Coup in Review: Albany Dems Offer Deal, GOP Balks, State Senate Still Stuck, Sampson is "CEO"

Poor Acting Supreme Court Justice Thomas J. McNamara, forced to listen to the case of the Albany Democrats and Republicans, keeps asking them to figure it out themselves, but they show no signs of breaking their deadlock. Since Hiram Monserrate left the Espada-Monserrate-GOP coalition yesterday, putting the state senate in a 31-31 stasis, the Democrats have offered the GOP members a complicated proposal with the senate presidency and floor leadership alternating daily between the two parties, and a bipartisan, six-member senate conference committee to clear bills for the floor. It would appear, under these circumstances, that if one side wanted a bill and the other side stonewalled it, it would be up to whoever was in charge that particular day to muscle it forward. The Republicans aren't going for it. John Sampson, the new, if informal, leader of the Democrats -- his official title is conference leader, though majority leader or whatever Malcolm Smith calls him the CEO -- pledges the senators will "get back to work," but we don't see how. McNamara may have to make a ruling.