An illuminating NY Times article explains the deeper reasons for the seemingly-endless deadlock at the NYSenate. First, why the GOP is fighting so hard:
Senate Republicans know the state’s voters, demographically speaking, are moving away from them. The electorate is growing more diverse in New York City and its suburbs, a trend that is likely to favor the Democrats, while the upstate region, a Republican base, has suffered a population drain. At the same time, the Republican caucus is all white and almost entirely male, with half its members 62 or older.
Republicans privately acknowledge that they face an uphill battle in regaining control of the Senate in the election next year. They are claiming that they should lead the Senate for the next year and a half. But they are also trying to take steps now — during what may turn out to be a fleeting moment of power — to undo the worst of what life in the minority party means in Albany.
And for the Dems:
For Democrats, agreeing to any power-sharing accord would almost certainly mean they have to dismantle their new administration and fire scores of staffers, or more, because they will have to divide the chamber’s administrative budget. They would also have to come to terms with the fact that their political victory that came last year was ultimately hollow.
Democrats loathe Pedro Espada Jr., the Bronx Democrat who abandoned his caucus and joined the Republicans, who then appointed him Senate president. Many Democrats simply cannot countenance the idea of Mr. Espada in such a position, a job that would have him become governor if Mr. Paterson were incapacitated.
Not much room for middle ground.
Blame Panic in G.O.P. for Standoff in Albany
I think the fact that the Republicans are so uniform in terms of age, race, and gender should tell them that something has been wrong with their policies.