teacherken's musings on everything

So I'm a contrarian. If The Democrats are smart they will force a vote on the current proposal in the Congress, which by al accounts would also ban any state granting protections under civil unions such as Vermont has now had for several years.

Bush having supported the proposed amendment may have driven away a fair number of Gay republicans, as well as people either sympathetic to gay rights, or who simply don't want to see this kind of messing around with the Constitution. Forcing a vote could well cost a number of Republicans their districts -- were it to happen in the Senate, I do not think Specter could survive. If he votes for the Amendment he would probably lose in a general, and if he votes against Toomey will use it to clobber him in the primary.

When one hears people like Tom Delay not excited about this proposal, the only reason is that he reads it as probably costing the Republicans house seats.

I say --- make all the House Republicans vote on it on the floor. Force them to take a position. If, as I suspect, it fails to get even a simple majority in the House it serves as a real put-down of the religious right who want to dictate public policy according to their worldview. And it will either force internecine primary battles among Republicans such as for the Senate in Penna, it will lead to abandonment by the religious right of some republicans who vote against, thus putting those seats into greater play, or for some who vote for it, it will alienate moderate Republicans and independents.

I doubt that it will get out of committee, unless Pelosi is willing to take the radical step of demanding a discharge petition to hold feet to the fire. I hope she does. Let's see where some of these people really stand.


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