Albany sometimes beggars belief — and one of those times was yesterday, when five dissident Democrats hooked up with the state Senate’s fading Republican majority to form a governing coalition that promises no end of banana-republic buffoonery in coming months.
Back to business as usual, in other words.
The so-called Independent Democratic Conference linked up with Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos’ Republicans to form two independent caucuses that will alternate fortnightly to run the body.
The deal is confusing enough on paper — just imagine what it’s going to be like operationally when the Legislature convenes early next month.
Skelos, whose hopes to maintain outright control of the Senate were all but dashed on Election Day, will retain some power and perks.
The Democratic rump group, led by Sen. Jeff Klein of The Bronx, will get its goodies.
And the present Senate minority, behind Brooklyn’s John Sampson, is out in the cold — even though two as-yet-undecided Senate contests seem likely to go to the Democrats.
Jeffersonian democracy, this surely is not.
But then, in Albany it never is — certainly it wasn’t back in 2009, when Democratic faction-fighting produced a leadership coup, a counter-coup and weeks of such amazing turmoil that Albany became a national political punchline.
It’s interesting that two principal players in that drama — Hiram Monserrate of Queens and Pedro Espada of The Bronx — are now on their way to prison, while a third, Sen. Malcolm Smith of Queens, also under investigation, on Monday joined the Independent Democratic caucus.
Skelos and the GOP, meanwhile, brought much of their misery upon themselves — proving unable even to capitalize on a new Senate seat ostensibly drawn to Republican specifications during the recent legislative-reapportionment dealing.
So now it’s Skelos and Klein and — what?
Just how will their Rube Goldberg gizmo function? Most likely, not at all.
And even if it does, it stands to be a major headache for Gov. Cuomo — who most suspect wanted a clean GOP majority because the totally transactional Skelos would be far easier for him to control.
Instead, obviously, he got something less.
What’s clear is that the old Albany tradition of placing power above principle prevails. Neither Democrats nor Republicans care a whit about principles — indeed, they no longer even care about the appearance of principled politics.
Cuomo’s reputation for competence is well-earned — even if it has been enhanced by comparison with the sad performances of his three predecessors.
Now he really has his hands full.
We wish him the best.