"This survey of New York state politics offers readers an inside view. The author - an Albany-based political scientist, a former State Assembly member, and an expert on political blogging and networking, as well as state politics - infuse their discussion of institutions and processes with the drama and significance of real power politics. The book covers recent political developments and electoral contests as well as all the basics, with an appreciation of the many paradoxes and dualities that distinguish political, social, and economic life in the Empire State." --Book Jacket.