71-67, Maryland House passes same sex marriage bill. Now goes to Senate

[Stinky The Clown]

The Senate ought to be even easier.

The is Very Good News.

[Orangepeel]

1. Woo-hoo! The Senate should pass it!

[Old and In the Way]

2. Nice to see some states are still able to do progressive legislation.

Instead of regressing back to the Dark Ages.

[Faygo Kid]

3. It will pass, O'Malley will sign it, and there you are.

Proud to live in Maryland. Michigan is home, but this is not a shabby second. Will spend some money here tomorrow, too.

[yellowcanine]

4. I agree it should pass now but there likely will be a referendum on it as well.

I am not so confident about the results of that because of opposition from AAs in Prince George's County.

[kelly1mm]

5. It will not go into effect untill after a referendum on the November ballot, along with

A referendum on the in state tuition for illegal immigrants law past last term. Still not across the finish line yet.

[Orangepeel]

6. I really wish they weren't going to be on the same ballot :-(

[many a good man]

7. Omar Little and Dick Cheney came out

in favor of this legislation. The Evil Dick is even credited with swaying at least one key Republican vote assuring its passage. Do wonders never cease?

http://dcist.com/2012/02/omar_comes_out_in_favor_of_same-sex.php

Love the Omar clip! "Let's keep it real, y'all, or Omar gonna come atchoo!"

[RZM]

8. Using Cheney and Williams is actually quite clever

What are the two groups in Maryland most standing in the way of passage? Conservatives, who probably oppose it by a wide margin, and African-Americans, who oppose it by a 12-point margin (53-41) and are close to 30 percent of Maryland's population.

These two figures take both groups head on. Cheney's got a lot of conservative cred, and Omar was a beloved (and openly gay) character on a show that brought a lot of attention to the lives of African-Americans in Maryland.

Well done, I say.