Log Cabin Declares Victory Over Radical Right on Anti-Family Amendment
Supporters of FMA Afraid to Vote on Actual Amendment
Washington, DC (PRWEB) July 15, 2004 -- Today's procedural vote in the United
States Senate on the anti-family Federal Marriage Amendment is an overwhelming
defeat for the radical right. "This is a victory for principle over politics,
hope over fear, and real family values over anti-gay propaganda," said Log Cabin
Executive Director Patrick Guerriero.
"As many as 60 Senators were
prepared to vote against the amendment. Rather than face certain defeat, the
radical right took the easy way out—by turning this into a largely party-line
procedural vote. For six months, the radical right has been clamoring for an up
or down vote. Today they are hiding behind a procedural vote because their
campaign to write discrimination into the American Constitution has been an
unqualified failure," said Guerriero.
"Proponents of the FMA didn't have
the courage to allow an up or down vote on their anti-gay proposal because they
didn't want to face an overwhelming defeat" said Log Cabin Political Director
Chris Barron.
In a moving floor speech on Tuesday night, Republican
Senator John McCain from Arizona denounced the anti-family FMA, "(t)he
constitutional amendment we're debating today strikes me as antithetical in
every way to the core philosophy of Republicans." Senator McCain attacked this
discriminatory amendment because, "(i)t usurps from the states a fundamental
authority they have always possessed and imposes a federal remedy for a problem
that most states do not believe confronts them."
Senator McCain's
comments echoed the words of then Vice Presidential candidate Dick Cheney from
the 2000 campaign. Cheney said he believed the question of regulating the
recognition of same-sex relationships was best left to the states. The Vice
President's powerful comments from 2000 have been the centerpiece of Log Cabin's
national television advertising campaign against this anti-family
amendment.
Senator McCain's opposition to the amendment came just hours
after Senator John Warner (R-VA) took to the floor and announced his opposition
to the anti-family amendment. In addition to Senator McCain and Senator Warner’s
floor statements, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) told reporters on Tuesday that,
"I see no need for a constitutional amendment...at a time when we already have a
federal law on the books that protects the rights of states to define marriage
as between a man and a woman."
Log Cabin has made it clear from day one
that this debate is not about protecting marriage, but is really about
protecting the Constitution and protecting federalism. Over this past weekend,
Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) added to the growing voices of Republican
opposition to this unnecessary amendment by stating, "I believe that marriage
should be defined as a marriage between man and woman, but I don't think that a
constitutional amendment is necessary."
Even some of the most
conservative members of the Senate expressed reservations about amending the
Constitution. Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) said, "a federal constitutional
Amendment is premature at this time, as federal law already gives authority to
the states in recognizing marriage."
Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) made his
opposition to this amendment clear. "I do not support amending the U.S.
Constitution to ban same sex marriage at this time."
Senator Arlen
Specter (R-PA) courageously spoke out against the amendment in the midst of a
difficult primary campaign against an anti-gay opponent. Senator Lincoln Chafee
(R-RI) went as far as to circulate a letter to his colleagues asking fellow
Republicans to reject this anti-family amendment.
This growing chorus of
Republicans in opposition to the amendment forced the pro-amendment forces to
play procedural games to avoid an embarrassing loss. "The reality is that
Senator Frist, Senator Santorum, Senator Allard and other supporters of this
discriminatory amendment knew that as many as a dozen or more Republicans would
have voted against it," said Log Cabin Political Director Chris Barron.
"Log Cabin is proud to have led the conservative voices that rose up to
oppose this unnecessary and discriminatory amendment," continued Guerriero.
"Regardless of how you feel about civil marriage equality or civil unions, true
conservatives oppose this amendment because, as Senator McCain so eloquently
pointed out, it violates the very principles our party represents."
"We
are proud of our grassroots members around the nation who joined the fight to
defend the Constitution. We are also proud of all those Senators who spoke out
against the amendment, including our Republican friends who stood up to the far
right's bullying and intimidation," said Guerriero.
Inclusive Republicans
from coast to coast joined Log Cabin in opposition to the FMA: from California
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on the west coast, to the three hosts of the
upcoming GOP convention on the east coast, including New York Governor George
Pataki, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and current New York Mayor
Michael Bloomberg.
On February 24th of this year, President Bush
announced his support for an anti-family Constitutional amendment. Five months
later, only 19 Republican Senators have co-sponsored FMA. The radical right
hoped that the President's endorsement of their amendment would galvanize
Republican support for this anti-family proposal. Thanks to conservative voices
such as Log Cabin's grassroots members and allies, however, the predicted
groundswell of GOP support for this amendment in the Senate never materialized.
One of Log Cabin's first priorities in the debate over this
discriminatory amendment was to show that FMA was not only about civil marriage,
but that it also jeopardized civil unions and domestic partner legislation. In a
stunning last minute admission that the FMA would prohibit civil unions, some
pro-amendment forces sought to introduce a new amendment.
This new
amendment was necessary because the language of the FMA makes it clear that
civil unions created through the Constitutional process, such as those proposed
in Massachusetts as an alternative to civil marriage, will not be permitted.
Additionally, other civil union legislation and even domestic partner benefits
may be threatened. The amendment's drafters do not support civil unions or
domestic partnerships and were not going to support any legislation that does.
Log Cabin made the successful case to the Senate that this was a classic Trojan
horse.
Today's victory over the far right is not the end of this battle.
This issue is not going away anytime soon. Anti-family leaders in the House and
Senate have made it clear that they will continue pushing for discriminatory
measures in both chambers. The House may consider anti-gay legislation in the
coming weeks, and may take up the anti-family amendment this fall. "While we
should celebrate today's victory, we also need to realize that the fight isn’t
over. The far right has made it clear that they intend to force this issue on
the American public and they intend to grind all other work of our legislative
bodies to a halt all in the name of pushing their divisive social agenda," said
Guerriero.
Log Cabin Republicans has been leading a coordinated effort to
defend the Constitution. This campaign includes a television advertisement,
prints ads, the most intense lobbying effort in its history, and the grassroots
mobilization of Log Cabin members across America.
Log Cabin commends
other conservative organizations, as well as local, state and national leaders
who have publicly opposed the FMA. Log Cabin also commends other gay and lesbian
organizations that joined with Log Cabin, across party lines, to defend our
Constitution and protect gay and lesbian families. Finally, Log Cabin would like
to thanks its grassroots membership all across this country. "Log Cabin members
and our allies across the nation have worked courageously to defend our
Constitution. This fight is not over. We remain firmly dedicated to winning the
culture war waged on the Republican Party and the American people by the voices
of intolerance on the radical right. History and decency are on our side,"
concluded Guerriero.
Log Cabin Republicans is the nation's largest
organization of Republicans who support fairness, freedom, and equality for gay
and lesbian Americans. Log Cabin has state and local chapters nationwide, a
full-time Washington office, and a federal political action
committee.
Contact Information:
Chris Barron
202
347-5306
e-mail protected from spam bots
LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/7/prweb141536.htm