|
Edited on Wed Jul-14-04 01:07 AM by Cats Against Frist
I watched the whole thing, basically, but I missed the end.
The Republican majority skirted committee to get this hasty and discriminatory amendment to the floor, so they could take a vote to get Democratic Senators on the record as to their stance on gay marriage.
When, after they couldn't garner anywhere near the support, they tried to change the amendment to get more support. When the Democrats said they would only OK the procedural vote on the ORIGINAL amendment, the GOP, knowing they couldn't get support -- even within their own party, they faces a potentially embarrasing split.
So, as a last-ditch attempt to fulfill their original goal, which was to muckrake some goods on the Democrats in a desperate attempt to keep from losing the Senate, and the Presidency, they decided they, then wanted a LEGISLATIVE VOTE. I missed this part, but I'm assuming that since they couldn't get it on record any other way, they stripped it down from an amendment to a piece of legislation -- so they could still get the Democrats on record.
Kerry and Edwards did ((not)) and should not have showed up for the GOP's childish, immature, divisive, hateful and political manipulation. Their votes were not needed -- unless this legislative piece passes, in which case a. since the GOP has a slim simple majority, and some Democratic support, their votes wouldn't mean anything anyway and b. the bill is absolutely useless, because it still would have to stand a Constitutional challenge -- which it would lose.
Simple as that. I'm OK with them not playing their reindeer games. Gay marriage will be legal. They don't even have a SIMPLE majority mandate in the polls, and they sure as hell don't have a 2/3. The only things they can do to halt gay marriage is on the Constitutional level, because the right to gay marriage is ALREADY implied in the Constitution. Someone just needs to challenge it and bada bing, bada boom -- it's legal. That's why they've gone fire engine on this.
It is a sure-fire loser for them.
*****edited to add the (( not ))
|