seriously revamp their nomination systems to avoid alienating their electorate. This year's primary campaigns highlighted glaring deficiencies, one of which - the superdelegates - might still cause a giant headache for the Democrats. But if reforms are not made, future presidential races may erode trust in the selection process. Read more.

Jumping the Line

  With the Democratic primary race still tight, and discussion now centering on delegate totals and a possible convention fight, commentators have ramped up their criticism of the decisions by Democrat leaders in Florida and Michigan to jump the primary line, moving up their voting dates before Feb. 5 at the expense of losing their delegates to the Democratic convention. But the critics are missing the point: The two states have accomplished their goal, wildly succeeding in capturing influence in the primary process.
    The controversy can be traced back to the decisions by Florida and Michigan to flout the national parties' rules banning all but four states from holding their primaries or caucuses before Feb. 5. Read more.

Recalls Show Mixed Results

The recall fight against Republican state Sen. Jeff Denham, ostensibly launched because he voted against the state budget last year, could provide the recall's primary backer, Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, with a nice bonus: two-thirds Democratic control in the Senate, enough to overturn a gubernatorial veto. This wouldn't be the first time a recall based on naked political gain was undertaken. Read more.

David Paterson's Welcome

It took about seven hours for new New York governor David Paterson to get into some hot water for past indiscretions.

Coming on the heels of the Spitzer scandal, it seemed that the new governor might have to fight for his position. Instead, it appears he has been given a free pass. There are a number of reasons why almost no one is looking to remove Paterson, from scandal fatigue to the fact that he is a popular, well-known figure in Albany, to the reality that the affairs were just a personal matter. Read more.

Governors Need Not Apply

There is a widespread expectation that one or both vice-presidential nominees will be governors. After all, both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates will be senators--they could use an experienced executive on the ticket.
There is a strong likelihood that this expectation will be met. But this belief is pushing against a major historical boulder. If there has been one recent rule of vice presidential selection it is this: "Governors Need Not Apply." Read more.