Bruno Not Seeking Re-Election
-
- June
- 23
The bombshell news hit the state Capitol late today, according to sources, that Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno will not seek re-election in the fall.
Republican sources say he just told his conference behind closed doors. The speculation has been out for weeks that Bruno, at age 79, will not run for another term.The implications are tremendous for Republicans, who are clinging to a two-seat majority in the Senate. Without Bruno, the party is losing its top voice, especially for upstate causes.Bruno’s successors, according to one GOP source, include Assemblyman Roy MacDonald or Bruno’s son, Kenneth, former district attorney in Rensselaer County.And there’s the question of who would be majority leader if Republicans keep the Senate: The likely candidate is Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County. But Binghamton Sen. Thomas Libous has also been eyeing the job.
This entry was posted
on Monday, June 23rd, 2008 at 6:40 pm by Joseph Spector.
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now you know..if nick spano were still in the senate
he would be number 2…how much would that mean to
the 35th district?
Almost ALL of them up in Albany are Number Two.
(If you get my drift, said the snowstorm to the outhouse)
YOU’RE 100% RIGHT CONSULTANT..
RE: Spano seat…..Screw the seat…We are/could be losing the State Senate which is the much bigger picture then local, yokle poltics.
RE: Spano & Bruno deals….This is why the New York State Republicans have been in trouble for many of years now. (Many of the GOP Senators now tell me I was right along)
Those who controlled the sinking NY State GOP…... which is also known as the “NYS Titanic Party”........Are now left with nothing more then “Floating Deck Chairs” remaining in Albany…........
Those who controlled the NY State GOP for the last 12 years have severely lacked common sense and had their blinders on with the true reality of State Politics:
Those in the NY GOP Party & Albany have….......
“Albany Tunnel Vision”,
“Albany Tunnel Vision”,
“Albany Tunnel Vision”,
“Albany Tunnel Vision”,
“Albany Tunnel Vision”,
“Albany Tunnel Vision”,
“Albany Tunnel Vision”,
The NY GOP has NO common sense outside of the Albany Beltway…
(Same problem as the Washington Beltway Boys)
Those in the Albany GOP – Forgot about core Republican values and about their constituents back home.
The NY GOP Forgot about fighting about “Social Issues,” “2nd Amendment Rights” and “Fiscal Conservative Budgets” which was in tune with their GOP base back home.
NY Albany Republicans stuck New Yorkers with “Billions in new taxes and spending” which in return has cause over “One Million New Yorkers” to FLEE Upstate New York with economic development at a decline.
NY Albany Republicans abandoned true Conservative Issues and Sold out on every issue they were supposed to stand for just to protect “Ultra Liberal” seats like Senator Spanos down in Westchester.
NY Republicans sold their soul to protect one or two senate seats. (All which failed BTW)
True Corporate Executives (Which is NOT our NY GOP) would have brought in experts (Not political hoe’s like Bruno and the boys did) to help out the sagging and sinking NY State GOP.
Elections & seats were being lost on the Congressional Levels – Statewide Levels -& County Levels all across this State for many of years now, .........The loss of these political seats and fundraising capabilities CLEARLY was a sign of the demise of the NY GOP….Bruno & Company did nothing for 12 years to protect the GOP.
The NY GOP had the same old political hoe’s as their consultants who were doing their campaigns across the State. (Mahoney, Finkelstein come to mind)
The NY GOP backed losing Liberal Politicians as K.T. McFarland for US Senate and Rudy Guilani for President….Most Conservatives (As myself) told the GOP that things had to change …..
I actually had Senators tell me that Rudy Guiliani was the guy to win everything and that I had no clue on what I was talking about.
(Rudy BTW, never even got to first base with one delegate )......
This arrogance to me by Albany GOPers, proved to me that NY Albany GOP CLEARLY had common sense problems and were out of touch with the common man across the State
“Albany Tunnel Vision”,
“Albany Tunnel Vision”,
“Albany Tunnel Vision”,
“Albany Tunnel Vision”,
“Albany Tunnel Vision”,
“Albany Tunnel Vision”,
“Albany Tunnel Vision”,
Are the answers to the failed NY GOP.
Jim Kelly – NY Conservative Campaigns
Jim Kelly’s points should not be ignored.
I was in upstate Amsterdam four weeks ago. Amsterdam is a suburb west of Albany. It looks like Flint, Michigan, when Michael Moore shot his flick there.
In fact, if anyone—on either side of the aisle—had cared, Amsterdam might still be a viable small city today.
But nobody paid attention. Or cared.
Now, Amsterdam is in distress.
What happened to Amsterdam could be the fate of any other New York area, if elected officials continue to agree with one another to the detriment of their constituents.
there is no question, tim, my good friend, that upstate
new york is suffering greatly….I had occasion to visit
Plattsburgh…..only one hour from Montreal..It used to
be a vibrant city where canadians would shop for American
goods and visit the great beaches on Lake Champlain..Now
it looks more like Apillacia…but to jim kelly’s point
New York State has produced presidential candidates
in abundance…no longer..it has produced national
leaders in the senate..no longer…Since the founding
of the Conservative Party by Dan Mahoney…...and the
law allowing cross endorsements..the republican party
has become lifeless….but Jim is right arthur finkelstein
and his “boys” have become multi millionaires while
the party has disintegrated…over time…the mantra
liberal too long..liberal to a fault ..too liberal
etc has become antiquated….and the conservative party
has become the tail that wags the dog….all about
being pro life..in a state where 80% of the electorate
is pro choice and couldn’t give a rats ass about that
issue…so at last glance democrats picked up 400,000
new voters …republicans picked up 4100…thats
no coincidence…republicans nominate those who are
acceptable to the conservative party..faso ,,,spencer
and even pirro for ag…all hooks to pataki,
mahoney, and the rest…they were in the business
of making money…they cared very little about
the party…now the party really doesn’t exist…
and won’t until the conservative party is out of
business
Wrong my friend….The NY GOP is Conservative.
I should know as I travel the State and work these Campaigns in one form or another.
Why do you think just recently that Weld lost to Faso and Pirro lost to Spencer?
It was the Upstate Grass Roots who threw the Liberal Candiates overboard for the more Conservative Candidate.
Furhter – If the Conservative Party was not in business – the NY GOP Senate would have been out of business years ago.
Jim Kelly – NY Conservative Campaigns
I respectfully disagree..if the new york state conservative
party were out of business the republican party would
be functional…not dysfunctioanal…and conservatives
would have to choose between very liberal democrats and
moderates…rather than forcing independent voters to
choose between democrats and very conservative repubicans
Jim: slip of tongue (or keyboard!) in “furh(t)er.” lol—
Mel Brooks would have fun looking at this.
Consultant (my friend) cut his teeth in NY politics when two parties were on the ballot. CONS were just getting Jim Buckley; LIBS had Javitz. REPS had both (at a time). Until Moynihan. And D’Amato.
Consultant is right. Cross-party endorsements dilute any elected official’s strength.
Rudy, for example (a great prosecutor) had to oblige Ray Harding’s Liberal Party in the city, thus leading to its demise and replacement by the Working Families Party.
When I grew up in California, one of the great political stories was that of Earl Warren (like him or not) who was the candidate of both Republicans AND Democrats in 1948—before California outlawed cross-primary voting.
I LOVE the New York Conservative Party, as I grew up both a fan of WFB—AND as a member of YAF as a kid, during the Vietnam era.
In 1970, when I was walking precincts for Reagan, in his re-election campaign for governor (as consultant, then a young lawyer, was working for Uncle Nelson here), we lost toe-tapping George Murphy in his re-election campaign for US Senator (to Tunn-edy). Yet, we in HS in Granada Hills rejoiced, “WE got Buckley in New York!”
Now: we all grow up, through the years. Moynihan eventually became my favorite senator, even though he’d beaten WFB’s brother, six years after my HS time.
Our times need to be measured.
More later. (No Gilda Radner here; just busy.)
But I like Jim Kelly’s ideas, despite teasing.
It is astounding that the Consultant continues to blame Conservatives for the decline of the NY Republican Party. You can say it one thousand times, Consultant, but that still won’t make it true.
The Republican Party is fouled up because of Pataki’s last term, maybe his last two terms, because of the likes of Bruno, and because Republicans began kissing up to unions and special interests, and starting spending like Democrats.
But to the Consultant, it’s the Conservatives fault. No sale.
you raise an interesting point…wahoo..but here is my
premise…republicans in new york need to cobble together
a coaltion of ind party and consv party endorsements
in order to do that they have to sell their souls..
now if there were a true two party system..maybe
republicans wouldn’t be so ultra right..but maybe
they could finally attract the voters that determine
the outcome..those in the middle
Ultra right? Since when? Nick Spano went along with partial birth abortion, for one example.
Not ultra right. Ultra LIGHT. As in Dem Light. That’s the Republican’s problem, as I tried to explain above. The Republican party has lost its indentity. It stands for not much at all, and worse—it goes along with, and acts like, Democrats. If voters can’t really see a difference, the Repubicans are in trouble.
And there is no way to underestimate the damage done by Pataki, and Bruno, and others like them in Albany and locally.
I agree with Wahoo. New Yorkers gave Pataki a chance and originally he appeared to be a fiscal conservative. Somewhere down the road he started making deals with Dennis Rivera and started spending money like Democrats. Same thing with Bruno who was picked to replace Marino, who was seen as too cozy with Mario Cuomo.
As for the two party system, America is the only major democratic country with anything close to a two-party system. But we have freedom of speech and association in this country. You can’t ban small parties because you don’t like them. Democrats have smaller parties that they have to deal with as well. To blame the Republican demise on third parties does not add up.
Ian—how come you, me and many thousands of others can see that, but the Consultant can’t? Let me offer a guess. As someone who really is an “Inside The Beltway” and Javits-Rockefeller kind of Republican, he is unwilling to look in the mirror. It is much easier to blame the Conservatives.
Wahoo: from another post I’ve lost track of: you think Bruno’s departure was a “silent coup”?
As to the Conservative Party: in 1990, rather than vote for “pomme frites” I voted proudly for Herb London for governor. Haven’t lost a minute of sleep since.
And finally: Pataki was no RWR as governor, even given the post-9/11 mood he was forced to confront. He left our state, and our Republican Party, in pretty bad shape.
I agree that george pataki will go down as one of the
worst governors in new york state history…he was
interested in two things…insuring he re-eeletion
by listening to the sage advice of arthur finkelstein
and Kieran Mahoney.and making sure his major supporters
and contributors were taken care of…But having said that
you simply cannot win with a pro life position in a statewide election in new york..not possible..never happen
so if the conservative party stopped emphasizing that
and stuck to fiscal issue then they would be a more
constructive influence on the republican party..in fact
when I ran for congress and I interviews and got conservative party support..not one quesetion about
abortion was asked..only about tax policy, and strong
foreign policy….with mike long as chariman however
pro life has moved to the top of the list..and
in new york makes it virtually impossible for
a republican to win