Stall tactics? Also, a new NY-21 blog

The first is this story by Times Union reporter Jimmy Veilkind, who writes that Democrats in the state Senate are accusing Republican officials of trying to stall vote counts in the 41st and 46th districts "as part of a deliberate attempt to keep Cecilia Tkaczyk and Terry Gipson, two Democratic candidates who finished ahead on election night, from being certified as winners before the Senate reconvenes in January."

That's a pretty serious accusation. Right now, Republicans control the Senate, but it appears likely that Democrats will gain control next year.

"Senate Republicans are actively trying to force governmental chaos to advance their political ends and overturn the will of the voters by purposefully delaying the counting of these races," Queens Sen. Mike Gianaris, chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, told the Times Union. "It's disgraceful and it's out of control."

The other item I wanted to draw your attention to is a new blog focusing on all things related to New York's 21st Congressional District. The 21 Blog was launched after Election Day by Jude Seymour, who worked as Republican congressional candidate Matt Doheny's spokesman throughout the campaign.

"I learned a lot from my time with Matt Doheny, including the importance of setting aside time each day to read about what our federal leaders are doing - or not doing, as the case may be - to address some of our greatest challenges as a country," Jude told me in an email. "Although I've been an active voter since 18, I only started taking a serious interest in the direction of our country in the last five years. I figure I have a lot to learn, and I know I have a lot more time to read now that I've recently joined the ranks of the unemployed. When I'm not spending time with my wife and our newborn son, I like to read. The blog is simply a collection of what I'm reading - and what I'm finding interesting."