I live in Baltimore. I like it here and I like living in the very sane State of Maryland. I’ve been quite pleased that this year’s General Assembly is on the road to passing Marriage Equality. After a lot of head counting, the Bill passed the State Senate last week and headed to the House of Delegates were quick passage was expected. Governor O’Malley is committed to signing the law. Once the Bill is signed, voters in Maryland will have the final approval in the 2012 election.
Moving this measure of justice forward is yet another reason to be proud of Maryland, but yesterday two Delegates stalled the vote. One was from Prince George’s County outside of DC. That Delegate, Tiffany Alston, is now expected to vote for the Bill on Friday (I guess she needed a “Hamlet” moment). But the stunning and embarrassing news for me was this:
What Del. Jill Carter plans to do remains a mystery for now.
The Baltimore Democrat said she was withholding support to call attention to other issues — education funding, joint custody of children in divorces — that she says she views as “more important, or at least equally important.”
It’s unclear whether the House Judiciary Committee will try again today to take a vote on the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act. The plan needs 12 committee votes to pass, and exactly 12 delegates (including Carter and Alston) signaled their support by signing on as co-sponsors.
Del. Jill Carter is my Delegate. It is embarrassing to be represented by somebody who is so cavalier about justice and human rights. The ‘education funding’ line is a complete dodge as Del. Carter is viewed as clueless on the subject by local advocates. And today she missed another vote on the Bill. The excuse this time was that she felt sick.
I’ve called her office a number of times today and only gotten answering machines. I’ve left messages and asked for a return call–nothing (perhaps her entire staff has been made ill by her actions). I’ll give it another go in the morning.
If anybody wishes to encourage Delegate Carter to vote for the Bill–a Bill that she has signed as a co-sponsor–you could reach her at:
JILL P. CARTER
Democrat, District 41, Baltimore CityHouse Office Building, Room 317
6 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3283, (301) 858-3283
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3283 (toll free)
e-mail: [email protected]
fax: (410) 841-3251, (301) 858-3251
I hope she is well enough on Friday to stop embarrassing herself, her constituents (like me) and Maryland.
Cheers
And let’s use this mini-rant as another late night Open Thread….
Thoughtful Black Co-Citizen
Thanks D.G. (or “Hon” as you people say). Free Staters who live in MoCo need to give Rep. Sam “One Term” Arora a call.
He’s making a spirited attempt to become a backstabbing NOMgobbler.
Sarah, Proud and Tall
There was a woman called Jill Carter who used to come to my church.
When there was a bring-and-buy, she never brought anything. When there was a bake sale, she never baked anything. When there was a wake, she used to show up late and snaffle all the whiskey punch.
Meanest woman I ever did meet.
Of course one day, Father O’Reilly fronted her and the next time she came to a bake sale she brought a bundt cake that killed half the Simmons family with salmonella.
Sometimes you have to leave bad enough alone.
freelancer
Whoa Whoa Whoa. WTF is this “you people” shit?!
Villago Delenda Est
@Sarah, Proud and Tall:
Dammit, this caused me to wake the cat with the LOL.
Xboxershorts
As a non-custodial parent who pays over 1000 a month for his kids, I kinda want to know what she has in mind in re joint custody legislation.
I have never had a tax benefit by paying for the kids.
Mind you, my kids, I wouldn’t have it any other way and am eternally grateful I make a decent buck so I can afford more than a studio apt now and still pay for my kids (not always the case).
I’m a bit disappointed Dennis. Picking a “SINGLE” issue to hold politicians accountable for, brought us the congressional republican mandate.
What exactly is it about
– education funding and joint custody of children in divorces –
that you think are minor?
Xboxershorts
As a non-custodial parent who pays over 1000 a month for his kids, I kinda want to know what she has in mind in re joint custody legislation.
I have never had a tax benefit by paying for the kids. Was never allowed a single deduction in 20 years now.
Mind you, they are my kids, I wouldn’t have it any other way and am eternally grateful I make a decent buck so I can afford more than a studio apt now and still pay for my kids (which was not always the case).
I’m a bit disappointed though, Dennis. Isn’t picking a “SINGLE” issue to hold politicians accountable for, what brought us the current congressional republican mandate?
What exactly is it about the issues
– education funding and joint custody of children in divorces –
that you think are minor enough to get you to bail from supporting a rep whom, in the past, you supported, until she wanted to add some non-trivial stuff to some GLBT legislation?
Seriously Dennis. I’m kind of offended by your post.
Xboxershorts
Shit, double post..
scav
Xboxershorts, well clearly, nobody should get anything addressed by legislative actions until your tax benefits are cleared up. Revealing that.
Nerull
Human rights are slightly more important than your taxes, sorry.
hamletta
E-mailed my mom, who’s mid-county, so not in his district. But she has friends!
Jebediah
On another topic entirely, I see that Speakeasy Boner has decided that honoring the man who had been the last surviving WWI vet in the Rotunda is a no-go.
The honor was requested by two Demonrats, so maybe Boner is really that petty.
Blowing off honoring the last WWI vet. Classy, classy, classy.
Xboxershorts
@scav:
It ain’t about my taxes. It’s about fairness.
But play this game again and get creamed again in state and congressional elections in 2012.
Xboxershorts
And none of you answered the question. You pulled republican tactics and attacked me.
What exactly is it about the issues
– education funding and joint custody of children in divorces –
that you think are minor enough to get you to bail from supporting a rep whom, in the past, you supported, until she wanted to add some non-trivial stuff to some GLBT legislation?
play this game again and get we will get creamed again in state and congressional elections in 2012.
goblue72
@Xboxershorts: So the “price” of her vote on a human rights issue is squeezing in a tax benefit? Nice move on her part – NOT.
Its distasteful. Wonder how she would have felt in the 60s if some Senator held up the Civil Rights Act until he got a tax write-off for farm tractors.
General Stuck
Boehner Pledges to Cut Social Security and Medicare
I hope no one is surprised by this. More signs the wingers are going all in with ideology, and fixing to grab the third rail of politics with both their greedy hands.
Anyone who doubts the “third rail” taboo, only has to look at the 2010 exit polling to get know it is still radioactive in our politics. It cost dems a fair number of seats, the winger lies about Medicare, scaring seniors to go vote in higher numbers than usual and for republicans.
Xboxershorts
Jesus you are a fool if you think I am that shallow.
I am talking real world politics as it exists today.
In state, county, and federal legislature across the country, youth avoided the midterm elections and older conservative voters ran the vote and we have republicans across the country trying to break unions and squeeze hourly workers.
We got creamed last cycle. Especially in state legislatures.
We can’t become single issues voters. It definitely hurt us last cycle.
Sarah, Proud and Tall
@Villago Delenda Est:
I’m glad that you are amused by my valuable lessons.
I must bid you all good night. It has been, as I think the young people say, a blast. However, Jesus is here (the nurses’ aid, not God) with my sponge bath and Nyquil chaser, so I’ll need to get off the computer.
General Stuck
Now this is embarrassing. Of course, it only begs the question how far the evil tentacles of ACORN reached, and made this wingnut do these things?
goblue72
@Xboxershorts: Unfortunately for you, the issue of same-sex marriage is an issue that strongly motivates younger voters. Far more than joint-custody issues for divorced partents – which is more of an issue for older middle-aged voters.
Want to motivate younger voters on a cultural issue? Gay marriage is a biggie – its an important civil rights issues for the Millenial generation.
asiangrrlMN
@goblue72: In addition, we queers have been told for a long time that our issues are single issues and should take a seat in the back of the bus. On this very blog, in fact. By some people who said HCR was their hill upon which to die.
Other people’s issues are always less important than one’s own. I get that. I don’t even begrudge people that. However, your issues are not necessarily my issues, either. It works both ways. I don’t have kids. I made a conscious decision NOT to have kids. But, I support education and monies that go to helping kids. In return, however, I fully expect Democratic congresspeople not to shit all over queers.
All that said, I have never been a one-issue voter. If this were my congressperson, I would give her holy hell for playing that kind of game with equal rights for everyone, and I would fucking vote for her again. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t bitch about her and maybe not give her monies for her reelection, but I would vote for her.
scav
@Xboxershorts: Actually, you’re the one going on and on about a single-issue in this thread — and dressing it up as a means to win the entire next election cycle.
JGabriel
@Xboxershorts:
No one believes they are minor issues; we just believe that human rights legislation shouldn’t be held up over unrelated tax and funding issues.
.
Barb (formerly Gex)
@scav: Well, wait. As a gay person, I pay thousands extra per year in taxes because my health benefits are taxed and I can’t file jointly. So I have tax problems and civil rights denials. And as the person you are responding to, and indeed most of America seems to think paying taxes is the worst government infringement ever maybe that’s enough to make this stance on SSM an issue again.
Nah. That dude, like so many others, would just tell gays that “now’s not the time, there are more important issues”. Before it was at least health care. It’s kind of offensive that gays need to wait for marriage because his taxes are all fucked up because he screwed up his.
Barb (formerly Gex)
@Xboxershorts: Fuck you. Gay people get tax unfairness up the wazoo – including health care, no joint filing, and no inheritance allowances. You fucking think my right to marry and address those issues should take a fucking back seat to your fucking problems from your fucking failed marriage.
Fuck yourself with a rusty pitch fork. Asshole.
vernonlee
Let’s hope anyone with a serious issue finds a better advocate for it than Jill Carter. A clueless nutjob.
Barb (formerly Gex)
Tell you what, Xboxershorts. You let queers get married first, and you’ll find a new constituency to support your issues. Frankly, I couldn’t care less about your marriage/tax related issues because they will never apply to me if assholes like you pragmatically compromise away my issue.
Barb (formerly Gex)
Goddamn, I’m pissed. So Xboxershorts might have to pay some money, whereas I may never get to marry my girl before I die. I can see where that tax cut is more important.
I don’t give a fuck if gay rights are a sure thing after assholes like him die. Because I’ll fucking be dead too.
Fuck.
middlewest
Can someone please link me to the post that Xboxershorts is responding to where Dennis says that education funding is a minor issue, and he wants to abandon Carter forever based on a single issue?
Because none of that is anywhere in this post.
Thoughtful Black Co-Citizen
@freelancer: It’s a Maryland thing. You wouldn’t understand.
@middlewest: You mean shortie might be a [gasp!] wandering douchenozzle who makes inflammatory posts for shits n’ giggles?
Shocked. I am shocked.
nancydarling
This is a test. I’ve tried commenting on ABL’s post and it won’t post when I hit the submit button.
wagon
I was shocked to see my Democratic State Senator Brochin was back and forth on the gay marriage vote before coming down on the yes side. Surprised me.
I love living in Maryland too because at least so far, we’ve remained sane. It’s incredibly frustrating to see PA, the state I grew up in and where my parents still live, fucking up its environment for generations just to drill for gas. What a cluster that is and is going to be.
liberal
@General Stuck:
I don’t doubt the taboo, but I do think they’ll try to exempt current beneficiaries/everyone over 55 to get away with it.
F*ck that.
novum
called friday AM; left a message
Bulworth
Thanks for the update, Dennis. I live just down the road from you in Columbia. I assume my delegates are on board with this, I hope.
someguy
I think the reason nobody cares about gay marriage in Maryland is Republicans there have too much power.
horse dave
Thanks for the update Dennis.
I contacted my representatives (or delegates) in MD district 17 plus Sam Arora. I have not heard back from any of them yet. Is there a site that lists the inclinations of all MD delegates? I couldn’t find one with the great gazoogle.
Although I’m not gay, the lack of equal civil rights for ALL Marylanders has affected me and should be a significant issue for all progressives.
Xboxershorts
@Barb (formerly Gex):
Fuck you double harsh with no KY.
Gay Rights and the Obama administration not moving fast enough has been cited as one cause for the low democrat turnout in the 2010 elections. State and federal officies turned very republican and now we have our current situation.
So, hey…you ALREADY fucked me in 2010. Now you want to FUCK me again for 2012?
Hey asshole…grow a fucking brain. The elections system is skewed and if you bail over single issues THE FASCISTS WIN…
Xboxershorts
@Barb (formerly Gex):
You are so wrong on so many levels about me. I fully support gay rights in all regards. In fact, I hate that they have to be labeled as gay rights as the issue is really human rights.
You attack me because you don’t understand why this confuses me. We LOST in 2010 over gay rights and a significant wedge of Democratic votors chose NOT to show up at the polls. Now, States across the nation are firmly entrenched in RED. And if Gay Rights is used again as a wedge issue to divide the left, we will lose again in 2012.
That is why, knowing this issue was used to divide us in the past, why in the name of all that’s right and just, would you allow this issue to be used against us AGAIN.
Hell Yeah, Jill Carter should just roll with the vote and endorse human rights. But politicians are dealing with shit on a different plane that ain’t always relative to what we see in the trenches and I would rather have Jill Carter sitting in that seat than some teatard christian jihaddist.
So don’t attack me for trying to say something that’s difficult to say. I’m not attacking Dennis, I’m questioning the wisdom, in light of recent electoral history, of attacking our own over issues that have already been manipulated by media and pundits and used to divide us.
I worry for the future of this nation. And I don’t want to see 1 more teahaddist electoral victory at any level. They are killing us. Literally and figuratively.
Xboxershorts
@Thoughtful Black Co-Citizen:
I am not a wandering douchenozzle. I have a history here that’s only 1 click away. Give it a shot.
asiangrrlMN
@Xboxershorts: You are so full of it. Teh gayz did not cause the loss of the 2010 elections, just as teh blacks did not cause the passage of Prop H8. Queers vote overwhelmingly Democratic–even in 2010. More so than the population at large. You know who in the Democratic Party is most likely NOT to vote Democratic because he is throwing a hissy fit? White straight men.
Nowhere in this post does dengre say the other concerns are minor or that he wouldn’t vote for this candidate. You decided to hijack the post and make it about you and your issues. Queers did not fuck you over in 2010–we don’t have that much power.
You want to blame the gays? Go right ahead. It’s a convenient and easy strawman to burn and to flog.
Oh, and by the way, claiming your issue is more important than other people’s issues is classic trollery (and indicative of one’s privilege as well). So, whether you are a troll or not (and I don’t think you are), you are trolling in this post. Concern-trolling, perhaps, but trolling, nonetheless.
Xboxershorts
Oh, keep making shit up. I claimed no such thing.
I asked why this legislator, asking for these provisions, which are real needs and do affect millions across the US, myself included, should be attacked because of her desire to see them linked to other human rights issues.
If I phrased it wrong, or it came out sloppy, that’s on me.
But the warning signs are there. Legislators we have trusted in the past who come across as lukewarm on LGBT human rights are doing this for a reason. Politics suck.
State legislatures across the country went very RED last cycle. Political will is not always present for social issues in ways we want it to be.
And this is, in no small part, due to a backlash against Obama for his lukewarm treatment of LGBT human rights issues. Do your fucking research. The numbers are out there on that and it played a part in getting shellacked last cycle.
I’m not saying calling Jill Carpenter is bad. It isn’t.
I’m saying, we need to be careful because the Teahaddists were able to use these issues and divide us last cycle. And if larges swaths of Democratic voters stay home again like they did last cycle, then we’ll see the nation turn even more right.
Having an issue with a front pager’s post is NOT trolling.
Making assumptions about my motivation or even my integrity, such as you’re doing, is.