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New York Marriage Bill Gets GOP Boost


The Log Cabin Republicans announced Tuesday that the GOP's New York leadership in both the state senate and assembly are going to allow Republican legislators to make "conscience votes" on Gov. David Paterson's marriage-equality bill rather than pressuring party members to vote against it, giving the legislation a much stronger likelihood of picking up Republican votes in both chambers.

The development may be particularly important in the senate, where Democrats hold a slim 32-30 majority, four Democrats have already said they will vote against the marriage bill, and equality advocates will need to pick up several GOP votes in order to pass the legislation. Strategists expect the legislation to sail through the assembly, which already passed an identical bill in 2007 by a vote of 85 to 61.

Jeff Cook, legislative adviser for the Log Cabin Republicans, said the decision stood in stark contrast to the tack taken in 2007, when assembly minority leader Jim Tedisco and the GOP leadership pressured assembly Republicans to vote against marriage equality.

"We were successful in that environment in getting four Republicans to vote yes, making it the first bipartisan vote on marriage in a legislative chamber," Cook said. "But we would have probably done better if there was a 'vote of conscience.'"

Cook declined to discuss the vote count on the Republican side of the aisle in the senate but said that today's decision was an important turning point. "Republicans realize that marriage equality is inevitable in New York and they do not want to vote against this," he said. "I think they realize that the polling is changing very fast and they do not want our party to be perceived as being hostile on this issue." A Siena poll released yesterday found 53% of the state's voters want Governor Paterson's marriage-equality bill passed, while 39% are opposed to it.

Cook called it "significant" that "the center of gravity in both parties has shifted on this issue to where Republicans now feel like their conference needs to be neutral and Democrats feel their conference needs to be emphatic in support."

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Don
    Date posted: 4/22/2009 10:39:00 AM
    Hometown: Buffalo, NY

    Comment:

    I'm betting that the GOP realizes that if they all mass vote against, especially with a majority of people polled in favor of it, there is a good chance that they will lose even more seats to the democrats come the next election. Plus, if they do vote against it, the GOP can say "Hey, they made the choice. We didn't pressure them."

  • Name: Kirk
    Date posted: 4/22/2009 4:36:00 AM
    Hometown: Seattle

    Comment:

    Some Democrats voted against marriage equality, so it seems that the Democrat leadership allows "conscience votes" as well. Not sure whether that proves anything about lemmings.

  • Name: Steve Kay
    Date posted: 4/22/2009 2:52:00 AM
    Hometown: Severna Park, MD

    Comment:

    Thank you. Sometimes I think that all the Kentuckyans, and the other people from the ex slave states, are still fighting for slavery and segregation, but now have a new group to hate. But all good people have to stand up against the noisy minority, who in another nation, would be standing there smiling, watching gays be executed in public, women whipped for being raped while the man gets off with a slap on the hand, and hands chopped off for stealing. BTW, the nation that gave us 15 of the 9/11 19. PS - my dumping my old gas hog, made in detroit, was a result of my pvt mechanic telling me "how can I vote democratic when my only choices are a woman and a [n-word]. So within a few days I bought a Honda civic, am averaging 33 mpg in suburban driving - vs 20 - that is patriotic, and expect based on many people I talked with, to not have any repairs (as opposed to normal wear item maintenace) for 150-200,000 miles.

  • Name: Stephen Kay
    Date posted: 4/22/2009 2:44:00 AM
    Hometown: Severna Park, MD

    Comment:

    I'll really be amazed if we get enough Repub votes to pass gay marriage in the NY senate. But somehow, despite what has happened to the national Republican party, which is on a kamikaze spiral to its own disaster, I believe that there are good republicans, who believe that all people are God's children, and have the guts to take another step of making America, still a work in progress, true to its ideals. Part of which most all recited many thousands of times in our youth, in those words ending with "and liberty and justice for all. So I look forward to Good Republicans coming down on the side of Justice and Equality. And helping to maintain our two party system, while beginning to take their party back from an abyss of its right wings own creation. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will to men.

  • Name: Kirk
    Date posted: 4/22/2009 1:42:00 AM
    Hometown: Seattle

    Comment:

    How odd -- giving an elected legislator the power -- instead of just the right -- to vote as s/he pleases is called "conscience". I presume that the Democrats who voted against marriage equality decided the matter based on a combination of their constituents' wishes, their moral hang-ups ("conscience") and the wishes of their contributors -- probably NOT in that order. Whether the anti-marriage votes by Democrats are proof of lemmings, I can't say.

  • Name: Jason
    Date posted: 4/21/2009 8:37:00 PM
    Hometown: Shakopee, MN

    Comment:

    Let's not start saying "the will of the people" is what legislators should follow on this vote just because it favors equality according to a poll. That's what equality opponents are saying in most states and we know that's not right. The reason they should vote for the marriage bill is because it's the right thing to do.

  • Name: Shirley Drouin
    Date posted: 4/21/2009 8:35:00 PM
    Hometown: Paducah,Ky.

    Comment:

    "All men are created equal and are endowed by there Creator with certain inalienable rights and amoung these are life, liberty, and the persuit of happiness." In good conscience...does that mean all men or just straight men. Does it mean just white men or all men. Does it mean just men or all of mankind and does that include women? "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

  • Name: Lisa
    Date posted: 4/21/2009 7:32:00 PM
    Hometown: NY

    Comment:

    Hey, do don't be so hard on the republicans. If they're easing up some, let's welcome it. It's better than 2007 isn't it? If a republican votes the right way, then I'll vote for him or her. Besides, we don't want the dems thinking they've got us in their pocket.

  • Name: Laurent
    Date posted: 4/21/2009 7:18:00 PM
    Hometown: Ottawa, Canada

    Comment:

    You know people you better start contacting your GOP reps and letting them know where you stand. A vote of concience means the idiot can vote on his beliefs even though they run counter to the majority of a riding. You must remind him or her that concience in this case refers to the will of the people, not their religous beliefs.

  • Name: Paul
    Date posted: 4/21/2009 6:57:00 PM
    Hometown: Minneapolis

    Comment:

    The GOP leadership will ALLOW Republicans to make "conscience votes?" More proof that Republican legislators are just a herd of lemmings, and just another reason to relegate this has-been party to the trash heap of history.



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