House erupts into chaos after LGBT protection amendment narrowly fails

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: CBS News

By/ Rebecca Shabad/ CBS News/ May 19, 2016, 1:29 PM

The House floor erupted Thursday into a tense, chaotic situation after an amendment to protect members of the LGBT community failed several seconds after it looked like it had enough votes to pass.

The amendment from Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-New York, would have barred federal contracts to companies that discriminate against LGBT employees. It was an attempt to undo a provision inside a major defense bill the House passed a night earlier that would reverse President Obama's executive order extending anti-discrimination protections to federal contractors' LGBT employees. Democrats warned the provision will allow any federal contractor to discriminate against gay, lesbian and transgender people.

Maloney's amendment narrowly failed Thursday 212-213 after it looked like it was going to pass 217-206 a few seconds earlier. Republican leaders held open the vote and Democrats say Republicans twisted arms, pressuring members of their conference to switch their votes so that it would fail. ... "Shame, shame, shame!" Democrats chanted on the House floor as Republicans changed their votes.

After it failed, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, appeared visibly angry and spoke on the floor, pointing out he never saw any Republicans come to the front of the chamber to change their votes. ... "I was standing in the well and no one came and no one had the courage to come into the well to change their vote, but notwithstanding that, the vote kept changing. Mr. Speaker, from a parliamentary perspective, how is that possible?" Hoyer said. ... According to an aide to Hoyer, Republicans kept the vote open so that lawmakers could change their vote from their seats without approaching the front of the chamber.


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-erupts-into-chaos-after-lgbt-protection-amendment-narrowly-fails/

---

May 19, 2016, 12:19 pm
Chaos in House after GOP votes down LGBT measure

By Cristina Marcos and Mike Lillis

The House floor devolved into chaos and shouting on Thursday as a measure to ensure protections for members of the LGBT community narrowly failed to pass after Republican leaders urged their members to change their votes.

Initially, it appeared Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney's (D-N.Y.) amendment had passed, as 217 "yes" votes piled up over 206 "no" votes when the clock ran out. The measure needed 213 votes to pass.

But it eventually failed on a 212-213 vote after a number of Republican lawmakers changed their votes from "yes" to "no" after the clock had expired.

GOP leaders held the vote open as they pressured members to change sides. Infuriating Democrats, they let lawmakers switch their votes without walking to the well at the front of the chamber.
....

Twenty-nine Republicans voted for Maloney's amendment to a spending bill for the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects, along with all Democrats in the final roll call.

House turns into battleground over LGBT rights

By Karoun Demirjian May 19 at 2:22 PM

The House floor is turning into an emotional, and at times ugly, battleground over LGBT rights, as Democrats accuse Republicans of promoting bigotry and discrimination over proposals GOP leaders say are intended to protect freedom of religion from government overreach.

The conflict erupted on Thursday when Republican leaders successfully whipped their members to vote down a Democratic amendment that sought to prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to pay contractors that discriminate against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The proposal, authored by Rep. Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.), appeared on the cusp of being adopted as the vote came to a close, but at the last minute six Republican members switched their votes and the amendment was defeated on a 212-to-213 vote. ... Outraged Democrats shouted “shame” and accused Republican leaders of abusing chamber rules by holding the vote open until they could twist enough arms to kill the amendment.

“They literally snatched discrimination out of the jaws of equality,” Maloney said. “We won this vote.” ... Maloney told reporters that when he saw House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) “personally twisting arms on the floor,” he asked him to let the vote conclude only to be told to “to get back on my own side” of the aisle.

[AllyCat]

1. Dear FSM, I hate these GOP douchbags.

[Angry Dragon]

38. Much to hate about them

[blm]

2. "No difference" I am told.

"Both parties are the same."

And those who say it think they are smart for having said it.

[TwilightZone]

12. It's intentional ignorance.

Anyone with half a brain knows there's a difference. The people who pretend otherwise either have a very specific agenda or a very narrow view of reality.

[stillwaiting]

13. On social issues they are different.

I am gay and I am sick of being used to allow the continuing destruction of the working and middle classes.

Note: this does NOT mean that protecting LGBT issues is not important. It is that economic issues are very important too, and I expect both to be addressed. This should not be very difficult unless one is corrupted by financial interests. Period.

[blm]

43. Pretty sure the Dems don't offer bills pushing tax breaks for the financial elites at the expense

of working families.

And it's not just about LGBT issues, look at what is happening in red states all over the country on voting rights, land rights, workers' rights, and reproductive issues…..most social issues also effect economic issues for working families.


Point being - it's baloney to say it's about any ONE issue. The Dem party isn't using you - but, I'll bet that professional propagandists have adopted that frame to further the narrative that you are just being used.

[JDPriestly]

28. The parties differ on social issues but not so much on economic ones.

Democrats like to have their employees submissive and subservient just as Republicans do.

We need total reform of our employment laws.

The employment relationship should be one of cooperation between workers and employers regardless of the profession or job. It should be teamwork.

So much of the routine work is done by computers. So much of it is automated. Let's create a working world of partners and harmony in the workplace.

It would not only help the bottom lines of our businesses, make America a good place to produce products and increase the size of paychecks, but it would result in less work-related stress, better families and communities and a less violent society.

We need to totally reform our employment laws.

Let's reward companies that include employees in the decision-making and automatically make all employees shareholders and partners in the business.

[padfun]

35. There's a HUGE difference

and anyone who says they are the same are totally ignorant.

[Omaha Steve]

3. Now will this get the biased attention Dem's in Nevada had?

[silvershadow]

33. Until it is resolved I usually refer to it as the Grand Coup d'etat, since all evidence

points to conspiratorial behavior.

[Liberalagogo]

4. Well what do you know

Republicans are candy-ass COWARDS, too.

[Enthusiast]

44. But they are afraid of their constituents while Democrats are not. WTF?

Look at the number of Democrats that voted for fast track authority on the TPP.

[Archae]

5. I knew this would happen...

House republicans have no credibility, no sense of decency, and no class.

One of these teabaggers is my congressman, Glenn Grothmann.

[pmorlan1]

6. KARMA

Bernie Bros creating chaos & violence over parliamentary rules not being followed? No, it was the Democratic House. I wonder how many of them were afraid for their safety? I wonder how many of them will be trashed in the media and trashed by DWS? Hmmmm.

After it failed, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, appeared visibly angry and spoke on the floor, pointing out he never saw any Republicans come to the front of the chamber to change their votes. ... "I was standing in the well and no one came and no one had the courage to come into the well to change their vote, but notwithstanding that, the vote kept changing. Mr. Speaker, from a parliamentary perspective, how is that possible?" Hoyer said. ... According to an aide to Hoyer, Republicans kept the vote open so that lawmakers could change their vote from their seats without approaching the front of the chamber.

[drokhole]

47. Ding ding ding!

Sounds positively violent. Crying about not getting their way?! And hurling insults and shouting obscenities? Interruptions on the floor and epithets being lobbed at party officials...how unhinged! All of this after a simple vote? If they don't like the rules of the game, well tough luck!

[Act_of_Reparation]

7. Who were the 5 Dems who didn't vote...

...and, more importantly, did they have good reason not to vote?

I only bring it up, cuz, you know... math.

[Matt_in_STL]

16. See my post below....

[IndyV0te]

8. States

Let the States decide.

If the majority of people in a state want to provide such protections let them vote to do so.

[Iggo]

14. They tried that with Prop H8 in California.

Wasn't right then. Wouldn't be right now.

You don't put civil rights up for a majority vote.

[TwilightZone]

17. Civil rights shouldn't be determined by mob rule

[COLGATE4]

21. I have an idea. Let's let the people in a given state

decide if they want to let African Americans marry whites. If they want to provide such protection for the practice, let them vote to do so.

[reACTIONary]

49. +100 !!

[mac56]

24. Um, no.

Civil War ring any bells for you?

[forest444]

9. I'd bet that several of those switched votes were of members of the GOP velvet mafia.

They're probably the most "useful" congressmen in there as they're certainly very easy to blackmail.

[Jennylynn]

10. Thank God the chairs are nailed down! eom

[Uponthegears]

29. That was the first thing I thought

Such violence . . . insults . . . name-calling . . . (you're right, thank God the chairs were nailed down) . . . do our Democratic representatives need to apologize for "scaring" their TeaOP counterparts

OR

should we applaud those who stand against injustice?

[Jennylynn]

36. Hmm

[drokhole]

48. +1...particularly...

should we applaud those who stand against injustice?

And apparently it is alright to passionately resist/protest the steamrolling of rights and freedoms?

[Matt_in_STL]

11. Here is the vote by representative, including the 5 Dems who failed to vote.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/114-2016/h226

[Matt_in_STL]

15. Of those Dems with no votes...

Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) is retiring and probably can't be bothered. He has endorsed Clinton.
Chaka Fattah (D-PA) is on trial for corruption. He has endorsed Clinton.
Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) is retiring but appears to be tweeting and Facebooking about other things today. He has endorsed Clinton.
Eddie Johnson (D-TX) Not really sure what she is up to today. She has endorsed Clinton.
Eric Swalwell (D-CA) Not sure where he is today either. He has endorsed Clinton.

All five no votes today are Clinton endorsers. I hope she has something to say about the math she and her supporters are so fond of touting.

[Indydem]

19. What makes you think those 5 would have made a difference?

Even if they had voted, the republicans would have picked 5 more to shift their votes and defeat the amendment.

Elections have consequences.

[Bluenorthwest]

25. The apathy they display communicates a message. It's better than the 12 NC Democrats who

actually voted for their anti transgender law, all of whom endorsed Hillary as well but not bothering to vote on civil rights and equality issues is not good for people who promote themselves as supremely interested in those issues. Is it?

[Matt_in_STL]

27. It never ceases to amaze me that it is Hillary endorsers every time

They either vote against LGBT legislation or choose not to vote in a situation where their vote could have been the difference. These are her people and we are beaten over the head with how much she supposedly does to get down ticket Dems elected. If these are the Dems she is getting elected, I can do without.

[JDPriestly]

31. Right. Can I compromise again? I just don't know. It's heartbreaking. I'm 72.

Please for once couldn't we just vote for the candidate with a moral approach to life?

Just once?

Couldn't we just try it?

I'm voting for Bernie in the California primary, and I hope all other Californians will. If he says he for LGBT equality, he means it.

Not like some other people I could mention.

[riversedge]

51. Broad brushing is not cool "every time" Everything is Hillary's fault now.

[BumRushDaShow]

41. "The apathy they display communicates a message."

My congressman, Chaka Fattah, was in his highly publicized trial today, so it had nothing to do with "apathy".

And as a note, Fattah (PA-2) and Patrick Murphy (former PA-8) were the ONLY 2 here in the Philly area to endorse Obama instead of Clinton in 2008, so the usual nonsensical broad-brushing strawman bullshit that gets posted on DU, adds another tick to the fail column.

[Act_of_Reparation]

26. The Republicans might have done exactly that...

...but I guess we'll never know for certain, since these 5 couldn't have been bothered to even try.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

46. Amazing we are somehow turning this into a Hillary thing

How many ayes are Hillary supporters? Got those numbers?

[reACTIONary]

50. And , like, who are the bernie supprters...

... when you have no supporters, none of them vote no.

[JDPriestly]

30. Thanks for posting that.

[Indydem]

18. Somewhat surprised

Not a single Democrat voted for this.

That's pretty damn impressive.

Unless those were the 5 who didn't vote, and they chose to obstain rather than tarnish the party.

[Matt_in_STL]

20. I posted the 5 above.

With two of them retiring, I don't know why they wouldn't cast their vote in favor as they are not up for another vote.

[TwilightZone]

22. They all voted for it. 183-0

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/114-2016/h226

I suspect you meant that none voted against it. "For" was preferable, of course.

[Herman4747]

23. Well, it likely would have been filibustered in the Senate....

...it's just so terribly hard to pass anything decent in Congress.

[TransitJohn]

32. Disgusting fuckers.

I am so sick of these fucking evil neanderthals.

[Behind the Aegis]

34. Once again, reaffirming GLBT people are second-class citizens.

Our civil and human rights are not "worthy" of being exercised or protected. I am glad no democrat voted against it (5 sat out, which pisses me off, especially given it failed by one vote).

[zentrum]

37. Republicans are proud

.....of their sociopathy and enjoy it deeply.

[Solly Mack]

39. K&R

Fuckers

[marble falls]

40. Enthusiasm or in the know?

[jpak]

42. My ass GP dweeb ep. Bruce Poloquin R-moaran 2nd Dist. Maine switched his vote

fuck him
yup

[bluestateguy]

45. Remember how Dennis Hastert (R-child molester) cheated on the Medicare Part D floor vote (Dec. 2003)

nt

[red dog 1]

52. K&R...Thanks for posting

I've never before heard of one Congressman telling another "to get back on your own side" of the aisle.

I'm sick to death of GOP thugs like Kevin McCarthy being in charge of the House of Representatives.

It's time for all Democrats to get their shit together & work on returning control of Congress back to the Dems, regardless of who they support for POTUS

[sarcasmo]

53. Kick