In the newest issue of Vanity Fair, the most awesome magazine in the world, we find this, in Michael Wolff's article about Politico.

Likewise, there is Ben Smith. Smith is 32, lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children (with a third about to be born), and is, too, a total dweeb. His blog, which he started at The New York Observer, then moved to the Daily News, and then to Politico, is another new journalism model. It has a sense of extreme autodidacticism, a kind of focus and relentlessness and unavoidability that, through sheer immediacy and constancy, forces everybody to acknowledge it—and to deal with and talk to Smith. Smith ends up being the only one as interested in what his sources are doing as they themselves are. He’s made himself his subjects’ soulmate. During the campaign, there was hardly anyone in a senior position with any of the candidates who wasn’t one of Smith’s I.M. buddies.

So let me break a lance for my friend Ben. I haven't seen him since I ran into him at City Hall for the big Joe Mesi press conference last year, when he walked up and gave me a hug. That's the secret to Ben's success, other than the fact that he has the best sources in blogdom and a gift for hitting his points exactly; the guy's genuinely nice.

In semi-related news, do you know who reads Vanity Fair these days, religiously? New York Progressive bloggers, that's who; unbearably sophisticated bunch that we are.

David Paterson announced this afternoon that he would appoint a Lieutenant Governor to fill the office left vacant when he succeeded governor Spitzer on the latter's resignation. Via press release:

Governor David A. Paterson today announced the appointment of Richard Ravitch to serve as Lieutenant Governor. The Governor announced the appointment in a televised statewide address during which he spoke about both the fiscal and government crises facing New Yorkers.

Mr. Ravitch has been called to public service numerous times throughout his career by Governors and Mayors at times of historic crises and he will now join Governor Paterson in his efforts to put New York on the road to recovery.

If one were to pick someone to fill the post in the current miasma of dysfunction, Ravich seems like an obvious choice, as someone known better for technocratic expertise than partisanship. If the governor makes this stick, the Senate might begin to function again, given his role in breaking ties in that body. Of course, that would require that the Senate muster a quorum, which seems unlikely these days.

Of course, there's always a fly in the ointment. Attorney General Cuomo's office released a statement calling the idea unconstitutional.

"The State Constitution explicitly prescribes what occurs when there is a vacancy in the Office of Lieutenant Governor. In such circumstance, article 4, § 6 states that "the temporary president of the senate shall perform all the duties of the lieutenant-governor during such vacancy . . . ."

"Article 4, § 1 of the Constitution expressly provides that "the lieutenant-governor shall be chosen at the same time, and for the same term" as the Governor. The Legislature did not authorize a Governor to bypass this provision of the Constitution and fill a vacancy in the Office of Lieutenant Governor pursuant to Public Officers Law § 43.

Arguing for the constitutionality of Paterson's naming of Ravitch is a coalition, apparently newly established, with some of the best legal minds in the state.

If Paterson makes this stick, despite what seems a clear reading of the law - not a lawyer here - it's not going to fix everything. There just is not a clear majority in the upper house, and won't be until an election or defection changes the balance of power yet again.

But you know what the most satisfying result would be? That Pedro Espada - check out the man's arrogance, asinine self-regard and sense of entitlement in the newest issue of New York Magazine - will not be even acting governor if something should happen to Paterson. Maybe we've just been spared the nightmare scenario of an acting governor Espada.

Update, twenty-four hours later: Rosalie was right. The Democrats were talking to Espada. In short, all those sources who said they'd never take him back were either ill-informed or liars.  read more »

The new Marist Poll came out today - results here - and the numbers are devastating. There's no upside here for anyone. Democrats and republicans are damaging the very fabric of government.

Who's to blame?

When it comes to pointing a finger at who’s to blame for the current Senate fiasco, voters divide. 38% say it’s the Democrats while 39% put the onus on the Republicans. 23% are unsure. Not surprisingly, majorities within both the Democratic and Republican parties blame their rival party. Non-enrolled voters divide. Breaking down the numbers by region, a plurality of voters in New York City — 47% — blames the Republicans. A plurality in the suburbs — 46% — points a finger at the Democrats. Upstate voters divide with 40% blaming the Republicans and 37% blaming the Democrats.

How is the Senate performing?

65% of New York State registered voters say the job the New York State Senate in Albany is doing is a poor one. Just 11% of the state’s electorate says the legislative body is doing either an excellent or good job. And, while Democrats and Republicans may not agree about their overall political ideas, they do agree that the Senate’s performance is shoddy. 64% of Democrats and 66% of Republicans view the Senate’s performance as poor. 67% of non-enrolled voters agree.

Long-term effects:

Looking down the road, 61% of the New York State electorate believes the Senate will be less effective in the future as a result of the current battle in the chamber. 31%, however, believe the body will be more effective. 61% of Democrats and 57% of Republicans view the impact on the Senate’s future actions as negative while 66% of non-enrolled voters concur.

The Senators need to wake up and realize that at this point, it's not about control, power or their member items anymore. It's about the institutions of the state and the legislative body they serve in.

Update: a reader emails and points out another key data point: A whopping 84% of registered voters report that, from what they have heard, the situation is nothing more than a political power play. In fact, just 12% view the wrangling as a serious effort to bring reform to Albany. Considering that the "Bipartisan reform coalition" or whatever the Espadaites are calling themselves these days derive their sole justification for overturning an election from claims to reform, that's devastating.  read more »