Gay Marriage/Civil Unions in 10 years

[Smash255]

Vermont is in the middle of pushing for gay marriage. 

[Smash255]

It should get at least 25 votes out of 30.

I just wanna say, that the bill just passed the state senate by a vote of 26 to 4. I was a little too conservative with my prediction.

You beat me by two minutes.

Did you watch the vote/debate? It was really great.

And I just wanna say, funny thing, 4 Republicans voted for this, as opposed to 3 who didn't. The majority of senate Republicans support marriage equality in Vermont.

Yeah, I was watching it over at Burlington Free Press.

The one Democrat who voted against this was Bobby Starr of Essex. What is it with people named Starr and being against gay marriage?

I only worry about what Douglas will do. Do the Dems have enough votes in the House to override a potential veto? Will the fact that the majority of Republicans in the Senate voted for the bill influence his decision?

The Dem majority in the House is just more than 2-1  (96-47) with 5 members of the Vermont Progressive Party, and 2 Independents.   Not sure what the support levels are at, but unless a higher % of Democrats are opposed to it than % of Republicans in favor of it, it would pass an override.

[Smash255]

In addition say they are vacationing in some place without these laws and one of the partner falls ill, their partner wouldn't even have a right to see them. I was reading a story in some other thread where a partner was not allowed to see her dying significant other because they were not in a "gay friendly city". A 16 year relationship was invalidated by one asshole. Are you ok with that?

The story about this can be read here:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flrxgaysuit0626sbjun26,0,3396801.story

On a somewhat related note, I read that Chuck Schumer has shifted from supporting civil unions to full-blown gay marriage and a repeal of DOMA.  With Sen. Gillibrand and Gov. Paterson and former Gov. Spitzer also supporting it, this now appears to be the mainstream position in New York Democratic politics.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/24/nyregion/24schumer.html

Cuomo and DiNapoli as well.

[Smash255]

I bet there is going to be an initiative to get it on the ballot? Or is that not possible?

Its Vermont, even if it finds its way to the ballot, it would go down in flames.  Douglas just lost re-election if he runs again because of this.

[Smash255]

That ad is really sad...  Not going to work here.

[Smash255]

     Didn't Governor Lynch of NH threaten to veto a bill that allowed gay marriage though? I might be remembering incorrectly.

Your probably thinking of Vermont Governor Jim Douglas, who threatened and did veto the Gay Marriage bill and was then overrode by the VT House & Senate.

Lynch pushed for Civil Rights a few years ago, and at the time stated he was against Gay Marriage, but hasn't said if he would veto a bill or not.  A Gay Marriage bill recently passed in the NH State House and is awaiting action in the State Senate.

[Smash255]

Are 31% of adults in NY age 18-34 like the poll has? That seems a little high.

The 2008 exit polls in NY had it pretty close to 31%.  I couldn't find an exact 18-34 breakdown, but 18-29 was 22%, and 30-39 was 17%.   If the 30-39 breakout is split anywhere remotely evenly between the 30-34 group and the 35-39 group well your right at or near your 31%

[Smash255]

Or why Rhode Island hasn't gotten with the program yet?

The fact that it's the most Catholic state in the Union might have something to do with it.

Still, it was the most Democratic state in 2004, wasn't it?

Massachusetts was.

I'm not sure how I got that mixed up, I could have sworn it was the most Democratic, but you're right.

It was in 2000

[Smash255]

Why do people keep taking MK's trollbait though? Same question for Coburn, though he's not the issue now.

I'm not entirely convinced he's 100% to troll.  He has done some of it here, but I try to play it safe when accusing someone of being purified trollocity.  Better to be wrong that way than the other way around, I guess

That's right oppose gay marriage for whatever reasons and you are labled a troll or bigoted.  Regardless of my view I must bend to your will and accept gay marriages.   


Bill O'Reilly explains it best -

"The truth is that pro-gay marriage forces have succeeded in their bigot-branding campaign and will not stop with marriage. Because they won this public relations war, you can expect to see the racist, bigot label marketed in other controversial situations. Already, abortion zealots are branding pro-life people "anti-woman" and "anti-privacy." The left knows it has a powerful cannon with this bigot stuff.

So the gay marriage debate is just about over. Conservative states won't pass it, but liberal states will. There was a time when we were truly the united states. No longer. "

Here on Atlas its troll - branding.

Bill O'Reilly and explains it best NEVER belongs in the same sentence.  What an embarrassment to Long Island.

[Smash255]

Bill O'Reilly and explains it best NEVER belongs in the same sentence.  What an embarrassment to Long Island.

Hey, he's just representing the Westbury section of Levittown.

LOL, very true.  I guess since that place doesn't exist, we don't have to claim him as part of Long Island.

[Smash255]

Marriage equality in New York is not dead. Or at least, as alive as it was before the events yesterday.

Both men discussed the issue with the Post's Fred Dicker on Albany's TALK 1300 this morning. Espada expressed hope that the bill would come to a vote, while Skelos, according to Newsday, "didn't disagree." "We should vote up or down on bills, that's part of the reforms we've brought," Skelos said.

I would actually expect Skelos to push it to a vote. It's easier to argue against a bill that has been rejected than one you've blocked from reaching the floor. Anyway, Espada is actually a cosponsor of the bill. It's hard to see how having him as Senate President would kill the bill any more than it was previously.

New Hampshire did shock me, so I'm leaving open the possibility that New York will do the same. I learned today from a friend who is working at the Bloomberg mayoral campaign that Human Rights Campaign has given up doing calls, however; they were previously using space within the Bloomberg campaign headquarters donated by the campaign (!)* to do a phone bank in support of the legislation.

*Gutsiest thing I've heard of any significant politician doing in support of gay marriage. It's part of what makes Bloomberg great, the gutsiness.

Interesting to see how Skelos would vote on it.  He use to be against it claiming most New Yorkers were against it as his reasoning, but hasn't said much on it since polls have started to show New Yorkers support gay marriage.  And while he is a long term incumbent and pretty safe at that he does represent a Democratic leaning district.

[Smash255]

I also made its own thread for this because of the rumors that Nassau County Exec might make another run for Gov next year, but Tom Suozzi who faced Spitzer in a Dem Primary for Gov of NY in 2006, has now come out in support of Gay Marriage

You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/ny-lisuoz1512879391jun14,0,4588771.story

[Smash255]

The op-ed piece in the NY Times

You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/13/opinion/13suozzi.html?_r=1&scp=7&sq=tom%20suozzi&st=cse