UPDATE: It has been brought my attention that I should not be speaking for the deceased Senator Paul Wellstone (D. MN) over his regrets for voting for DOMA. However, Franken is not the only one to cite Wellstone's regrets:
http://inthesetimes.com/...
Though Wellstone consistently had the most progressive voting record of any senator, he angered his liberal supporters in 1996 by voting for the Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed states to withhold legal recognition of same-sex unions from other states. Later, Wellstone wrote that he regretted that vote. “Paul learned a lot from his friends in LGBT community,” recalls Jeff Blodgett, Wellstone’s campaign manager, who is now running the Obama campaign in Minnesota. “He did a lot of soul-searching and apologizing.” - In These Times, 10/12/12
Senator Al Franken (D. MN) had this to say about the Supreme Court's ruling on DOMA:
http://hometownsource.com/...
“Being married to Franni for 37 years is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I believe that every loving couple should be seen as equal under the eyes of the law. As a long-time supporter of marriage equality, I’ve been fighting for years to stop discrimination against same-sex couples and their children by pressing to end the Defense of Marriage Act, which unjustly denied important protections to couples in Minnesota because of whom they love. I’m very happy that the U.S. Supreme Court found DOMA unconstitutional, and that we’re now closer toward ensuring marriage equality for every American. Our country is starting to understand that it’s not about what a family looks like: it’s about their love and commitment to one another.” - Hometown Source, 6/26/13
Franken also cited his political hero, Senator Paul Wellstone's (D. MN) regret over voting for DOMA:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/...
When the Senate was debating DOMA, liberal icon and Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone gave a curious speech in which he stood up but chose not to talk about DOMA.
Instead, he spoke about another bill that would outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation based on the experience of a close family friend.
"This friend of ours over the years, really has had to live in a state of terror though it's gotten somewhat better now," Wellstone said.
When it came time to vote, Wellstone joined 84 other senators to support DOMA, a sign of the perceived political danger of supporting gay marriage.
"I think that's a vote that he always regretted," DFL Sen. Al Franken said of the late senator. Franken now occupies Wellstone's Senate seat and uses his former desk in his office.
"This has been kind of a fast evolution, I think, as these things go, and it's only moving in one direction," Franken said. - Minnesota Public Radio, 6/27/13
I'm sure Wellstone is up in Heaven smiling about yesterday's news. Now the good news is that with Minnesota legalizing same-sex marriage and with the Supreme Court's ruling on DOMA, gay couples in Minnesota are going to be receiving some new benefits:
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/...
Minnesota same-sex couples who can wed beginning in a little more than a month will receive the same benefits as other married couples because of Wednesday’s Supreme Court decision invalidating the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Among the most important of those benefits is allowing same-sex couples to file joint income tax returns to receive a lower tax rate and Social Security to be collected based on a spouse’s income, said Chuck Samuelson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota. Federal pensions, including those from the military, also will benefit gay spouses, he said.
“It’s incredibly good news,” said Gary Anderson of Duluth, a community organizer who helped defeat last November’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and is now a community organizer for OutFront Minnesota.
“On a very practical level, it means better protection for family. A surviving spouse is now entitled to Social Security benefits from a same-sex partner. … It means benefits for kids and families that otherwise wouldn’t have been eligible.”
By striking down DOMA, the court cleared the way for legally married couples to claim more than 1,100 federal benefits, rights and burdens linked to marriage status. - Duluth News Tribune, 6/27/13
But of course there's more work to be done and Franken is pushing to help same-sex couples receive more benefits they deserve:
http://www.politicususa.com/...
The Senator pointed out that we are not all of the way there yet, “I’m very happy that the U.S. Supreme Court found DOMA unconstitutional, and that we’re now closer toward ensuring marriage equality for every American. Our country is starting to understand that it’s not about what a family looks like: it’s about their love and commitment to one another.”
Sen. Franken is also a supporter of the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA, H.R. 1116,S. 598), which would repeal DOMA and require the U.S. federal government to recognize the validity of same-sex marriages. President Obama announced his support for the Respect for Marriage Act on July 19, 2011. Franken’s office pointed out that the Respect for Marriage Act “would repeal DOMA and restore the federal benefits of marriage to all lawfully married couples—including tens of thousands of same-sex couples.”
DOMA, a 1996 law, denies legally married same-sex couples over 1,100 protections and responsibilities of marriage triggered at the federal level. Freedom to Marry explained that there are “over 1,100 protections and responsibilities conferred on married couples by the federal government including access to health care, parenting and immigration rights, social security, veterans and survivor benefits, and transfer of property—and that doesn’t include several hundred state and local laws, protections conferred by employers, or the intangible security, dignity, respect, and meaning that comes with marriage.”
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn section 3 of DOMA is the first step in overturning the discrimination inherent in DOMA. - Politicus USA, 6/26/13
Senator Franken is right to be calling for this and action is being taken to push through the Respect For Marriage Act:
http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/...
Just hours after yesterday’s historic Supreme Court rulings, Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) reintroduced in the Senate, the Respect For Marriage Act, (RMA,) which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA,) and relegate it to history’s (overstuffed) bad-law dumpster. The bill would declare all married couples, in all 50 states, and of any gender composition, equal rights and equal benefits and equal protections, under federal law. Senator Feinstein introduced the same bill in March of 2011. Two years ago, the bill had 17 Senate co-sponsors. This incarnation, it has 40. So far, I could find no Republican senator who has says he will filibuster the bill.
At the same time Senator Feinstein filed the RMA in the Senate, an identical bill was introduced into the House. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D-NY) filed the RMA with the support of 160 co-sponsors, including at least 2 Republicans, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Richard Hanna (R-NY). Passage of the RMA through the House is, as usual, made difficult by the Tea Party Caucus who are not yet ready to abandon DOMA. Representatives Michele Bachmann (R-MN)and Louis Gohmert (R-TX) have already taken to the TV cameras to predict the Supreme Court’s decision will lead to the end of the universe as we know it – or words to that effect. Speaker Boehner has so far had no comment. - The New Civil Rights Movement, 6/27/13
I thank Senator Franken and other Democrats for continuing to push for more equality for the LGBT community. Lets start urging our Senators and Representatives to now pass the Respect For Marriage Act:
House Bill Number is H.R. 1116: http://house.gov/...
Senate Bill Number is S. 598: http://www.senate.gov/...
By the way, though Franken praised the SCOTUS's decision yesterday, he didn't have anything good to say about them striking down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act:
https://www.politicususa.com/...
“The Voting Rights Act is a bipartisan law that has allowed our nation to make great progress toward ending voter discrimination; however, as the evidence shows, the problem of voting discrimination still persists,” said Sen. Franken. “The Supreme Court’s decision in the Shelby County case is a significant setback, and I am deeply disappointed that part of this critical law has been struck down.
“I think Justice Ginsburg got it right when she wrote that Congress reauthorized the Voting Rights Act both to continue the gains we’ve made as a country, but also to prevent backsliding. Congress should respond to the Court’s opinion by updating the Voting Rights Act, and I hope that the Justice Department will use its remaining legal authority to enforce it. That statute is an important and effective tool, and we shouldn’t abandon it.” - Politicus USA, 6/25/13
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https://secure.actblue.com/...