To Set the Record Straight

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York

To Set the Record Straight

You should know that I have been reading, here and there, different statements attributed to me, and some of them indicating my willingness to give my support for the State Senate to Dean Skelos and the Republican Conference.

You should also know that four years ago, in 2008, when the Four Amigos came into being, my mission at that time was to stop the gay marriage from becoming a law in New York State.  There were many different offers and wheelings and dealings from different people about who would become the leaders of the Senate.  Two of the Four Amigos, Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada, even got to the point where they jumped ship and crossed over to the Republicans making Skelos the Senate Leader.

With all of those pressures and with my mission to stop gay marriage, you should know that I never switched parties, never abandoned my Democratic Conference, and never gave my vote to the Republican Conference.

I have to make it very clear, taking a passage from my son's lectures to me, that it’s one thing to vote with the Republicans on legislation in order to benefit the community, and it is completely different thing to abandon the Democratic Conference and give the Republicans control the Senate. One thing is legislation, and the other is party politics.

Everyone knows that I have always been a Democrat, I am a Democrat, and I will be a Democrat.  The only difference is that I am a conservative Democrat.  I am a pro-life Democrat, meaning that I am against abortions.  I am a traditional marriage Democrat, meaning that I am against gay marriage, and that I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman as God created.

That said, you have to understand and I want to make it very clear that if four years ago, when my mission was to stop gay marriage and I did not jump ship and abandon my Democratic Conference, why should I abandon my Conference now that gay marriage has become law in the State – thanks to Dean Skelos and the Republican Party?

I don't think there is anything that the Republican Conference could offer me now that I could not get from my Democratic Conference. I am a Democrat elected by a Democratic community, I have always been a Democrat, and I will always be a Democrat fighting teeth and nail, to protect senior citizen benefits, better education for our communities, affordable housing, health services, immigration issues and those services that the Democratic party have always fought for.
 
My advice to my colleagues within my Democratic Conference is that nobody should take my vote for granted about who should become the Leader of my Democratic Conference, no matter if they are Black, White, Hispanic, Jewish, or Christian.

So let it be known, and let it be written, and let’s stop all of the rumors now and forever, because I am a Democrat and I will be voting with my Conference, and I will be voting for a Democrat as the Leader.

This is State Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know.