One Republican vote.
That apparently is the difference right now between New York State's current position on same-sex marriage - which is to say it's not legal - and legalizing it.
Of the 62-seat Senate, 31 members are now on the record in favor of the legislation to legalize same-sex marriage. Gov. Cuomo has made it a front-burner issue on his to-do list, and he's now staking a part of his political fortunes on it passing.
The deadline is Monday, the end of this year's session for lawmakers. And we, like most others, are counting votes and keeping tabs.
This legislation failed two years ago, so the hopes of hundreds of thousands of people are riding on this current campaign. Of course, an equal number of others are hoping it doesn't pass - most notably New York Catholic Archbishop Tim Dolan. If it does pass, New York would become the sixth state to allow weddings between gay and lesbian couples, and, because it would be the largest state to allow same-sex weddings, it would most assuredly pump up the campaign to take the campaign nationwide.
We'll have any new developments, at 11.
Also at 11, we'll have the latest on the Anthony Weiner internet sex scandal. The entire sordid affair has become something of a pathetic cliché, and something of a political death watch. The endgame here, which is to say Mr. Weiner's departure as a Congressman from New York, seems a foregone conclusion; the only uncertainty is when it will happen. Tonight? Tomorrow? Friday? We're on top of the story.
Back in the day, my parents owned a beauty supply store. And so, from the time I was 12 until I left for college, I worked weekends and after school at their store. My brother and I did everything - stocked shelves, cleaned display cases, cleaned the bathroom, did inventory, and then as we got older we would deliver products to beauty salons and, if we were dressed properly, wait on customers who came in shopping for hair color or wigs or makeup.
I'm not sure I'd describe all that as an idyllic childhood, but it was my childhood. And because of the demands of a family business, we learned - up close and personal - about working hard, putting in long hours, struggling to make a go of a business, pulling together as a team, and, dare I say, we learned a whole lot about our parents in a way we wouldn't otherwise have had we not been working side by side with them.
I'm thinking about those days because of our story tonight from Consumer Reports - about where you can get the best deals on makeup. Back in the day - my parents were concerned about offering customers deals, of course, but the main theme at our store was customer service.
That notion is hardly in vogue these days. Deep sigh. And so tonight at 11, we'll offer the findings of the Consumer Reports study about the least expensive places to buy make up.
We'll also have any breaking news of the night, plus Meteorologist Lee Goldberg's AccuWeather forecast, and Rob Powers with the night's sports. I hope you can join Sade Baderinwa and me, tonight at 11.
