Paterson Criticizes Marriage Vote Strategy

By Julie Bolcer

DAVID PATERSON NY MARRIAGE X390 (GETTY IMAGES) | ADVOCATE.COM

New York governor David Paterson spoke out Thursday against the strategy used for the vote last week on the marriage equality bill, which failed in the state senate by a wide margin of 38-24.

Paterson appeared on TheBrian Lehrer Show on WNYC, where he offered the opinion after answering a different question on marriage equality from a listener who called in to the show.

“I think that some of the orchestration of the vote on same-sex marriage, now that I’ve heard more abut it, was probably not the best way if you’re trying to win,” said Paterson.

The roll call vote on December 2, in which eight Democrats joined all Republicans in opposing the bill, has been criticized for promoting a domino effect that caused the bill to fail. Many argue that as uncommitted senators saw opposition to the bill mounting during the roll call, beginning with Senator Joseph Addabbo, a Democrat from Queens, they decided to vote against the bill and not risk political backlash over a measure destined to fail.

Paterson, who was publicly criticized by Democratic senators last week for doing little to help secure votes for the bill, said he plans to sit down with marriage equality advocates at the beginning of the new year.

Meanwhile, he argued on Thursday that senators should have used the strategy employed for the passage of the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act in 2002.

“In 2002, when we passed the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act, we did it in an entirely different way, and I think a better way,” said Paterson. “I think there was a little too much what I would call West Wing politics — in other words, there were all these different kind of deals being made,” he said of the recent marriage equality vote.

“What you have to do is find all the people who want to vote for the bill, but don’t want to vote for it if it goes down, put them in the same room, so that they can see there’s enough individuals to pass the bill, and then hold the vote,” said Paterson. “I think if a conscience vote was taken on marriage equality, that it would pass in New York. I can’t say about anywhere else.”

Listen to the interview here. Paterson speaks about the marriage equality vote around the 18:30 mark.

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Reader Comments

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Name: Gene
Date posted: 12/13/2009 3:28:43 PM
Hometown: San Antonio

Comment:
Hello: Gene Elder here. Archives Director for the HAPPY Foundation in San Antonio. Join the communities all across America and create your own Wedding Cake Liberation Front. Gene Elder elder4tomato@yahoo.com for more info
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Name: Chris
Date posted: 12/12/2009 7:08:16 AM
Hometown: Saco, ME

Comment:
After another loss in my own state this past fall (by a wide margin) I think we have to step back and look at the strategy a few gay rights organizers are implementing. I'm getting sick of all of this--it's unbelievable. The tactic of labeling anti-gay people as bigots is hurting our own cause... one only has to watch the political commentary shows on Faux News to realize this. We need to can all the top gay-rights activists. I am no longer sending money to the HRC or GLAAD.
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Name: Thad
Date posted: 12/11/2009 9:03:12 PM
Hometown: Frisco

Comment:
@Pete, do you believe, and be honest, that the majority of heterosexuals are monogamous? My dad has cheated on my mother so many times I need to keep a running tally so I don't forget, and they're still together. With the divorce rate at 50%, we need to stop singling gay men out for promiscuity. Everyone is promiscuous, but the gays get singled out because they have traditionally been forced to be promiscuous in public. In regards to pushing for marriage over civil unions, remember what happened to health care when the dems started out in a conciliatory fashion? Rather than barter the rebulicans down, they got butchered. If we're going to fight for this, we need to aim for the top and give ground from there, not start out at the minimum.
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Name: Pete
Date posted: 12/11/2009 5:06:41 PM
Hometown: Marietta

Comment:
@gayelephant, I see big problem in your definition right now, do you honestly believe, and please be honest that majority of gay man can be monogamous, our relationships are anything but marriage dude.
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Name: GayElephant
Date posted: 12/11/2009 4:56:18 PM
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

Comment:
Bob, same-sex marriage (in a sense marriage et al) is the sexual exclusivity monogamous institution that ties two people for the caring and well being of children and the stability of society as a whole. Gay activists need to focus here or else they get civil unionized which gives gay couples all the legal rights and goodies that are *equal* to marriage's, which is the end result of all this activism as gay activists seek only "equality" not marriage. And right now marriage already being heavy regulated as it is, having the federal mother-ship interfere in the implementation of marriage or civil unions will only add more to the bureaucracy of just living your life with your partner. Each state has their own laws that reflect the citizenry of that particular state, exercising their rights under the ninth and tenth amendments.
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Name: Bob
Date posted: 12/11/2009 4:01:34 PM
Hometown: Chicago

Comment:
Please Sean, explain to me what the gay marriage is? People stop living in the clouds. Obama supported civil union and repeal of DOMA. Let’s just hold him accountable for that and see what happens. These state by state and legislation by legislation struggles are just time and money consuming and do not bring us much of the results. But then if there is nothing to fight for what would HRC and such do? Where would Mr. Solmonese get his millions? Think about that. Lets focus our energy and money on something can we can achivie in near future.
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Name: CHRIS
Date posted: 12/11/2009 3:35:46 PM
Hometown: ORLANDO

Comment:
@Sean. Well even if you walk right now and ask people on the New York street what the gay marriage is, 90% will have no clue. Gay marriage historically never existed, it is a new thing. To me marriage is a relationship with strictly established roles. Really, marriage is a Christian thing. Many other cultures and religions do not have it. I do not consider my relationship with my boyfriend a marriage. We have house together, we lived here for last 10 years. We have great relationship but it is not marriage. Well I am not Christian I do not believe in God, but my life is happy and I enjoy. It just sucks that many of you do not get it. You live for ideals. You think if you get married you bf will not cheat, cruise the park, or leave you. Those fantasies you have are like straight girl who hopes that if she gets married her bf will change to be better man. On the other hand most of you gay marriage supporters are single. So WTF
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Name: Lisa
Date posted: 12/11/2009 3:20:19 PM
Hometown: Charleston

Comment:
Why every time someone dares to challenge state by state gay marriage fight, people get upset? Why is that? It is gay people who just think that your strategy failed us. Do you gay marriage supporters want more money from us? Does HRC want more black tie parties where only gay elite and privileged are invited? Does Joe from HRC want more then 200k that he makes a year? Not all gay people live in NY and CA, not all of us are rich. I supported gay marriage fight with my money, and I work hard. But what do I get for it? I got nothing. I live in Charleston SC, I been with my gf in relationship for 10 years and we have no rights. Gay marriage will never fly in the South, federally recognized civil union would. Even in Holland the most liberal European country, they started with civil union that progressed slowly to marriage. What happens if one of us die, we can not even funeral, what happens with social security and taxes, we all pay into that.
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Name: Daniel S
Date posted: 12/11/2009 3:09:39 PM
Hometown: New Hope, PA

Comment:
@Sean, but here is the issue: are you really concerned about protecting yourself and your partner, or about making people "respect" you. Because a lot of people within the LGBT community suffer from the delusion that if they could get legally-married then people would somehow be obligated to respect them. I'm sorry but that is no more true than the fact that legal equality for blacks has not successfully eliminated racism. If your parents disapprove of you being gay, being legally married to your partner is not going to change their minds. If some guy on the street is a homophobe he's not going to see the light just because you have a marriage license. What angers me, as a citizen of a state that does not have even domestic partnerships, is that the LGBT movement doesn't seem to care about us at all because they're too busy trying to win "respect" for couples in states with civil unions, such as New Jersey.
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Name: Daniel S
Date posted: 12/11/2009 2:53:49 PM
Hometown: New Hope, PA

Comment:
The issue was that a lot of Democrats in New York are beholden to the concerns of communities such as Latinos (largely Roman Catholic), African-American (mixed Christian and some Muslim) and some of the more conservative Jewish segments. Then of course white suburbanites lean Republican. Combine the two and you have a recipe for a failed marriage bill. New York, as a state, is not the glamorous cosmopolitan Manhattan of Sex in the City. By and large you have a solid number of communities that do not support marriage equality or approve of homosexuality in general. With that in mind, it should never have been assumed that even every Democrat would vote for the bill, much less that any Republicans would cross the aisle on it. Even those straight voters who support marriage equality aren't likely to punish legislators who didn't vote for it at the ballot box. I know plenty of NY, NJ and PA Republicans who support marriage equality but who won't vote Democrat because of it.

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