Bruno Beaming....For Now

- I linked to this article from the Times on Joe Bruno's triumphant return to Saratoga in the prior post, and it certainly warrants some further discussion. I mean, look at this mug!



Is this guy in his glory or what? He floated through the crowd like a pasha down the Nile according to the piece; but it looks to me like he had that superfecta in the 10th...with both winners on top!

But the article pointedly notes that the Senate Majority Leader's number is still flashing on the tote board. There was no mention of the continuing federal inquiry into his outside business dealings. Man, an unfavorable outcome of that would certainly wipe that smile off his face, and turn the tables on this contest faster than an A-Rod grand slam.

One version of popular political dance is the one when the protagonists, upon the realization that the acrimony has gotten so out of hand as to have become an embarrassment to one or both, drift closer in a wary waltz, and pledge to put their differences aside for the good of their constituents. But there's no sign of that here. Bruno and his fellow Senate Republicans want to investigate and supboena Spitzer's aides, and perhaps the governor himself. Spitzer's office vowed to fight any investigation, thus leading us down the path to the familiar constitutional fight between the government branches and claims of executive privilege that have become so familiar in Washington, albeit over somewhat more profound issues, since the Democrats took control of Congress.

Of course, here at LATG, we're concerned about how all this will affect the racing franchise issue, and I'm not convinced that it will. Spitzer and Bruno weren't on speaking terms before the AG report, and even if they were, the Senator, as well as Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, would have to sign off on any franchise plan and/or closing of Aqueduct. Unless, that is, the numbers on the toteboard stop flashing and Bruno, who, if nothing else, is a known quantity with knowledge and personal interest in the industry, gets taken down. Then your guess is as good as mine.