As if it's not enough that Republicans have no spine when it comes to something the Religious Right wants, we now see that they want to pile secrecy on top of it.
Yesterday, we saw the Senate Judiciary Committee run for cover to keep the marriage amendment debate out of public view:
Democrats complained that bringing up the amendment is a purely political move designed to appeal to the GOP's conservative base in this year of midterm elections. Under the domed ceiling of the ornate and historic President's Room off the Senate floor, senators voted 10-8 to send the measure forward.
Among Feingold's objections was Specter's decision to hold the vote in the President's Room, where access by the general public is restricted, instead of in the panel's usual home in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
And we also know that there was a testy exchange between Russ Feingold and committee chairman Arlen Specter:
''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.''
Later on, Feingold released this statement:
May 18, 2006
"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 went forward with the markup over my objection. Unfortunately, the Majority Leader has set a politically motivated schedule for floor consideration of this measure that the Chairman felt compelled to follow, even though he says he opposes the amendment.
Constitutional amendments deserve the most careful and deliberate consideration of any matter that comes before the Senate. In addition to hearings and a subcommittee markup, such a measure should be considered by the Judiciary Committee in the light of day, open to the press and the public, with cameras present so that the whole country can see what is done. Open and deliberate debate on such an important matter cannot take place in a setting such as the one chosen by the Chairman of the Committee today.
The Constitution of the United States is an historic guarantee of individual freedom. It has served as a beacon of hope, an example to people around the world who yearn to be free and to live their lives without government interference in their most basic human decisions. I took an oath when I joined this body to support and defend the Constitution. I will continue to fight this mean-spirited, divisive, poorly drafted, and misguided amendment when it comes to the Senate floor."
Feingold's clarity is such a stark contrast to much of what we hear these days. The marriage amendment is nothing more than a bone to get Christian conservatives to come out in November. Whatever one thinks about gay marriage, amending the constitution in a way that denies personal liberty (rather than expand it) is a disaster.
Americans for the Separation of Church and State chimed in as well. From an e-mail alert yesterday:
Today's Senate Judiciary Committee vote for a federal marriage amendment is deplorable, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
S. J. Res. 1, the so-called "Marriage Protection Act," passed the committee on a party-line vote of 10-8. The action took place behind closed doors in a room off the Senate floor.
"This is an outrage," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. "It's bad enough that the Senate is trying to wed church and state in unholy matrimony, but it's even worse that they did it behind closed doors."
Americans United has urged the Senate to reject the constitutional amendment, charging that it enshrines the marriage rituals of the country's majority faiths in the Constitution and undercuts separation of church and state.
"Senate leaders clearly are bowing to the demands of the Religious Right," said Lynn. "This is election-year grandstanding for the benefit of Pat Robertson, James Dobson and other disgruntled Religious Right leaders."
Kudos to Feingold for walking out on these goons.