Looking down at Albany as the 2012 legislative session begins its slow march into local history, we see an aura of tranquility, justified pride in a handful of modest achievements and, above all, relief that the institution survived its decennial brush with the New York State Constitution which regrettably now permits the disgraceful gerrymandering which enables a minority party to remain in power despite diminished political strength and popular support.

The state’s daily newspapers unanimously, and strenuously, railed against the current scheme of districting which gives the legislature carte blanche to district itself at will as long as no ethnic minorities are offended. This results in boundaries which protect the number of minority voters in a district, but leave the decision as to which individuals hold these seats to the politicians who crafted the lines.

Last month saw a shift in the state legislature’s balance of competing interests.

The three centers of power in Albany are the governor, the assembly speaker and the senate leader. Two are Democrats, Cuomo and Speaker Sheldon Silver. Recently, the Democratic governor found support from Albany Republicans on a number of issues, and he has reciprocated their kindness.

In theory, the governor should align with his own party members in the legislature. However, that has not turned out to be the case this year, for both ideological and practical reasons.

Because both the Cuomo people and the governor’s staff wish to appear to be loyal Democrats, their differences with their fellow party members in the State Legislature may not be reported immediately. However, it is now taken for granted in Albany that there are marked divisions between the Democrats in the governor's administration and those who work on the Senate and Assembly staffs, whose primary loyalty is to the people who hired them. This principle of realpolitik is expressed in Rule 8FM: “Whose bread I eat, his song I sing.”