The Democrats presently lead the Republicans 32 to 28 in the Senate, with two races too close to call.

In the Senate, the biggest surpirse was Democrat Kathy Konst's apparent defeat of law-and-order Sen. Dale Volker in Buffalo while Democrats, though the race has not been officially called.

Democratic City Councilmember Joseph Addebo easily beat long time and elderly Sen. Stephen Maltese in NYC and Brian Foley pummeled Sen. Trunzo out on Long Island. Democrat Sen. william Stachowski, after trailing in early polls to a local police hero, was recused by the State party and WFP and managed to hold on to a win. Republican Sen. Kemp Hannon of Long Island narrowly survived but fortunately will be replaced as chair of the Senate Health Committee. Sen. Padavan of Queens to a very narrow lead over James Gennaro, who has yet to concede. Sen. Aubertine, a Democrat who a major upset earlier this year in a North Country special election, managed to hold on for re-election. Republican Michael Ranzenhofer won a surprisingly easy victory of local fighter "Baby" Joe Mesi in Buffalo for Sen. Mary Lou Rath's open seat while Senator Joe Robach barely managely to hold off former progressive Democratic Senator Richard Dollinger in Rochester. In the Capital District, Republican As. Roy McDonald cruised to victory against union leader Mike Russo to replace the departed Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, who is reaping in the bucks while waiting to see if the federal prosecutors will finally indict him for corruption.

“Today, change begins,” said Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm A. Smith, who is expected to become Senate Majority Leader when the Democrats take over in January.

“There is much at stake for New York families and we are committed to delivering for the people of this great state without the excessive partisanship that has stalled progress in Albany. We will rebuild New York’s economy, protect middle income families, get New York working again, and make government more accountable.”

The Senate Democrats gather in Albany today, allegedly to discuss the upcoming Nov. 18th special session on the state budget. Rumours abound that Senator Jeff Klein of Bronx and Westchester has been lining up votes to overthrow Smith, a protege of Rev. (and former Congressmember) Floyd Flake, who had been backed by former Senator Minority Leader David Paterson to replace him when he became Governor. Klein insists that he loves Sen. Smith.

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos conceded defeat and promised to be the good opposition.

"Tonight, our nation and our state witnessed a presidential landslide of overwhelming proportions. The fact that the Senate Republicans maintained so many seats against such tremendous odds is a testament to the hard work of our incumbents and candidates, and to the importance of the issues they’ve fought for on behalf of the people of this state."

"The challenges we face in this state are enormous and will require that Republicans and Democrats work together to overcome them. In the coming weeks and months, our conference will continue to stand united, and will work with our colleagues from across the aisle to address these problems."

"As we do so, we will not lose sight of what is important to the people of this state, such as reducing the crushing burden of taxation and maintaining the quality of life that New Yorkers have come to expect."

"While our numbers will be fewer our voice will grow louder, and we will continue our fight to maintain balance."

Howie Hawkins, the long time Green Party leader who got around 8,000 votes in his race for Congress, issued the following statement:

Hawkins Congratulates America on Voting for Change

Says Democrats Have “No Excuses Now”
on War, Health Care, Energy, and Economic Security

In an Election Night statement, Howie Hawkins, the Green Populist candidate for Congress in the 25th District, congratulated America on voting for change. He said that with full control of both the legislative and executive branches of government at both the state and federal level, “The Democrats can’t blame the Republicans any longer for failing to bring about the changes the people want. They have no excuses now.”

Hawkins said the voters want to end the war, national health insurance, and cuts in military spending to fund a green energy transition for jobs and economic recovery, energy security, and climate stability. “But the changes they want were not the changes the Democrats actually promised when you look beyond the their vague slogans to the specifics in their platform and policy proposals,” Hawkins said. He warned that if the Democrats fail to deliver the changes the voters expect, “we will be back with independent Green candidates to challenge them in the next election.”

The initial canvass of votes reported Tuesday night had Hawkins at 8822 votes for 4 percent. Hawkins’ vote was more than double the 3803 votes for 2 percent he received in 2000 in his last three-way race for Congress and well over double the combined total vote for the five third party presidential candidates on the ballot in the district.

Hawkins’ full Election Night statement follows:

The Democrats won big for the same reasons my Green vote went up. The voters want a full withdrawal from Iraq, a national health plan, an energy policy focused on clean, renewable energy sources, and an economic program that creates good jobs and a bottom-up economic recovery for the working class majority. That is now the Democrats’ mandate. Granted, it was the same mandate they got from the voters two years ago and nothing changed. But they now control the presidency as well as both houses of Congress. And they also now control the governorship and both houses in New York State. The Democrats can’t blame the Republicans any longer for failing to bring about the changes the people want. They have no excuses now.

Voters across America voted today for change. But the changes they want were not the changes the Democrats actually promised when you look beyond the their vague slogans to the specifics in their platform and policy proposals. The Democrats promise a partial, not a full withdrawal from Iraq, and escalation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Just as Clinton did in 1993, the Democrats plan to expand health coverage relies on public subsidies for private health insurance that will end up channeling more money and power to the insurance and drug companies and more costs to the taxpayers. Despite all their lip service to renewable energy, the Democrats have not committed to ending public subsidies for the incumbent coal, oil, and nuclear industries. Obama and Biden have repeatedly stated in recent weeks that the fiscal crisis of the federal government means they will have to slow down and cut back on their modest domestic reform program. However, they remain committed to the costly proposition of expanding the armed forces and the military budget. And they helped fast track and ram through the Wall Street bailout that has done nothing to combat the recession we are in but has definitely emptied out the treasury before they even take office.
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We are extremely doubtful the Democrats will follow through on their mandate given how they have consistently rolled over for financial elites and the military-industrial complex on everything from the Patriot Act and the Iraq War early in the Bush administration to warrantless wiretapping, telecom immunity, and the Wall Street bailouts in the last few months. The record of the Democrats is to take the peace, environmental, and working class vote for granted and turn a deaf ear to those voters once the election is over. Barack Obama, Dan Maffei, and the Democrats need to remember that the voters want peace, economic security, and environmental sanity, not more bailouts, tax cuts and other corporate welfare for their rich contributors.

I’m afraid that we have already seen the first retreat by Obama and the Democrats from the voters’ mandate for universal health care. Obama and his advisors are already saying that universal health care will be too expensive, that the best we can afford is incremental expansion of coverage in light of the fiscal crisis. But the reality is that the fiscal crisis means we cannot afford anything but a single payer health plan. We can afford health care for all if we are willing to eliminate the vast sums of money wasted by our system of private for profit health insurance. It will save us money, not add to our deficits. The rest of the world understands that a single payer health care system is the most cost effective way to provide quality health care for all its citizens. The US already spends more money per capita on health care through Medicare and Medicaid than any other country. The main difference is that the rest of the industrial countries cover everyone through an efficient single public payer and have far better health care outcomes as a result of universal coverage. The only issue is whether Obama and the Democrats will put the needs of the average voter ahead of the needs of the insurance industry and drug companies that have filled their campaign coffers.

In the coming weeks and months, we will be watchdogging. We will be organizing. We will be speaking out. We will be pushing the Democrats to follow through on the voters’ mandate for peace, health care, clean energy, and jobs and economic recovery. And if they fail as we expect, we will be back with independent Green candidates to challenge them in the next election.