The People Pay For the Albany Fiasco by Steve Adubato, Ph.D. CBS 2 Political Analyst

You don't need this blogger to tell you what a disgrace it is in Albany these days. It also doesn't matter that Senator Hiram Monserrate has now apparently rejoined the Democratic fold after bolting to the GOP last week. It's all a circus, it's all a shame. It's great media fodder. The intrigue, the personalities, the rich fat cats like billionaire and perennial failed state-wide candidate Tom Golisano— all these elements make the Albany fiasco fascinating on many levels.

There's only one catch— while Albany is in shambles, and the Senate is now apparently deadlocked at 31 votes each with an apparent Senate president in Senetor Pedro Espada, Jr. (who is facing a range of ethical and fundraising investigations), it all comes down to one simple fact: the important business of New York State will not be done anytime soon. State government must act on the question of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's controlling the New York City public schools. There are huge questions regarding tax and spending policies. New York has a governor in David Paterson who is also the former Senate democratic leader, who is so weakened politically, that no one takes what he says or does very seriously.

The irony is that a clown like Monserrate gets so much attention, not for any important legislation or policy efforts he is engaged in, but rather, because he not only keeps flip-flopping from party to party, he happens to be facing charges for allegedly slashing his girlfriend in the face with glass. Gridlock reigns supreme in Albany, and Espada and Monserrate will try to have you believe, along with Tom Golisano and his very deep pockets, that they are somehow doing something heroic and significant. They are not. They are simply involved in a power grab, and for now they have succeeded.

I can't blame the Republicans for participating in this coup, because the Democrats' hold on the Senate majority was tenuous (at best) when they elected an incompetent legislator like Malcolm Smith to lead their efforts. How could Senator Smith not see this coming? How could Governor Paterson, with all his years of Senate experience, not see this coming? The fact is, while the New York tabloids and those of us in the broadcast news media have a field day with this story, Albany and New York State have become a laughing stock across the nation. The Democrats now look for the courts to nullify Senator Espada's ascendance to the Senate Presidency and reestablished the Dems as the party in power. Even if that happens, it won't create any stability in Albany, because the fact is, there is a massive lack of leadership upstate, and no court in the world can keep a legislative body functioning and doing the business of the people.

Before I became a journalist, I served in the New Jersey State Legislature. Even though I saw some pretty petty Legislative politics in Trenton, I've never seen anything so embarrassing and disgraceful as what's going on in Albany. Governor Paterson, Mayor Bloomberg, Andrew Cuomo, Rudy Guiliani, as well as every serious and concerned citizen and media organization must speak out and demand that the state senate in New York get its house in order immediately. If not, there is no conceivable reason why any of these clowns should be reelected, much less rewarded for their antics.

There's so much blame to go around, and blaming won't solve this. The only thing that will is the fear of voter backlash and significant political consequences for the very bad actors who have created this calamity in the New York state house.