Republican Senate Deals With Concerns Over War Debt Spying Energy Homos

To prove to voters that they are capable of shamelessly exploiting many volatile issues at the same time for short-term political gain, the Senate is dusting off the anti-gay marriage ban! Yes, what with two ongoing wars, a mounting national deficit, concerns over domestic spying, concerns over gas prices, etc, it is good to see the Republicans tackling America's greatest problem: gay marriage. Looks like the GOP is giving in to the religious right's political blackmail. The proposed constitutional amendment (coincidentally only discussed in even-numbered years) was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee and will go to the full Senate for a vote. This farce was made more interesting, from a news perspective, when Russ Feingold got into a heated exchange with the 'maverick' chairman of the Committee, Arlen Specter.

From the AP-

A Senate committee approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage Thursday, after a shouting match that ended when one Democrat strode out and the Republican chairman bid him "good riddance."

"I don't need to be lectured by you. You are no more a protector of the Constitution than am I," Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., shouted after Sen. Russ Feingold declared his opposition to the amendment, his affinity for the Constitution and his intention to leave the meeting.

"If you want to leave, good riddance," Specter finished.

"I've enjoyed your lecture, too, Mr. Chairman," replied Feingold, D-Wis., who is considering a run for president in 2008. "See ya."

Good for Feingold, refusing to take part in this election year 'moral' charade.

Sen. Feingold objected to several things. The first is, of course, the fact that this seemingly unconstitutional amendment was even being debated. The second was Specter's decision, as Committee chairman, to hold the hearing in a smaller room not open to the public instead of the Committee's usual, larger space in another building. No doubt the Committee knew they were doing dirty work and were ashamed to have the public see them selling gays down the river all so that James Dobson can live in a more homo-free society. Sen. Feingold's office released a statement on his decision to leave the hearing-

"Today's markup of the constitutional amendment concerning marriage, in a small room off the Senate floor with only a handful of people other than Senators and their staffs present, was an affront to the Constitution. I objected to its consideration in such an inappropriate setting and refused to help make a quorum. I am deeply disappointed that the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee [Specter] went forward with the markup over my objection."

As for the Chairman's integrity-

Not all those who voted "yes" support the amendment, however. Specter said he is "totally opposed" to it, but felt it deserved a debate in the Senate.

It's nice to see how little his beliefs mean when his party is facing possible electoral defeat.

Finally, the money quote from Sen. Leahy:
"I didn't realize marriages were so threatened. Nor did my wife of 44 years."

Of course, as the AP article also notes, this amendment has no shot of passing the full Senate (nor do they want it to, they need to keep it around for 2008). But the symbolism is enough to please the religious right. They don't mind being used; they insist upon it. Republican voters are like Charlie Brown. The Republican party is Lucy. Wedge issues like gay marriage are the football. And every two years, Lucy holds up the football and the Charlie Browns all run for it, only to get it pulled away at the last second, leaving them lying flat on their ass. And every two years, the Charlie Browns keep coming back to Lucy, utterly failing to have learned any lesson of any kind. If you read 'Peanuts', you know that Charlie Brown never stopped trusting Lucy. I imagine the same results here.

[PS- Even George Will is not impressed with the GOP's faux-moral crusade:
Who Isn't A 'Values Voter'?]