One thing Sen. Jeff Klein, the leader of the Independent Democratic Conference, clearly does not like is being compared to Sen. Pedro Espada.

Hell, your cat probably doesn’t like being compared to Espada, the disgraced former majority leader of the Senate who brought New York’s government to a standstill during the leadership coup of 2009 and was later found guilty of bilking the federal government for the funding of his health clinics.

But that didn’t stop the Metropolitan Council on Housing (where there’s no love lost for Espada) from comparing the IDC leader to the erstwhile leader of the four amigos.

The group did so in an email advertising tomorrow’s rally with a coalition that’s pushing for a Democratic Senate that’s taking place on the steps of City Hall.

From the group’s email:

Remember how Pedro Espada and his “amigos” thwarted the tenant agenda in 2009, blocking pro-tenant legislation and giving control of the NY State Senate to Republicans? While Espada is now behind bars, the tenant movement is still reeling from that setback. Now, Senator Jeff Klein – a top recipient of landlord contributions – has formed his own renegade group, the Independent Democratic Caucus (IDC). Klein is threatening to do what Espada did a few years ago and jump ship to support the Republicans.

Klein and the IDC have sought very hard to differentiate themselves from the amigos, releasing volumes of wonkish policy reports to show they’re middle-of-the-road legislators, not transactional politicians.

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