Is compromise on anything possible?

I wanted to pass along a very interesting article from yesterday's New York Post on the state legislature Democrats' relationship with the Working Families Party. Well, we've finally found someone who supports the disastrous budget that the state just passed. Surprised?

I'm not writing today to have a partisan debate - but the article brings up some interesting points about the rigid inflexibility of the Working Families Party, suggesting that many of the now Majority senators are concerned about the fact that they're getting pulled too far to the left side of the political spectrum. Reading the comments by the state party's chairman, it looks like if you're aligning yourself with the WFP, that's exactly where you're positioning yourself.

The interesting thing for us is that historically their inflexibility on issues has actually helped our cause. People talk about compromise on these issues all the time - from the IDA bill or Wicks Law at the state level to "card check" at the national level. But the thing is that the other side - the WFP - doesn't want compromise. It appears that they're patient enough to wait out another election to see if they can't put the right people in office to make it so they won't have to compromise. As a result, each victory we have seems to be asterisked by "for now."

There was going to come a time when these extreme philosophies finally tread on the average voter in a visible sense - this state budget was probably it. Things like IDA reform, Scaffold Law, Wicks Law - they don't necessarily touch the average voter's mind... At least, it's difficult to make the literal connection between these bad state policies and high taxes. But this budget, and its "share the pain" philosophy (which we now know only meant taxpayers sharing the pain), has now reached down to Joe Voter. Joe wanted a better budget, and because of the inflexibility of certain special interests in Albany, he didn't get it. As a result, he's now going to have to vote for a better Legislature.

For us, the WFP remaining as inflexible as possible is probably to the advantage of state taxpayers long-term. Even in New York, the general rule of politics is that closest to the center is the best place to be. The state senate majority, in its first budget, strayed far from the center, and it's very possible that it will cost some of its members their jobs next year. We'll continue to oppose the extreme platforms and philosophies because they'll only lead to disaster. It's good to see that some state legislators are beginning to understand that.

Point in question... Check out our editorial in today's Buffalo News on IDA "reform."