Senate adopts Hate Crimes Amendment!

This has just happened, but by a vote of 60-39, the US Senate has just invoked cloture on the Kennedy-Smith Amendment adding sexual orientation to the federal hate crimes statute. The Amendment was adopted by voice vote shortly thereafter. Surprisingly, Senators Voinovich and Warner both joined with Democrats to help secure the necessary 60 votes to invoke cloture. Joining were also Senators Smith, Snowe, Collins, Gregg, Coleman, and Specter. (Thank you Lulu57)

Now that Democrats control both Houses, it is highly unlikely that the Amendment will be removed from the Defense Reauthorization in conference. Let's see how the red-staters respond now. Will President Bush veto his own defense appropriations bill simply to prevent American gays and lesbians from being lawfully protected?

•  5,4,3,2,1...

  veto

  by owl06 on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:42:09 AM PDT

  •  Good, because Bush

    would have to veto the entire Defense Reauthorization bill.  The good legislation in it for the soldiers can be handled separately if need be -- not to mention, there's money rolling around already that could be applied to those programs

    by gchaucer2 on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:45:19 AM PDT

•  So who were the other 7 Republicans?

  Clearly Gordon Smith, and I assume Chafee, Snowe and Specter.

  Who were the other 3? My guess is Norm Coleman is one of them, but I'm unsure about the other 2.

  by DemocraticLuntz on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:42:24 AM PDT

  •  Chafee's gone now

    I was watching...it was Smith, Collins, Carper, Voinovich, Lieberman, Snowe, Warner, Coleman, Specter, and Gregg.

    by lulu57 on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:44:45 AM PDT

    •  Lieberman??

      amazing.

      by gchaucer2 on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:45:56 AM PDT

      •  Not really

        He votes for stuff like this.

        by bumblebums on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:49:26 AM PDT

        •  I know his votes

          are generally good on social and enviro issues, but he's been such a hissy-ass lately and I thought he would view the amendment as a major block to the bill -- which it is.

          by gchaucer2 on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:51:12 AM PDT

          •  He filibustered the defense bill in '05 when

            they put ANWR drilling into it.

            That was also a critical vote; had he, Chafee and DeWine voted YEA, they'd have reached cloture since Frist only voted NAY as a parliamentary move to bring it up again.

            by DemocraticLuntz on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:57:39 AM PDT

    •  Carper's a Dem; on domestic issues, so is

      Lieberman [and if we're not counting him as a Dem; then we'd have needed 10 non-Dems voting YEA]. That only gets us to 8 (or 9)

      Who was the 9th (or 10th?)

      by DemocraticLuntz on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:46:38 AM PDT

      •  Heh, oops

        Carper is one of those senators who's always flying under my radar :)

        I know it wasn't Hagel, because I was kinda surprised when Hagel voted "no."

        We'll have to wait for the official rollcall, I guess.

        by lulu57 on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:52:28 AM PDT

        •  Also surprised by Hagel "no" n/t

          by mph2005 on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:57:08 AM PDT

          •  Why? Hagel's a far-right conservative?

            by DemocraticLuntz on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:58:37 AM PDT

      •  Lugar voted YES, too

        I missed him in my last post.

        by lulu57 on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:58:28 AM PDT

•  I'd like to know more

  about the political ins and outs of this. This Hate Crime amendment is attached to the Defense Budget, yes? And Bush has vowed to veto Hate Crimes?

  So does this mean Bush will either have to pass Hate Crimes legislation in order to fund the war, or will Bush have to veto the whole Defense Approprations Bill in order to kill Hate Crimes legislation?

  I so confused.

  by lulu57 on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:42:35 AM PDT

  •  And will somebody please compile a list

    of Republican measures tacked onto defense bills so that the attacks on Democrats on tonight's Fuxked Noise shitstorms can be rebutted?

    by skiddlybop on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:56:50 AM PDT

•  Jeebus, that was a shocker

  I've been listening and couldn't believe it passed with a voice, yea and nay.  Did Kennedy calculate that there weren't enough Republicans on the floor.  Clearly they have a quorum.  Do you know what the Hatch Amendment is that Kennedy supports?

  by gchaucer2 on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:42:58 AM PDT

  •  Some kind of vague

    "research"...that was all I got.

    by lulu57 on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:46:25 AM PDT

    •  It isn't up yet

      on the Senate vote website.  Will keep checking.

      by gchaucer2 on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:47:57 AM PDT

•  Larry Craig voted against it................

  by exMnLiberal on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:44:44 AM PDT

  •  Thats because...

    he's not gay.

    No really, he is not. Just a wide stance, not gay at all.

    by 1918 on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:48:05 AM PDT

  •  He prefers "love crimes". n/t

    by goffnews on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:49:40 AM PDT

•  Better change your ways,

  Tucker Carlson.

  by goffnews on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:46:51 AM PDT

•  Pass the popcorn. Who does Bush hate more?

  The troops or teh gay?

  by Samer on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:47:22 AM PDT

  •  War finally stopped by GOP need

    to continue to see gay people beat up?

    by goffnews on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:52:15 AM PDT

•  SCHIP vote now

  by bumblebums on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:51:00 AM PDT

  •  God, I hope they get over 67.

    by gchaucer2 on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:52:06 AM PDT

    •  We'd Have To Be Going Backward

      to not do at least that well.  When the Senate last voted on SCHIP in early August, there were 68 votes in favor, and that was before Sen. Johnson returned to work.

      I would hope that now we might even gain another GOPer or two, though I wouldn't bet on it.

      by The Maven on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 09:17:27 AM PDT

      •  I heard the Republicans are scrambling

        to come up with an alternative bill.

        by bumblebums on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 09:20:49 AM PDT

      •  I thought thr problem is in

        The House, which did not have 2/3 approval.

        Unless some House Goopers who voted no in the first go 'round decide that they don't want to be blamed for sustaining Bush's veto.

        Then again, they don't seem to mind being blamed for most of Bush's other lunacies.  

        by litigatormom on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 09:53:33 AM PDT

•  Ooh, that's going to infuriate a lot of Repubs!

  How they think what we're doing in Iraq is okay, but protecting gays/lesbians is not, I don't get, but that is indeed how they see it.
  Very surprised to see some of these Repubs going this way..

  by sherlyle on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:52:43 AM PDT

•  God damn Democrats. . .

  do nothing Congress, just the same as the Republicans, there's no difference. . .

  by LarryInNYC on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:53:49 AM PDT

•  Is this upcoming vote on ending discussion

  of SCHIP or on SCHIP itself?  And are they voting to continue it at its present funding, or at increased funding?

  by sherlyle on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:55:52 AM PDT

  •  It's the cloture vote

    by bumblebums on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 08:56:54 AM PDT

    •  thanks. n/t

      by sherlyle on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 09:00:53 AM PDT

      •  They'll be voting on the 60 billion version

        expanding it by 35 billion.

        The House version is 72 billion.

        Bush is requesting 30 - an expansion of 5.

        Cloture passed with 69 votes.

        by bumblebums on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 09:06:15 AM PDT

        •  Hope we get the same numbers on the actual vote.

          That'll make it safe from veto.  Maybe we're going to win one, at long last.

          by sherlyle on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 09:52:50 AM PDT

•  NICE!!!!

  Bout fucking time.  Thank you to all the Republicans who finally decided to quit standing idly by and allowing these crimes to continue insufficiently checked.

  by Sean Robertson on Thu Sep 27, 2007 at 09:47:29 AM PDT