Cuomo Makes Power Grab Over The Assembly

Cuomo gave a speech yesterday laying out ethics reforms that he says the Legislature must pass or he will force a government shutdown.

He took aim at the Assembly, laying out a plan to weaken the Assembly Speaker position, but took no such aim at the State Senate Majority Leader:

Mr. Cuomo said the second part of his plan is to amend the state constitution to prevent legislators convicted of corruption from receiving a public pension, while the third is to weaken the position of Assembly speaker by limiting its influence over the members of the body.

“The rules of the state Assembly centralize power so that individual members are virtually powerless to move legislation. This is the Assembly’s opportunity to enact a new, fair and open system,” he said, echoing the ideas of the 23-member “reform” caucus that emerged in the Assembly following Mr. Silver’s arrest.

He did not outline any plan to similarly loosen the grip of the State Senate majority leader—which, combined with the speaker and the governor, forms the “three men in a room” arrangement that steers state government.

No other way to see this other than a power grab - weakening the Democratic-controlled Assembly while leaving the GOP-controlled State Senate untouched.

If Cuomo cares so much about reform, then he should take aim at the GOP-controlled Senate too.

But he doesn't want to do that because they already largely do his bidding.

Basically he wants to make "Three Men In A Room" into "Two-And-A-Half" - subsuming a bit more power for himself by weakening the Assembly Speaker position.

And he intends to get his way:

Mr. Cuomo anticipated resistance to the plan, but said he would force the state legislature’s hand—even if it meant shutting down the state government.

“The governor can effectively say to the legislature, ‘Either pass my budget, or shut down the government,” he said. “Change is disruptive, and transformative change is highly disruptive. And make no mistake, this will be highly disruptive.”

 Classic Shock Doctrine stuff - using a "crisis" to grab more power and control for himself.