What's more thuggish? (a) Assaulting your girlfriend or (b) threatening to undermine your political party?
That would be (b), threatening to undermine your political party.
Remember New York State Senator Hiram Monserrate? You may know him from his immigration reform efforts. More likely, you know him from such articles as "State Senator indicted in stabbing." Either way, he is now also famous for being expelled from the New York State Senate.
Before I continue, I'd just like to say that the award for best coverage of this event goes to Kenneth Lovett of the New York Daily News, who reported that
"Women's groups argued that anything short of expulsion would be a slap in the face to domestic violence victims and all women."*
Actually, they argued that "domestic violence has no place in our society [...] and must not be tolerated in any form." But that's some funny wordplay!
See, state senator Hiram Monserrate assaulted his girlfriend in 2008. He was charged with felony assault and possession of a weapon for stabbing his girlfriend in the face with a broken drinking glass, which required more than twenty stitches around her eye.
At that time, Monserrate was in danger of defecting the party and Democrats were majority by a single vote. Naturally, he was given a committee chairmanship. Sort of like inviting the world's most hated comedian to host the Washington Correspondence Dinner but way, way worse.
One of Monsarrate's most loyal supporters was Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, who hosted a fundraiser benefiting Monserrate in March of 2009. But in June, Monsarrate defected anyway. And that's when everyone suddenly starting questioning his ability to lead.
Smith, through his spokesperson, called Monserrate a "thug." For a moment it seemed that Malcolm finally saw Monsaratte for the disgraceful domestic abuser he is. Then Monseratte rejoined and Smith praised him as "someone who we're happy to have in our conference."
So in sum: Switch parties, "a thug." Stab girlfriend, drink champagne at the Crown Plaza of Albany.
The matter is far from settled. Monsarrate's lawyer argues that the Senate doesn't have the constitutional authority to expel someone for a misdemeanor.
Yes. But they do have the constitutional authority to hate you. In the meantime, I'd like to see Kenneth Lovett hosting a comedy show on NBC. I bet he can think of some great double entendres for Haiti.
*phrase has since been removed
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Comments
Seeing this as "just' about domestic violence completely misses the whole thing. First of all, the victim here is .... what's the right word ... perhaps the old-fashioned "kept woman" is discreet and close enough? The relationship itself would be an issue, if it were an issue, if you know what I mean?
Then there's "what really happened." Monseratte claims it was all a freak accident with a shattered glass. I don't believe that.
But the only actual evidence for his convection is a security monitor which shows him manhandling her out the door, to go to the hospital. And the manhandling isn't beating her over the head or anything... and OK, is he "abusing" a woman who doesn't want to go to the hospital, but who has a serious wound? Common sense says he wants to keep this quiet and the last thing he wants to do is to call 911 and tell them he's a got freaked out woman with a bad cut who needs to go to the hospital ... and so when I think about this one, the real reason the jury convicted is that they go through the same logic I went through here, and say "we gotta convict of something, here it is."
But narrowly, dragging her to the hospital will get her there faster than 911, that's the truth.
In reality, Monseratte is being convicted for keeping a woman and being mean and abusive to her, but that's not what he was really charged with.
And then, this IS Albany. It's "sophisticated" here... meaning corrupt. Been that way for a long time ... one of the big ironies for a California boy who moved to New York is to finally be able to observe that ... "wow, California is a bigger mess than New York." That's bad, you have no idea how bad that will get.
In New York, since about the Civil War, we have an unofficial "Bear Mountain Compact." Bear Mountain is about half-way up the Hudson between Albany and NYC.
The "compact" is that to the legislators "anything that goes on in Albany, never makes it home." It's standard for legislators to keep mistresses up here, done flagrantly and openly. The standard lobbying coin of the realm is hookers.
None of this ever "goes home." The Newspapers NEVER report any of it, unless it "becomes an issue" ... meaning before a court somehow.
Eliot Sptizer, remember him? Most people don't understand that Eliot really was a "Mr. Clean Reformer" ... at least in his own eyes. He paid for his hooker with his own money. That truly is "reform" in a politician.
He just made the mistake of doing it in Washington DC, while it was run by a republican administration.
Monseratte's mistake was keeping a mistress in the City. If it had happened in Albany ... you'd never have heard of it.