The City's most powerful editorial board places a shot across the bow of the Albany establishment this morning, endorsing two young reformers over incumbents that have become institutions, while swatting away a challenger deemed inadequate.

On Daniel Squadron (SD-25, endorsed over incumbent Senator Martin Connor):

In the 25th State Senate District in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, another challenger deserves support. He is Daniel Squadron, an energetic former aide to United States Senator Charles Schumer who is running against Senator Martin Connor. Mr. Connor has been in this seat for three decades and accomplished far too little. He has also made a good living as an attorney bumping potential candidates off of New York ballots. Mr. Squadron says he is committed to cleaning up Albany and that serving in the Senate would be his only job. If Mr. Squadron wants to prove his commitment to reform then he still needs to be more forthcoming about his financial holdings. That said, we endorse Mr. Squadron as an enthusiastic new outsider.

On Paul Newell (AD-64, endorsed over incumbent Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver):

Of the two challengers, Paul Newell, a community activist with deep roots in the Lower East Side, has the stronger credentials. Luke Henry, an attorney who moved into the district more recently, is working hard. Mr. Newell has done a better job of identifying Mr. Silver’s weaknesses: mainly, his devotion to closed-door politics, including his refusal to disclose details about his outside income. Mr. Newell is also pledging to support congestion pricing and to press for a nonpartisan redistricting commission, which is essential for real change. In the 64th Assembly District, we endorse Paul Newell.

On Adriano Espaillat (AD-72, incumbent):

As eager as we are to see change in Albany, there are a few incumbents that deserve re-election. One is Democratic Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat, who is defending his seat in Northern Manhattan’s 72nd Assembly District against City Councilman Miguel Martinez. Mr. Espaillat has united blacks and Hispanics in Albany, and he has spoken out for thousands who were being evicted as developers sought higher rents.

Poor Mr. Brinker at NextGenDems "blog" must be smashing his little fists against the keyboard in fury at this impertinence. Heh.

Moveon.org, the Progressive activist powerhouse, is presently in some hot water with the usual suspects for having the astonishingly poor taste of telling the truth, in the New York Times, no less.

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In a short article in The New York Times, you'll find a snapshot of New York State's biggest challenge: the withering of an entire region, upstate New York, by a slow process of industrial decline, economic stagnation and, flowing from that, population loss.

Buffalo, the state’s second-largest city, lost 16,114 residents, or 6 percent of its population. Rochester, the third-largest city, lost 10,352 residents, or 5 percent. Yonkers, the fourth-largest city, grew by 1 percent, or 1,524 residents. Syracuse, the fifth-largest city, lost 5,574 residents, or 4 percent.

That kind of population loss normally occurs only in wartime. By way of illustration: if New York City had lost six percent of its population of eight million since 2000, that would work out to a bit less than half a million, a catastrophic loss. That's what's happening upstate.

Ha Ha, Newt Gingrich.

The New York Times has an interesting piece on the front page today, about the leftward drift of the younger generation.

Young Americans are more likely than the general public to favor a government-run universal health care insurance system, an open-door policy on immigration and the legalization of gay marriage, according to a New York Times/CBS News/MTV poll. The poll also found that they are more likely to say the war in Iraq is heading to a successful conclusion.

They have continued a long-term drift away from the Republican Party. And although they are just as worried as the general population about the outlook for the country and think their generation is likely to be worse off than that of their parents, they retain a belief that their votes can make a difference, the poll found.

More than half of Americans ages 17 to 29 — 54 percent — say they intend to vote for a Democrat for president in 2008. They share with the public at large a negative view of President Bush, who has a 28 percent approval rating with this group, and of the Republican Party. They hold a markedly more positive view of Democrats than they do of Republicans.

Now would be a good time, I suppose, to trot out the over-used Churchill quote that a young person who is not liberal has no heart, an old person who is not a conservative having no common sense, or something to that effect. That wouldn't do this justice, however.