Other than the fact it might have been illegal, was the expulsion of disgraced state Sen. Hiram Monserrate a bad idea? Voting to kick out Monserrate following his misdemeanor conviction for domestic assault leaves Democrats with a precarious 31-30 majority in Albany, where a 32-vote quorum is needed to pass any legislation.
According to MyFoxNY, that means one of two things will happen; more cooperation between Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans, or more of the "partisan divisiveness" that lead to last summer's gridlock. Republican minority leader Sen. Dean Skelos said the expulsion of Monserrate will cause more power-sharing. "Without a clear majority in the Senate, Democrats need to work with Republicans in a bipartisan way." But Democrat Dan Squadron says without a clear majority, any of the 61 remaining delegates can bring Albany to a halt. "Any one member can have a concerted effort to obstruct things that can be quite effective whether they're one member or 30 members."
According to political scientist Gerald Benjamin, the state Senate shouldn't run into trouble—so long as no one tries to do anything important. "As long as they don't try to do anything substantial they'll be OK. The moment they have substantial business to conduct the quarreling will happen." The super-slim Democratic majority should only last until March 16, when voters in Monserrate's largely Democratic district will decide who will take his seat (Monserrate might turn out running for it again). Monserrate is still trying to appeal his expulsion in court.
