So a DC passes a law, the courts determine not to even hear a case to overrule it, and the bigot brigade is forced into action:
House conservatives say they will pursue legislation that would ban gay marriage in the nation’s capital.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), told The Hill that he will push for a vote on the controversial issue in the 112th Congress. The RSC has 175 members.
“I think RSC will push for it, and I’m certainly strongly for it. I don’t know if we’ve made a decision if I’ll do it or let another member do it, but I’m 100 percent for it,” Jordan said.
In the last Congress, Jordan was the lead sponsor on the D.C. Defense of Marriage Act. The bill was introduced after the D.C. City Council and then-Mayor Adrian Fenty indicated they would recognize same-sex marriages.
Jordan’s measure garnered 53 co-sponsors last year. But it is expected to attract more support in the GOP-led House in 2011.
You really need to forget the nonsense about “activist judges forcing gay marriage down our throats” nonsense- that is just a red herring. Clearly, what bothers Republicans is not how gay equality is achieved, but the idea of gay equality.
Although I’m sure the Log Cabin Republicans and GOProud will have very compelling arguments about why this makes sense.
RalfW
With Breitbart now on the board of GOProud, I’m sure we can expect some fantabulous cognitive dissonance.
Short Bus Bully
And thus it ever was.
Mike in NC
What are the odds this clown was cruising gay bars in Adams Morgan and couldn’t get a date?
Litlebritdifrnt
The head of GOProud was on teevee last night saying something to the effect of “Republicans are fighting for gay rights while democrats are just making them victims” or some such nonsense. Cenk (I think that was the guest host) just looked at him as if he was nuts.
Wonder how he feels about those statements now?
dmsilev
Wait, I thought that Republicans believed that the federal government should keep its hands off of purely local concerns.
My innocence is shattered.
dms
Michael
What I genuinely enjoy on this issue is that for all the whining about doing things legislatively, they pull out all the stops in order to make it nearly impossible to ever address the issue legislatively without overturning their constitutional amendments banning it.
Christians are persecuted, y’know.
kay
IMO, it’s horrible politics.
I knew they’d over-reach. They lasted two weeks.
Xenocrates
Ruck the Fepublican Party. Hmm, let’s see; provide cover for corporate overlords? Check. Violate the Hatch Act repeatedly, and then get away with same. Check. Pass legislation designed to take away citizens’ rights? Check. And mate. What a bunch of whiny liars…it’s hard not to hate them.
Zifnab
I can’t wait to see Reason put out a stirring diatribe against federal government overreach into the lives of private citizens and local governments.
Really, there is no more fucked up a system than the D.C. system. Having some asshole from Ohio – for whom you had no vote whatsoever – dictate mundane city ordinance is the kind of shit that got several thousand barrels of tea thrown in the Massachusetts bay harbor.
Chris
Yeah, no shit. And you also really need to forget this nonsense about how they resent the federal government interfering at the state and local level – apparently, DC is Congress’ playground and they have no intention of treating it otherwise.
As someone who lives here, it’s a piece of black humor that the protofascists in the GOP adopted the name “Tea Party.” DC is the only place in the nation where taxation without representation is still the law. Anyone want to place bets on how the teabaggers feel about that situation?
Culture of Truth
Top-down government from Washington is bad!
Except when enforcing bigtroy. Then it’s necessary.
Amanda in the South Bay
When can we expect a supportive piece from Sully decrying activist judges and achieving marriage equality through the courts?
Villago Delenda Est
GOProud are a bunch of male Ferengi who like to give each other oomaks.
That’s pretty much it.
Rosalita
So some jackhole from Ohio wants to legislate laws in DC? I know DC has no representation but this makes no sense.
evinfuilt
@dmsilev:
I want to scream states rights, states rights. But the Republicans will point out that DC has no rights (least of all representation) so they don’t count.
Not that it would stop them if it was any actual state.
Michael
@Zifnab:
I read “Hit and Run” so you don’t have to. Curiously, there is nothing on this big government usurpation of local legislative privilege.
They are, however, having a very erotic circle jerk over the notion of small government theocon Ron Paul (for now, until he can network his libertarian theocrat warlords into a big kahuna theocratic state). He’s Number 2 for the NH primary polling sample, y’know – probably 200 hard core GOP respondents liked him, so that means he should be President.
Ash Can
@kay: I hope they make a whole lot of noise with this, and get a whole lot of press coverage, to the point where every low-info Joe Shmo knows what these douchebags are up to. Said douchebags’ idiot/equally douchy constituents may still support them, but if it opens other eyes to GOP malfeasance and gives more people a more jaundiced view of the GOP candidates in their own districts, it’s a net gain.
cat48
The GOProud spokesman that normally appears on msnbc needs a reality check. Based on past appearances, he would probably say the RSC doesn’t really mean any offense by this action. They have to do this to get votes. Very divorced from reality guy. Painful to watch his appearances.
Comrade Javamanphil
@dmsilev:
That belief is absolutely sacrosanct! (except for the maximum population density and minority population ratio limits. Only white straight people who choose to live in suburbs and rural areas can be trusted with this responsibility at this time.)
Erik Vanderhoff
It’s really annoying that Politico takes five paragraphs to even begin talking about what the scandal is.
Bob In Pacifica
Will someone please stick microphones in Mitch McConnell’s and Lindsey Graham’s hypocritical faces and ask them if they’ve got incandescent light bulbs in their closets?
kindness
If only we could get the Mains Stream Media to mention hypocrisy of Republicans some….
It really is trying sometimes to see the fakeness of it all & yet it seems all the MSM wants to talk about is today’s catfights or what some ‘respected’ village elder says.
Thank god for blogs if for no other reason that just to vent.
Steve L.
DC deserves representation, if only to avoid bullshit like this.
jibeaux
Do I have this right, DC passes a law regarding gay marriage in DC. Republicans in Congress are going to push for a federal law imposing its will on DC, which has expressed its will fairly clearly its own self and which has no Congressional representation.
fucen tarmal
damn, i thought this was going to be another steeler thread, i was prepared to defend our blitzing cornerback.
oh, well.
look, no one should have to do it, but what if gay people who want to marry sign a pledge to purchase two handguns a year?
scav
@Steve L.: representation doesn’t stop them, think of the the whole states rights / medical marijuana incidents.
joes527
@Zifnab:
From time to time I come to the opinion that DC should be returned to Virginia. All the federal properties should be sold to someone who will run them as an amusement park/museum, and the federal government should move to a new federal district carved out of some uninhabited corner of some other state.
let ’em meet in trailers till the new buildings are built.
It might be refreshing to do this every 100 years or so. (and it would limit the mess that a “federal district” creates in any one place to a finite time.)
MarkJ
Yeah, as a resident of DC I say they get to decide what kind of marriage my local goverment will recognize when they figure out how to give us full representation (2 senators and a congressman) in Congress. Untill then FO.
Villago Delenda Est
@joes527:
Actually, the original DC portion that was in Virginia has already been returned to Virginia.
So, what you’re actually wanting to do is return DC to Maryland.
Perhaps moving the capital to somewhere in Nebraska or Kansas might be better. Or better yet, Oregon or Washington. That would drive the Villagers bonkers.
shortstop
@Mike in NC: Too good for anyone to bet against.
kay
@Ash Can:
I don’t think those all-powerful and mighty “independents” go for this bullshit, quite frankly. Based on my unscientific and purely anecdotal conversations, conservatives are in a distinct minority on equal rights.
I hope they deliver a lot of finger-wagging, sanctimonius speeches.
People LOVE those, from conservatives :)
joes527
@Villago Delenda Est: Interesting. Yeah, Virginia, Maryland … either way. It is really too small to be its own state. (And yes, I’m looking at you, Rhode Island)
It will never happen, but I can’t think of any other sensible solution to the whole DC problem.
(that and the fact that putting our government in a physical location where they aren’t quite so comfy appeals to me greatly)
Villago Delenda Est
@Erik Vanderhoff:
It’s just another example of Journalism 101 FAIL at Politico.
fucen tarmal
@Villago Delenda Est: how about an off shore drilling platform, might change some minds on a few regulatory issues.
liberal
Also, you need to forget the “states’ rights” nonsense. While DC isn’t a state, clearly “respect for devolution to local power” would dictate hands off.
Not that this inconsistency is anything new with the Rethuglicans of course.
liberal
@jibeaux:
I don’t know the legal details of the “home rule for DC” status quo, but given the angst about Republicans screwing with DC that’s been around for at least a few years now, I assume the Rethuglican actions are legal.
jibeaux
How are you supposed to read GOProud? Gee-oh– proud? Goh-proud? Gee-oh-pee-roud? And does it have a second member?
Yeah, I said member.
liberal
@Bob In Pacifica:
I’d heart G was self-loathing, but not M. How much consensus is there on that?
Kryptik
@Litlebritdifrnt:
If he hasn’t gotten the hint, he’ll never get it. Groups like GOProud and the Log Cabin Republicans are battered spouses. They seem incapable of seeing the faults in the party they’ve hooked their fortunes too, and seem inordinately willing to blame everyone else except their abuser, including themselves for not having sufficient faith in their ‘love’.
ericblair
@joes527:
It’s got more people than Wyoming. However, from the We The Trees political analysis that Republicans like (look at all those big frigging soybean fields colored red on our political map! This is a right-center country!) admittedly there’s a problem.
Now that DC has all these fancy new gun rights they can take charge of their own destinies from those big government usurpers. Am I right?
scav
@joes527: Well, but then look at the track record of the big states: AK, TX . . .
liberal
@kay:
I think it’s bad politics, but the fraction of the electorate who will give a damn is pretty small. Partly because the issue can’t be summarized completely in a five-second sound bite.
liberal
@ericblair:
Yeppers!! Second Amendment solution!
Villago Delenda Est
@liberal:
BOTH SIDES DO IT! BOTH SIDES DO IT!
/David Broder
Erik Vanderhoff
@Erik Vanderhoff: Uhh… wrong thread. Dur.
Culture of Truth
THIS will create jobs, no doubt.
Culture of Truth
BOTH SIDES DO IT! BOTH SIDES DO IT!
/David Broder
There’s never a wrong thread for this.
TomG
The Gay Patriot is also silent (so far). I guess this plan for federal meddling into local government doesn’t bother him either.
ed
Also, too: It makes libruls mad. It’s a twofer. It bashes Others and makes Liberals mad.
ericblair
@Villago Delenda Est:
St. David would never say anything like that. Basically because yelling would mean his dentures would fly across the room and he’d need a new Depends. But anyway, he’d bore you in a singsong voice about how if everyone would just calm down and make sure that he and his Georgetown cocktail party crowd stay where they are and never have to work an honest day in their lives things will be just fine. Or not, it’s not like he gives a shit as long as the ceviche and amuse-bouches keep coming.
Kirk Spencer
Moving the capital would be a nightmare for the nation. Oh, sure, it’d be nice to discomfit all those pompous people at the top, but there are hundreds of thousands of hardworking individuals who are needed to make things work.
That said, I’ve seen a couple of (still impractical) proposals I think entertaining.
There’s the idea of moving two of the three branches centers out of DC, so Congress goes to Wichita, KS while the Supreme Court ends up on the west coast.
There’s also the idea of turning off the air conditioning in the main work areas and offices of elected or appointed officials. The president gets it in his living quarters but not the oval office.
All as unworkable as moving the capital as a whole, but still entertaining.
kay
@liberal:
I don’t think they’re going to march on Washington, or anything.
I think the ever-elusive and disengaged (majority) electorate are going to think it’s 1. intrusive, 2. pure political pandering and 3. a waste of time.
Corey
The era of small government is back!
Mary
@joes527:
Why look at Rhode Island? There are seven other states with smaller populations. Wyoming has ever fewer people than D.C. proper.
Zifnab
@joes527:
I don’t see why. They’ve got half again as many people as Wyoming. Neither Virginia nor Maryland particularly want to take them, because they’d skew the demographics of the state so hard. Statehood makes perfect sense.
Gus
They’re all about federalism. Except when they aren’t.
Emma
Villago Delenda Est: Thank you! I’ve needed a laugh today and you just delivered.
joes527
@Zifnab: In a hypothetical world where the federal government decamps to parts unknown, I would expect the population of DC to undergo a sudden and drastic change. Fist the government itself leave. That means that the lobbyists would leave, and the village press would leave.
The employment opportunities would change because they all left, and I would expect a pretty strong tide of “ordinary” folks leaving for something else.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I wouldn’t expect DC itself to be unchanged by a shift of the seat of government.
That said, this is all a fantasy anyway, so there is no real need to get the whole thing worked out correctly because it is Not. Gonna. Happen.
Also the point that some of the existing states are mostly empty space is well taken. I’ll work in fixing that problem next. :-)
Arclite
Because there’s nothing more pressing at the moment to focus one’s legislative energies on…
joe from Lowell
On the upside, perhaps some of the dumbasses who spent the last two years insisting that there’s no difference between Democrats and Republicans on gay rights will take their heads out of their posteriors.
Allan
@Kryptik:
Chris Barron doesn’t believe he has a right to marry the dude who messed up his face like that.
Matt
“You really need to forget the nonsense about “activist judges forcing gay marriage down our throats” nonsense”
Any time I hear that anymore, I assume that it’s being brought up because the person using it really, really wants something shoved down his (it’s always a he) throat but doesn’t know how to work Craigslist to find it. :)
joe from Lowell
@Kryptik: I see a pretty meaingful difference between the Log Cabin Republicans and GOProud.
The LCR actually do things for gay rights, like file lawsuits. They are gay activists who have other beliefs that align them with the Republicans on other matters.
GOProud, on the other hand, consists of gay people who are just out to shill for the Republicans. They don’t do squat for gay people. They’re just willing tokens, eager to put a happy face on the elephant.
daverave
@joe from Lowell:
Would that make GOProud “house… g**s?”
RalfW
@Culture of Truth:
That’s it, let’s call it “The Jobs-Killing Protect Traditional Marriage” bill.
It goes with the “Jobs-Killing Defund the DOT” bill (one estimate, a bit wild-eyed, says 300,000 jobs at risk, I work in public policy related to transit, I’d say maybe 70-100K jobs, but no small slash) and all the other GOP House foolery.
Barb (formerly Gex)
The story on Savage’s blog about a disabled gay guy getting death threats and then having his house set on fire while he was asleep is probably unrelated to the way our GOP friends conduct themselves. Nothing to see. Move on.
Fuck. I am so fucking pissed off. Not at the GOP. But at every fucking simp that makes it possible to use these tactics. What easy marks they make. No wonder they are miserable sods that hate on gays. Being able to have your thoughts twisted like that by politicians or preachers means you are probably doing all kinds of dysfunctional shit.
joe from Lowell
@daverave:
No, I’m pretty sure “house gays” means something else.