apt phasing...they'll deserve every inch, too.
Posted on 11/29/2008 8:43:31 PM PST by neverdem
ALBANY — After a pledge from New York Democratic leaders that their party would legalize same-sex marriage if they won control of the State Senate this year, money from gay rights supporters poured in from across the country, helping cinch a Democratic victory.
But now, party leaders have sent strong signals that they may not take up the issue during the 2009 legislative session. Some of them suggest it may be wise to wait until 2011 before considering it, in hopes that Democrats can pick up more Senate seats and Gov. David A. Paterson, a strong backer of gay rights, would then be safely into a second term.
The question of how aggressively to proceed has touched off an intense debate among legislators and gay rights supporters about how ready the broader electorate is to embrace same-sex marriage, both in New York and across the country.
Many are still stung by California voters’ approval this month of a measure that reversed a court decision that gave gay and lesbian couples the right to marry. Heavy spending by church groups and others opposed to same-sex marriage helped the proposal win.
“We want to get there, but we want to get there the right way or else we risk setting ourselves back another decade,” said Senator Liz Krueger, a Democrat who represents the Upper East Side. “I think the California proposition and the recognition that entities with large amounts of money who oppose same-sex marriage have decided to be large players....”
--snip--
Some Democrats are mulling whether the Senate should wait to hold a vote on the bill until after the 2010 elections. That would prevent Republicans from being able to use gay marriage as an issue against Mr. Paterson in socially conservative areas of the state or against Democratic Senate incumbents.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Brave Sir Robin
“California voters’ approval this month of a measure that reversed a court decision that gave gay and lesbian couples the right to marry”
Note the convenient omission of the fact that Prop 8 was in fact a restatement of the will of California voters, which had been overruled by activist judges. The NYT, as usual, makes anyone who opposes bench legislation seem to be intolerant at best and likely anarchical as well.
Racist bigots!
FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.
Thanks for the ping!
I believe that the gay agenda has started failing, and will continue to fail.
Quote the democrats: “Thanks for the votes, suckers!”
Translation: "We're screwed if we support gay marriage...."
>I believe that the gay agenda has started failing, and will continue to fail.
>Quote the democrats: “Thanks for the votes, suckers!”
PolitikSpeak-to-English Translation: “In the @$$ homos!”
Which, you know, some might say is ironic.
DNC admitting that if the people learn their agendas they will be rejected.
:)
One problem for the NY Assembly and Senate (the largest gathering of crooks and thieves in New York State since Apalachin in 1957) is that Hispanic lawmakers, and their constituents are not big fans of homosexual marriage.
Is that really so? I mean, yes, when given a chance, Hispanics have voted against gay marriage (in states where their population is large enough to register in exit polls). But so have black Americans. Yet the social conservatism of black Americans on this one issue has not been represented at all by their elected leaders...even on this one specifici issue.
The same seems to be true of Hispanics, where the elected Hispanic politicians are much more liberal than the average latino they represent. Leftwing black politicians have virtually nothing to fear from their constituents for voting for the gay agenda, and I doubt that Hispanic leaders do either.
When the Sup Court finally gets around to imposing gay marriage/civil unions on the entire nation (and if Anthony Kennedy doesn’t do it, then Obama’s replacement of Kennedy or Scalia will), then I would bet that the Hispanic Congressional delegation will not go along with any effort to overturn the Court.
Maybe things are different in NY, but I doubt it. The only Democrats who have to worry about being pro-gay marriage are Democrats from mostly-white, culturally conservative districts and states.
I’d like to believe that you are correct in your assessment, but I think such confidence is not well-founded when we consider that judges still have the ultimate power here.
The Calif Sup Court may very well invalidate Prop 8.
It is just a matter of time before a federal appellate court upholds a lower court decision striking down a traditional state marriage law/amendment, or strikes one down itself.
If it goes to the current Sup Court, then Anthony Kennedy will most likely settle it. And even if he has one of his good moments and does the right thing, then the resulting 5-4 decision would simply be overturned as soon as Obama gets to replace Kennedy or Scalia. When this happens, I think we can forget any chance of Congress doing anything to counter the Court.
The Dems are stringing the gays along for more campaign $$$. Hope they’re smart enough not to fall for it.
When the majority of the people believe in traditional marriage - even in California - I doubt that the Democrats or their judges will go beyond the hope and game-playing of the issue. There’s a lot of campaign donations and legal fees in them thar hills, but if the party embraces same sex marriage as a campaign issue they will lose their lead in Congress. They know this.
Didn’t Emperor Zero waffle on this?
My guess is that this will be a “rights” issue, not a “same-sex marriage” issue; that the debates will continue and hope will be drawn from the lower levels of the courts to eventually end at higher levels.
Here in Kali-forah-nee- ah (apply Arnold accent) we got to vote on it. The courts will eventually decide for the gays, but at least we had a chance to let our voice be heard!
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