Bruno, N.Y. Senate Leader, to Step Down

[lolamio]

Source: NY Times

ALBANY — Joseph L. Bruno, the Senate majority leader and New York State’s highest-ranking Republican, said Monday evening that he would not seek re-election in November, after a 32-year career in the Senate.

His announcement startled people in the Capitol, many of who have come to view Mr. Bruno, a former Army boxing champion who still spars for the cameras, as almost indestructible at the age of 79.

The news came three months after Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned following reports that he had been a client of a prostitution ring. Mr. Bruno and the Democratic governor were bitter adversaries, and their personal and political battles had defined Albany through much of last year.

“I didn’t see it coming,” Sheldon Silver, the Assembly speaker, said Monday night after Mr. Bruno telephoned him with the news. He added: “The senator certainly is a piece of Albany. An era ends with Joe Bruno leaving.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/nyregion/24bruno.html...

[babylonsister]

1. Holy moly. The rethug ship is really going down. nt

[baldguy]

2. I'll give you odds the old bastard has something sleazy about to be exposed.

[Ian David]

3. "His decision did not appear to be related to an ongoing federal investigation..."

His decision did not appear to be related to an ongoing federal investigation of his outside business interests, according to people with knowledge of the investigation.

Nahhhh....

Why would anyone think THAT!?!

Damn Liberal Media!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/nyregion/24bruno.html...

[redwitch]

5. well, he IS 79, wife died recently and...

he knows he won't get to be majority leader come fall. NY is going Dem all the way!

[defendandprotect]

4. At 79 . . . !!!

[JackBeck]

6. Thank goodness we don't have anyone in their 70's running for President!

[defendandprotect]

8. It's not just the years, it's a generational thing . . . I mean, pass the baton . . .

GRANTED, you know if Rep. Barbara Jordan had lived into her 70's I would have loved to see her
on the Supreme Court ---

and many others I can think of --

but there's also the idea of another generation having its turn . . .

it seems only fair to me ---


McCain -- young or old --- disgusting man !!!

[anitar1]

9. I would have voted for her in a minute. I loved the woman. n/t

[aquart]

10. Your discrimination is twisting you up a bit. Like a pretzel.

It's really safe to laud the black woman Barbara Jordan as she is safely dead and you will never be called to act upon your enthusiastic support. And just as safe to drag her, who never made old bones, into an ageist statement hoping to defuse the obvious bias by showing you have none for blacks or women as long as they're dead.

But you might want to pass up statements on age since you have so little control of your prejudice. McCain is unacceptable for many reasons and his age is the least of them.

[galledgoblin]

7. maybemaybemaybemaybe

just... maybe we'll finally see the personal gridlock in NY politics break up enough to start getting stuff done!

[David__77]

11. Where's that Dem majority?

Hasn't it been eternity since the Democrats ran that chamber? It makes so little sense to me. It's as if the Dem have ceded it in some back room deal.