2010 winners & losers
‘Tis the season to de clare the winners and losers of 2010 — one of the most crucial years ever in state politics — and there’s a bountiful supply of both.
The biggest winners were clearly the victorious statewide candidates from November — all Democrats.
That includes Gov.-elect Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General-elect Eric Schneiderman, Comptroller-elect Tom DiNapoli, and US Sen.-elect Kirsten Gillibrand.
But one Dem who breaks that mold is US Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Although he easily won re-election, political insiders agree he was a loser because Nevada Sen. Harry Reid’s victory denied Schumer a shot at being majority leader.
He’s got company with these other losers:
* Lame-duck and scandal-scarred Gov. Paterson: for his initially dramatic but ultimately failed effort to solve the state’s fiscal crisis. He will leave the state in far worse shape then he found it.
* Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch: The once-vaunted fiscal expert alienated Paterson, advocated more debt, and, by his own admission, achieved virtually nothing during his year and a half in office.
* Senate Democratic “leaders” John Sampson and Malcolm Smith: for their embarrassing conduct and possibly criminal behavior (think Aqueduct), along with horrendous decision-making — like making Pedro Espada “majority leader” — that helped bring the Senate GOP back to power.
* GOP “leaders,” like Chairman Ed Cox and his preening executive assistant, Tom Basile: for their shockingly crude gubernatorial candidate, Carl “I’ll take you out” Paladino — and his smear-mongering operatives, Roger Stone and Michael Caputo.
* Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long: for declaring Paladino a disaster, only to cynically endorse him in order to assure his dying party a ballot line.
Among other winners:
* Mayor Bloomberg: for ending up on the winning side of several key contests, most importantly by backing Cuomo and the Senate GOP — although he almost got an, um, black eye for picking Cathie Black as schools chancellor.
* Senate Minority and, it appears, soon-to-be-Majority Leader Dean Skelos: for leading the GOP effort to recapture the Senate — with the help of Democrats.
* Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver: for being the most skillful and savvy of the legislative leaders — although 2011, with Cuomo as governor, may be a different story.
* The Republican Congressional Campaign Committee: for picking up six New York seats, despite having Paladino atop the ticket.
* State Inspector General Joseph Fisch: For his bombshell probe of the Aqueduct/AEG scandal. The veteran judge and criminal investigator reminded New Yorkers just how far the Empire State has fallen in those reports.
