CODA: MUST READ: NY TIMES on the Political (and Personal) Strategies That Led to Marriage Equality in the Empire State

Today, a must read front page article by Michael Barbaro that goes behind the scenes to track the efforts, under the leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo, that resulted in passage of the Marriage Equality legislation in the largest state in the US.

Explaining Mr. Cuomo's key role: "Something else weighed on him, too: the long shadow of his father, Mario, who rose to national prominence as the conscience of the Democratic Party, passionately defending the poor and assailing the death penalty. During his first few months in office, the younger Mr. Cuomo had achieved what seemed like modern-day miracles by the standards of Albany — an austere on-time budget and a deal to cap property taxes. But, as Mr. Cuomo explained by phone to his father a few weeks ago, he did not want those accomplishments to define his first year in office.

“They are operational,” he told his father. Passing same-sex marriage, by contrast, “is at the heart of leadership and progressive government.”
“I have to do this.”
The players, the advocates, the opponents, the Roman Catholic Church, were all brilliantly orchestrated in what may in fact be considered the turning point in this latest step in the long history of the progressive and civil rights movements in New York State.More here

Also in today's NY TIMES, the new Sunday Review section, which seems largely a design twist on the Week in Review, although, even after a quick scan.\, I miss the wit of Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, et al, and the selection of editorial cartoons from across the nation, which was apparently replaced by the Times first color comic.strip. More here