Republican Gov. Linda Lingle’s action came on the final day she had to either sign or veto the bill, which the Hawaii Legislature approved in late April.

“There has not been a bill I have contemplated more or an issue I have thought more deeply about during my eight years as governor than House Bill 444 and the institution of marriage,” Lingle said at a news conference. “I have been open and consistent in my opposition to same-sex marriage, and find that House Bill 444 is essentially same sex marriage by another name.”

Here’s the doozy:

“It would be a mistake to allow a decision of this magnitude be made by one individual or a small group of elected officials,” Lingle said.

Because no other important decisions have been made by a small group of representatives.  You know, things like the Declaration of Independence (oh wait, they weren’t even elected representatives).  Or Bush’s decision to go to war in Iraq.  Then again, I guess those only involved life or death–not the institution of marrriage.

Appalling.

The audio of the full presser is here, via Good As You (where it’s rightly noted that her decision to veto the bill is, in fact, one person making a decision that has a huge impact on the lives of many families led by same-sex couples).

Courtesy of the GW Hatchet

Meghan McCain spoke at The George Washington University last Thursday after a conflict with the GW Young America’s Foundation and College Republicans over McCain’s scheduled appearance with Allied in Pride, the campus’ gay rights group. With a few digs at the College Republicans, she spoke about the need for the Republican Party to expand its tent.  How to do the College Republicans react?

We want to protest McCain’s version of ‘Redefining Republicanism.  If you’re not toeing the party line then you’re not really that party affiliation.

From the GW Hatchet:

“I am not Ann Coulter. I am not Glenn Beck. I am not trying to be a pundit. I am not trying to have a show on FOX,” McCain said. “My intention is to promote dialogue in this country.”

“I do [support marriage equality], got that George Washington Young Republicans?” McCain said in reference to the GW College Republicans’ January withdrawal of financial support for her speech. The CRs removed their support from the event after saying that they had been misinformed of the purpose of McCain’s talk.

“I had to get that little jab in,” she added to some laughs.

Rep. Steve King seems to be sympathizing with the Texas IRS terrorist.  I wonder if he spoke this way about Timothy McVeigh?  Would he tolerate someone talking about the 9/11 terrorists and saying, “Well, no one likes US soldiers in Saudi Arabia.”  Or, “You know, a lot of people think women shouldn’t have equal rights to men.”

It’s mindboggling to me that in this era of the Tea Party, people like Scott Brown and Steve King aren’t being booed off their soapboxes.  If you want transparency and accountability (Sen. Brown’s words), flying a plane into a building is NOT the solution and it’s not a justifiable reaction.  This is why the tea party movement scares me–none of their leaders are checking the crazy, irrational rage.

Over the past week I’ve done a fair bit of complaining about CPAC, but  I haven’t really brought it here.  The fact that the meeting is a few blocks away from my apartment and I have to see NRA and YAF bags wandering the metro station is a rather disconcerting (and makes you wonder what the NRA folks put IN those bags).  But here’s what is really bugging me–there are so many young people at this meeting and this year’s meeting has been controversial within the Republican party for allowing GOProud (a gay republican organization) to be a co-sponsor.  Among other reactions, Liberty University group backed out rather than sponsor the event with GOProud.

Then I saw this clip posted by Media Matters showing Ryan Sorba, of the Young America’s Foundation (YAF).  He is exactly what I picture when I think of YAF or the average CPAC attendee.  YAF was active on my college campus, so I’ve seen just how radical they can be.

However, based on the reaction he gets for what I assumed was the typical attendee’s beliefs, it’s reassuring to see he’s apparently out of the mainstream at an event attended by some of the most extreme conservatives.  While many there would surely agree on marriage, it’s interesting to see they don’t agree with this argument that being gay goes against human nature (I do love that as he’s screaming over a booing crowd he trying to talk about how humans are naturally rational).  His demeanor is completely douche-y and he makes a great poster boy for everything wrong with the right.  Worth a watch.

A bit more tension on gay rights and GOProud’s disagreement with the National Organization for Marriage at Religion Dispatches.  Essentially, NOM announced they would try to stop pro-marriage equality Republicans and got called  a “pansy” by GOProud.

Democrats allow themselves to be cast as weak on security every election cycle.  Sure, Hillary Clinton runs as a hawkish democrat who refuses to set a deadline for withdrawl, but no matter what, we’re all cast as weak on defense simply because we’re not in the NRA and think that maybe we should engage in talks before we engage in bombing (an oversimplification, but not by that much).  Here, once again, we’re casting ourselves as weak on military issues.  This may not be as significant as starting a war, but President Obama is also the Commander in Chief.  So he should command.  And everyone else in the armed forces should follow that lead, just like they promised.  Why are we looking for approval on a policy change that most people agree with?

Do we think some republicans will use this to their advantage come November?  Sure, if swift, just action were taken now and DADT were repealed, some candidates might face the issue in their reelections.  But frankly, punting it a year down the road just means that instead of the campaign attacks asking why did you support this “radical liberal agenda,”  it will be a legitimate issue of future legislative action.  It will be a campaign promise of (and for) the homophobes rather than a settled piece of policy that is just one more vote that has come and gone.

Barring any truly momentous events,  the 2010 election will be about jobs and the economy.  If President Obama were to announce today that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell would not be enforced until Congress passed its repeal, soldiers would not stand up and leave the armed forces (and anyone who thinks they’re loyalty is that superficial, please stand up).  Further, there won’t be some mad rush of men and women in the armed forces coming out and putting on their rainbow camo.  They’d continue to do their jobs, and they wouldn’t have to hide.  They could openly talk about what most of their colleagues probably know.  The partners and husbands and wives of those soldiers could finally speak out about what they go through on a day to day basis and get the support that straight husbands and wives receive.  This doesn’t require a lot of political capital–especially if done through the Defense budget.  What it does require is an little bit of courage.

Now, an update for those who haven’t been following closely.

• Today the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing, featuring Secretary of Defense Gates and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullen.  Mullen’s opening remarks that he personally supports the repeal are below.
  

  “We have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me, personally, it comes down to integrity – theirs as individuals, and ours as institutions

• Based on the previous remarks of Sen. McCain, he should be open to voting for the repeal.
• Carl Levin gets a bit weak-kneed, thinking maybe a pause is better than repeal.
• The Pentagon is starting a year long commission, headed by  Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson and Army Gen. Carter Ham to look at how to “safely incorporate” openly gay soldiers into the armed forces.  There is also a 45-day review to look at ways to reduce discharges (citing third-party outings as a situation that could be reduced).  More from the AP here.
• Republicans are turning on Secretary Gates (that’s right, the Bush appointee), calling him an activist Secretary of Defense?
  

  Republicans on the panel accused Mr. Gates of usurping Congressional prerogatives by suggesting that the Pentagon commission would study how, not whether, to implement a repeal of the ban.

  “Your statement obviously is one which is clearly biased, without the view of Congress being taken into consideration,” said Sen. McCain, accusing the defense chief of trying to repeal the law “by fiat.”

More to come, but I’ll leave you with a few statements:

Statement from the Service Members Defense League.

We strongly applaud Sec. Gates supporting the President’s view that DADT needs to go. It’s a matter of when and how, he said, not if. We also strongly applaud Chairman Mullen who unambiguously personally supported gays and lesbians serving openly. The top military brass of the United States just laid out a roadmap for full repeal.

The statement of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Contact: Bethany Lesser (202) 224-3873

GILLIBRAND STATEMENT FOR SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE HEARING ON “DON’T ASK DON’T TELL”

First Congressional Hearing Since Discriminatory Policy Was Established 17 Years Ago

Gillibrand Helping Lead  the Charge in the Senate to Immediately Repeal the Policy

Washington, D.C. – Today, as the Senate Armed Service Committee holds the first hearing on the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy since it was first established 17 years ago, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued the following statement. Senator Gillibrand is helping lead  the charge in the Senate to repeal the unjust, harmful policy that undercuts the civil rights of some of America’s bravest men and women, and weakens America’s national security.

Chairman Levin, Senator McCain, distinguished Members of the Committee; I appreciate your leadership in hosting this important hearing today.
James Madison once said, “Equal laws protecting equal rights… the best guarantee of loyalty & love of country.”

Lesbian and Gay servicemen and women have been serving in our armed forces bravely while being denied the full equality they deserve. Since 1993, more than 13,500 American troops have been discharged from the military under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), at an estimated cost of over $400 million. Those discharges include more than 800 specialists with skills deemed mission critical by the U.S. military, including at least 323 linguists, approximately 10% of foreign language speakers, 59 of which specialized in Arabic, and at least nine of which specialized in Farsi, the official language of Iran. Among these specialists were pilots, engineers, doctors, nurses, and combat medics, all of which the military has faced shortfalls of in recent years.

These brave Americans were not discharged because of poor performance, but rather because of their sexual orientation.

According to a recent study by the Williams Institute, an estimated 66,000 lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals are serving in the US military. According to data provided by the Department of Defense, discharges under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps declined to 428 in 2009 from 619 the previous year. This represents a 65% drop since 2001, the highest number on record.

In a time of war, discharges have decreased, even as anecdotal evidence strongly suggests larger numbers of lesbian and gay service members are serving openly. Despite the current law, individual commanders are deciding to retain otherwise qualified personnel.

Why is this the case? Because the Armed Forces is experiencing shortfalls in several types of mission-critical personnel, especially in the midst of fighting ongoing wars, and is losing additional trained and highly qualified personnel under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. It has been estimated that the U.S. military loses more than 4,000 gay and lesbian military personnel each year, which it would have otherwise retained, had the service members been able to be open about their sexual orientation, and that more than 40,000 recruits might join if the ban is lifted.  Commanders on the ground believe what many of us strongly believe-it’s time to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

In a January 2007 Op-Ed article published in The New York Times, General John M. Shalikashvili, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when the policy was enacted, stated that his opinion was that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell should be repealed. He argued that due to the U.S. military being stretched thin by its current deployments in the Middle East, the Armed Forces need to accept every American who is willing and able to serve. Last week I was proud to share another statement from General Shalikashvili, 1 of only 17 people in the country’s history to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, calling for an end to this failed policy.  In his statement he said:

“When I was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, my support of the current policy was based on my belief that implementing a change in the rules would have been too burdensome for our troops and commanders at the time.

“The concern among many at that time, was that letting people who were openly gay serve would lower morale, harm recruitment and undermine unit cohesion. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” was seen as a useful measure that allowed time to pass while our culture continued to evolve. The question before us now is whether enough time has gone by to give this policy serious reconsideration. I believe that it has.”

Twenty-five foreign militaries now let gays serve openly, including our closest ally, Britain.  I sit on the Foreign Relations Committee and I am acutely aware that most of our allies – Israel, Britain, France, 22 of 26 NATO nations in all – allow gay and lesbian soldiers to serve openly and I believe the American military should follow suit. At a time when our nation is fighting two wars, and with increased national security threats, we can ill afford this loss of personnel and talent in our national defense. Our military is the best in the world. Once gay and lesbian service members are allowed to serve openly, our military will still be the best in the world.

As we look at the path that has brought us to this hearing today, regarding how best to repeal the Don’t ask, Don’t Tell policy, I am reminded of several leaders in the fight to allow openly gay service members into the Armed Forces.

One is then West Point Cadet, Lt. Alexander Raggio. In his 2006 award winning thesis he stated:

“The military should abandon the false acceptance of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and allow the open service of homosexuals immediately.”

And he added, “Current policy cannot be rationally explained except as a reflection of the personal prejudices of those who create and enforce it and, rationalized by faulty logic and double standards.”

These steps towards equality are our duty.  I strongly believe that equality is an inalienable American right – and should not be ascribed based on gender or race, religion or sexual orientation or gender identity. America must lead by example when it comes to equality and justice.  Freedom from discrimination is a basic right that all Americans should enjoy. Lifting the ban on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is not only necessary for realizing equality, but it’s necessary for ensuring that our armed forces remain the best in the world.

Pepe Johnson, a former Sergeant, U.S. Army sums up the moral imperative on why we have to change this policy. Every day this policy remains we ask these soldiers to lie about who they are, Pepe said  ”Honesty and integrity are everything in the army.  I felt if I was lying, I didn’t have it.  I wasn’t serving with integrity. I felt trapped. Lying is not the way of the Army — I felt I was violating regulation.

“During the three years I served I only wanted to be all I could be – to borrow the old recruiting slogan – but Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell forced me to be something other than what I was. And that’s not consistent with the Army’s Values: ‘Leaders are honest to others by not presenting themselves or their actions as anything other than what they are, remaining committed to the truth.’ (FM 6-22, Army Leadership) As long as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell exists, there is a hole in the integrity of the entire military.”

We must recognize that human dignity and respect are part and parcel of who we were as Americans – male or female, African American or Caucasian, Gay or Straight, Bisexual or Transgender.

We must ensure that our armed forces are fully prepared with the best resources we can muster.  Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is a threat to our men and women in uniform and our national security. We cannot afford to handicap our efforts because of ignorance or hatred.

This policy is wrong for our national security and inconsistent with the moral foundation upon which our country was founded. It is critically important for this Congress to take up President Obama’s call to permanently end the ban on LGBT Americans serving in our armed services. We will strengthen America – both militarily and morally — by repealing this discriminatory policy.

On the stimulus and compromising in legislation

A lighter moment to the serious issue of hyper-partisan politics limiting the ability to come together and find real solutions:

One striking moment was when Obama tackled the recent Supreme Court case, Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission and called out what he saw as a bad decision.  I’m not sure to the precedent of telling the Court they are wrong to their face, but it seemed really unexpected (and Justice Alito seemed to agree–CNN saying he said “No, that’s not true”).

That said, I loved his introduction,

It’s tempting to look back on these moments and assume that our progress was inevitable – that America was always destined to succeed. But when the Union was turned back at Bull Run and the Allies first landed at Omaha Beach, victory was very much in doubt. When the market crashed on Black Tuesday and civil rights marchers were beaten on Bloody Sunday, the future was anything but certain. These were times that tested the courage of our convictions, and the strength of our union. And despite all our divisions and disagreements; our hesitations and our fears; America prevailed because we chose to move forward as one nation, and one people.

Again, we are tested. And again, we must answer history’s call.

As he continued, I loved the way he framed the need to address global warming.  It also seems to have been off script or a last minute addition, as it’s not in the prepared remarks.  He nicely shift it from a science discussion (while saying it was nearly irrefutable) to an issue of jobs.  Paraphrasing, he said that ‘Even if you doubt the overwhelming science behind it, you can’t doubt that the nation that has the leading clean energy economy will lead the global economy.’

Health care was fascinating, and seemed to me to be a very honest plea to not walk away.  I think he could have more effectively laid out the exact things that reform would do for families.  He did to some extent, but I don’t think he did it enough. Pre-existing conditions seem to me to be something no one could oppose–especially when given some of the absurd reasons insurance companies find.  This should have been fleshed out a bit more so that people could have understood the details, not the messy process.

He obviously drove home the jobs issue and I think did a pretty good job of explaining what has been done so far to slow the bleeding, so to speak.

On the issue of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” I think we got a solid shout out that will provide a needed boost and sent a clear signal to the leadership of the armed forces from the Commander-in-Chief.  It certainly wasn’t a necessary, and there was interestingly quite a vocal response in support.  I fear the sentence before may be lost, but he also highlighted the success of hate crimes legislation–an often overlooked success that is shared among many parties.

We must continually renew this promise. My Administration has a Civil Rights Division that is once again prosecuting civil rights violations and employment discrimination. We finally strengthened our laws to protect against crimes driven by hate. This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. We are going to crack down on violations of equal pay laws – so that women get equal pay for an equal day’s work. And we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system – to secure our borders, enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nations.

Finally, jumping back to the issue of the partisanship.  I maintain that some of the digs could have been left out, as this passage quite effectively summed it up.

To Democrats, I would remind you that we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve some problems, not run for the hills. And if the Republican leadership is going to insist that sixty votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town, then the responsibility to govern is now yours as well. Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it’s not leadership. We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions.

Your thoughts?

The real question is what message politicians and pundits will take out of the Massachusetts surprise. (As of this writing, we do not know whether that surprise will be a near-loss for Democrats or a GOP triumph.) Many argue it means Democrats should run from reform. But that would not just be disastrous for American health care. It would misread the results and ignore the lessons of history. Not passing health reform would guarantee that dire predictions about the Democrats’ fate will come true.

I think they’re right. Once the process is in the rearview mirror and the elements that the public supports are enacted, the important thing will be that the Democrats did something and it improved lives. Scale isn’t nearly as important politically as success or failure.

If there is a lesson in the Massachusetts vote, it is this: pass a bill. The nation needs reform. Democrats need an accomplishment. And Democratic activists and voters need a new cause: fixing reform, not abandoning it.