"theplanesland" Thanks for that exhaustive list of Peralta's responses and you're synopsis is right on the money as too Peralta's claims (none of which I think pass the smell test, I will be honest.) I think we all know the questions posed to Peralta at the event, but I too am exhausted and maybe someone else could post those. Here is my two cents in response to the Peralta list:
1) Bullet 1 and 2 can't BOTH be true. If the Republicans are in the Majority with the infamous Simcha Felder, then why would they need the IDC votes to pass lower property taxes upstate ? If they have 32 votes without the IDC, why would they to a deal to not introduce things as a favor to the IDC ? Makes no sense. NOT TRUE
2) The property tax cap (which limits property tax increases outside of NYC) passed overwhelmingly WITH Democratic senators support. It was Governor Cuomos initiative. Mainline Democratic Senators voted for it as well. Not just the ones in the IDC. Andrea Stewart Cousins voted FOR it. Maybe Peralta wants us to believe she is a secret IDC member. This claim Peralta is making simply never happened and will never happen. Its absurd and he knows it. NOT TRUE
3) We can only hope Raise the Age and Dream Act passes but its not clear if #1 is true, why would the Republicans pass things they built their entire campaigns on against last year. Again, why would they do that ? Because the IDC backstabs the Democrats ? Watch this TV commercial Peralta's new Republican allies did last year. Its filled with anti-immigrant hate and is all about the Dream Act. They ran these commercials all over the State. But this year they will pass the Dream Act, going against their buddy Trump ? Its all just absurd double speak trying to trick his constituents:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJWICLOQpMc4) Simcha Felder has said (he said it yesterday) he will come back if the IDC does, but that the IDC refused to come back. Okay checkmate Senator Peralta, when are you coming back to the Democratic Party ?
5) Now the IDC will come back if they have more than 31 seats ? In 2014 after being threatened with primaries, the IDC said they were coming back no matter what. Then in 2015 they said it would take 32 seats. The number changes every year. So here is my question. In 2012 when they made the original backstab, the Democrats were in an outright majority and there was no Simcha Felder. Whats changed ?
6) I am guessing Peralta wont vote for a "bill" thats against our interests, but again he is trying to trick us. Most Albany legislation gets wrapped up in omnibus bills where they hide things.
Anyway, thats how I feel. Can't wait until the April meeting. If with 2 days notice 500 people came out, it will be thousands next time.
Here is some free advice to Senator Peralta. Shipping in a bunch of guys in suits people to scream "IDC" at you're neighbors, who get to vote for/against you, does not help you. Shipping in labor people to scream at you're neighbors does not help you. If you think that you need to defend the IDC against you're own neighbors, you are doing someone else's bidding and will be thrown out of office pretty quickly.
Peralta seems to be done at this point. I have never seen so much anger. There is no listening to his weird arguments. No amount of campaign tricks, or campaign flyers is going to convince hundreds of people who came out in the freezing cold, with 1 days notice on social media, in a completely organic way, to ever support him again. People came to scream at him in his face. If he is so delusional that none of this matters if 5 guys chant "IDC rules" at his neighbors, then its best he get out of government service anyway.
I do not understand why he just didn't say last night "You know what folks. I thought I was trying to help my community. But now I see that there are bigger issues at play and the community has spoken. I want to represent you and represent how YOU want to respond in this Trump climate. And after listening and sharing arguments and thoughts and ideas, I have decided to come back to the mainline Dems. No harm, no foul."
Instead, he is standing there as a tool for a bunch of people screaming "IDC rules" all of whom clearly work for the IDC leadership (which noticeably was not there last night, leaving Peralta to hang by himself). I just do not get how a intelligent person could be so off the rails. It makes you wonder how much more is behind these newspaper stories.
He needed a police escort to leave an event where 500 people came to protest him, at aTown hall that was not publicized, announced to a handful of people two day earlier, on a cold Friday day night ? Time to walk away from this very bad move he made.
