Seems the awakened electorate has grabbed its pitchforks! The oft-ignored State Senate has become the latest fault line. Jesse Hamilton is beginning to feel the heat from angry constituents (he's got a chunk of Crown Heights, Lefferts, Park Slope, Sunset Park) who are not amused that he's been spotted holding hands with the Upstate Senate Republicans. You can read and/or sign the petition that's going around if you like. Do remember though that the IDC is a bit of a parliamentary ploy, and not as simple to pigeonhole as Democrats Gone Bad (DGB). Still, anyone who hears about his caucusing with Republicans instantly breaks out in hives. It's a condition, and with the current allergens in the air, it's only gonna get worse.
The text of the petition is pasted below:
Sen. Hamilton was voted in as a Democrat and he needs to act like one! In November 2016, he joined the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), a group of NY State Senators elected as Democrats but aligned with Republicans. They allow Republicans to BLOCK:
- DREAM Act to provide tuition assistance to children of undocumented immigrants
- Women’s Equality Act to codify Roe v. Wade in New York law
- GENDA to protect LGBT New Yorkers from discrimination
- Voting Reform including early voting and automatic voter registration
- Criminal Justice Reform including “Raise the Age"
- Campaign Finance Reform and Ethics Reform to clean up Albany corruption
- Single payer health insurance
- Tenant protections to keep housing affordable and reversing Vacancy Deregulation, which has removed tens of thousands of rent-controlled and rent-stabilized apartments necessary for working class families and seniors
As voters in his district, we demand that Jesse Hamilton immediately return to the Democratic Caucus or resign from office to allow for a special election.