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(Washington) A constitutional amendment to ban
gay marriage failed to get enough votes in the Senate Wednesday to advance but
the number of senators supporting it was greater than in 2004 and advocates of
the measure say it is only a matter of time before it succeeds.
The Senate voted 49 - 48. But 60 votes
were required for the measure to
survive today's test vote and a two-thirds majority is required in both
houses of Congress to send an amendment to the states. It then would have to be
ratified by at least 38 state legislatures.
Supporters of the amendment say time is on their
side.
"We're building votes," said Sen. David
Vitter (R-La). "That's often what's required over
several years to get there, particularly to a two-thirds vote."
Debate on the amendment over
the past two days was intense, fueled on by pressure from the
White House.
"Marriage today is under assault,"
declared the amendment's chief sponsor, Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) as he opened
debate on Monday. (story)
Senate Democratic Leader Harry
Reid of Nevada, who says he believes marriage is the union of
a man and a woman, said he nonetheless will vote against the
amendment.
"The reason for this
debate is to divide our society, to pit one against
another," Reid said.
"This is another one of
the presidents efforts to frighten, to distort, to distract,
and to confuse America.
All but one Democrat - Ben Nelson of Nebraska -
voted against the amendment. But, Republicans were deeply divided.
"Most Americans are not yet convinced that
their elected representatives or the judiciary are likely to expand decisively
the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples," said Sen. John
McCain (R-Ariz.) - a possible presidential candidate in 2008.
LGBT civil rights disputed claims by supporters
of the proposed amendment that eventually they will succeed in betting the
measure passed, noting that the additional votes today came only from freshen
senators.
“Momentum is on our side as a
growing conservative force stands up in defense of the core
American values of equality, liberty, and federalism,” said
Log Cabin President Patrick Guerriero.
"President Bush and the Republican
leadership gambled their dwindling political capital on a discriminatory
amendment and came up empty," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe
Solmonese.
"With the addition of Senators Specter and
Gregg, not only did every senator who voted against discrimination in 2004 stand
with us today but momentum is on the side of equality."
Matt Foreman, Executive
Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force called the
vote a "tremendous victory for the core American values
of equality, fairness and nondiscrimination. Once again, a
bipartisan bloc soundly rejected this immoral constitutional
amendment seeking to dehumanize and hurt lesbian and gay
Americans and their families."
Gay Democrats
accused the GOP of a divisive, destructive political maneuver.
"Marriage is an
institution that strengthens the American family, and it
should be legally extended to all couples," said Jo
Wyrick, NSD Interim Executive Director.
"This parlor game played
today by the Republican Senate would have cut off debate on
this important subject if successful. This is a conversation
that we should be seriously discussing at our dinner tables
and in our houses of worship, not flippantly throwing around
in order for Republicans to scare up some campaign cash."
In an attempt to solidify Republicans for the
amendment, and shore up support among the GOP's conservative religious base,
President Bush used his bully pulpit three times in almost as many days to call
for passage of the amendment.
Tuesday Bush issued a statement saying that the
administration believes "the future of marriage in America should be
decided through the democratic constitutional amendment process, rather than by
the court orders of a few."
Monday, in a nationally televised speech Bush
said that "Marriage is the most fundamental right in our society and it
should not be defined by activist judges." (story)
On Saturday the President used his weekly radio
address to urge the Senate to pass the proposed amendment. (story)
Even though the proposed amendment is dead the
House is scheduled to take up the issue next month.
HRC's Solmonese had a warning Wednesday for the
House GOP leadership: "For the House to now take up a bill that's dead and
twice failed would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt this is nothing more than
election-year posturing.
A majority of Americans believe same-sex couples
should be legally allowed to wed, according to a new ABC News
poll. But just as many oppose amending the Constitution, the poll found.
Nineteen states have their
own constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage while 26 have so-called
defense of marriage statutes barring gays from marrying.
©365Gay.com 2006
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