The war of words between two competing factions of Democrats in the state Senate took a new turn on Monday, as a group of breakaway Democrats issued a new challenge to their rivals. But as Zack Fink explains, it's also an attempt to draw attention away from a scandal over stipends.
For the last week and a half, Albany has been embroiled in a scandal over stipends that are being received by members of the independent Democrats, or IDC, and the Republicans who they share control with of the state Senate.
But on Monday, the eight members of the IDC released a video in an attempt to change the conversation.
"There has been much misinformation and grandstanding about whether the independent Democratic conference stands on key progressive issues," state Senator Jeff Klein says in the video.
The IDC video challenges their rivals, the mainline Senate Democrats, to sign a pledge for all of their members to support seven progressive issues, including a bill codifying abortion law.
"In the era of Donald Trump, women need protection now more than ever," state Senator Diane Savino says in the video.
The IDC is calculating that on some of the key issues, particularly the abortion issue, not all mainline Democrats support a women's right to choose.
Mainline Democrats dismissed the pledge as a gimmick.
"When we are looking at the IDC pledge support to Republicans, only last week they did this, it doesn't help get us to the unity we need to accomplish these very issues," said state Senator Michael Gianaris of Queens.
"I think it's time to draw a line in the sand," Klein said. "If you are a Democrat, act like a Democrat. Sign the pledge. You shouldn't be ashamed of your support for these core issues."
On Tuesday, Democrats are expected to win a special election in Harlem. That would mean elected Democrats have 32 members in the Senate, which is the magic number for control of the chamber.
But Brooklyn Democratic Senator Simcha Felder, who caucuses with Republicans, has pledged to continue doing so. That means even if the IDC and mainline Democrats were to reunite, they would still fall short of 32 votes without Felder.
"Tomorrow, we will once again, for the fourth time in the last four years, have 32 Democrats in the chamber. And if we can all work together, we can actually get some of these things done," Gianaris said.
Insiders say all the back and forth between the two rival Democratic factions only makes it less likely they can work together someday for a majority. Members on both sides agree the well at this point has been poisoned.