NY Senate Rules Changed Mid-Stream to Accommodate Democrats' Desire for Media Publicity

NY Senate Rules Changed Mid-Stream to Accommodate Democrats' Desire for Media Publicity

This is how deeply complicit the GOP leadership in NY was in passing gay marriage: they even changed the senate rules several times in a day, and silenced senators who wanted to speak -- in order to vote in time for the 11 p.m. news:

Essentially the Senate rules were changed in a backroom agreement before session started and then changed again during the vote to make sure it would be concluded to make the 11 p.m. newscasts.

Sen. Kevin Parker, a long time proponent of same-sex marriage was informed by Senate staff that he would not be able to explain his vote. He was livid. He cursed out the governor and eventually stormed to the podium where Duffy was presiding–a number of other Democratic senators followed him–seemingly to calm him down.

Earlier when Sen. Ruben Diaz tried to lay the marriage bill aside he was ignored. Normal senate procedure allows for any senator to lay a bill aside for debate. It gives legislators a chance to debate the bill then when they vote, they again have the chance to explain their vote. But the rules weren’t the same.

... A number of other Democrats acknowledged to me that the governor’s office was pushing hard to move the debate forward so that Cuomo could make the 11 p.m. newscasts. “11, 11, 11,” that’s all they were saying said one Democratic senator. --Gotham Gazette