We Must Come Together to Resist the IDC
When someone asks you about the most liberal areas in the United States, you’re likely to include states with diverse populations and large progressive cities, such as New York and California. These states have already enacted policies such as paid sick leave, a path to a $15 minimum wage, drug decriminalization, decisive climate action, rights for undocumented immigrants and more. While these policies are not nearly enough for the state of our drastically unequal economic system, they represent the forefront of progress in America.
However, while California is restricting ICE statewide, becoming the first ‘Sanctuary State’, New York State was recently in budget negotiations over whether millionaires should get a tax break or if they would become one of the last states to raise the age. How is the state where Occupy Wall Street and Fight For $15 began so far behind other areas of the country?
The answer: the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC)
The IDC is a group of eight New York senators who were elected as Democrats but are actually part of an independent conference which chooses to caucus with the Republicans. The group first began in 2011, after the Republicans took control of the NY senate on the heels of major scandals within the Democratic Party. The original members, Jeffrey Klein, Diane Savino, David Valesky, and David Carlucci broke away from the Democratic caucus and in a news conference, claimed that they were still Democrats but could no longer support the corrupt leadership in Albany.
While this might sound like a good move in theory, the IDC showed their true colors in 2012, when Democrats gained a slim majority in the Senate. Malcolm Smith jumped shipped, and the IDC created a power sharing agreement with the Republicans, led by Dean Skelos who is no stranger to corruption himself. They claimed that their goal was to create a “bi-partisan” coalition in Albany, even as they dis-empowered the Democrats, icing them out of their Senate majority.
In 2014, the conference finally caved to pressure to end the power sharing agreement as Democrats tried to re-take the Senate, despite rightfully winning the majority two years earlier. The IDC claimed that they ended their coalition due to the Senate’s failure to pass progressive initiatives, but after the Democrats failed to win the Senate, the IDC once again formed a coalition with Republicans.
This past November, the Democrats again won a slim majority in the Senate. However, because Simcha Felder is somehow allowed to serve as a Democrat but caucus with the Republicans, the GOP maintained their majority and the IDC once again sided with the party that is against all the progressive legislation that they claim to support. Even more infuriating, Jesse Hamilton, Marisol Alcantara, and Jose Peralta have all joined the IDC in the past few months, further standing in the way of a more progressive New York State.
Does your head hurt yet? If the IDC claim to be “proud progressives” who want to help New Yorkers, why would they decide instead to work with senators who are working to stop those same policies from reaching the Senate floor?
When you ask these Senators why they joined, they usually claim that the “bipartisan coalition” is necessary to end gridlock in the Senate and “get things done.” In practice, it’s clear that their reasons for dis-empowering New York’s Democratic Party are much more selfish, as their agreement with Republicans theoretically gives the eight-member IDC equal input over bills which come to the floor, as well as the state budget.
Rather than trying to ‘get results for the people of New York’ as Klein has said, the members of the Conference are offered more resources than Senate Democrats, such as office space, computers, and higher staff budgets. Doesn’t sound very altruistic now does it?
Meanwhile, while Jeff Klein has claimed that siding with the party they ideologically oppose is a smart move for more legislative power, the wiretapping of former majority leader Skelos revealed that Klein’s position as co-coalition leader basically means nothing:
” I’m going to be president of the senate, I’m going to be majority leader, I’m going to control everything. I’m going to control who is on what committees, what legislation comes to the floor, the budget — everything.”
Rather than trying to push for progressive policies which help all New Yorkers regardless of income, members of the IDC would rather amass more resources for themselves, even if that means siding with a state party which supports the policies and cabinet picks of Donald Trump, as well as the racism and xenophobia which has fueled his candidacy.
Policies such as Universal Healthcare, GENDA, the DREAM Act, Reproductive Health Act, early voting, and ethics reform, have already passed the New York Assembly, but without a Democratic majority in the Senate, these policies have no chance of becoming law. Regardless of what IDC members tell you, they are stonewalling real, meaningful progress in New York State.
Now, more than ever, we must come together and engage in local politics, building real change from the bottom up. Our political system is completely broken, promoting cronyism and corruption over policies which would empower the working class and the poor.
The time has come to pressure the IDC members to adopt policies which will build a more equitable system while also rejecting racism, xenophobia, and misogyny. We must let these cowards know: if you are going to work with the Republicans, then WE WILL REPLACE YOU.
Now is the time for bold leadership. If you are a Democrat who stays silent while your peers jump ship to erode progress, WE WILL REPLACE YOU ALSO.
No more half measures.
Below is a list of groups who are working to resist the IDC:
Statewide: No IDC NY, True Blue NY, Citizen Action, NYPAN, Alliance for Quality Education, Indivisible New York
NYC: Rise & Resist, NYC-DSA, All Hands on Deck NYC
Manhattan/Bronx: City Island Trump Resistance Group, Northwest Bronx Resisting Trump, Upper Manhattan/Bronx DSA, Indivisible Harlem, Indivisible Bronx
Brooklyn: New Kings Democrats, Fight Back Bay Ridge
Queens: Indivisible Queens, NYCIA Council
Staten Island: Staten Island for Change
Westchester County: Indivisible Rivertowns, Indivisible Westchester, Indivisible New Rochelle
Rockland County: Rockland United, Rockland Citizens Action Network
Central NY: CNY Solidarity, Indivisible Syracuse, CNY Progressive Action, Democracy In Progress CNY, United Democrats of Onendoga County, Indivisible Madison County, Caz Call To Action, New Feminists for Justice
[NOTE: If your group is resisting the IDC and is missing from this list, shoot me an e-mail at davidianrobin@gmail.com]
