NY Senate debate over gay marriage gets nasty

[Old Coot]

Source: NewsDay.com

ALBANY, N.Y. - Conservative Democratic Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. said Wednesday that supporters of a same-sex marriage bill should step up and say so if they aren't "ashamed," or the bill's sponsor should "shut up."

The future of same-sex marriage is being debated quietly within the Democrat-controlled Senate, following the measure's approval in the Democrat-led Assembly last month. Democratic Gov. David Paterson says he will sign the bill into law if the Legislature passes it.

But Senate Democratic leader Malcolm Smith says he still doesn't have enough votes for the bill to pass.

This week, Sen. Thomas Duane, an openly gay lawmaker sponsoring the bill, said he has enough votes now to pass it. He wouldn't identify the supporters.

Read more: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--gaymarriage0603jun03,0,7104603.story

[tomm2thumbs]

1. me think he doth protest too much, that's all I'll say about Diaz

I won't even ask what his son was referring to in this picture... I can only imagine.

[t0dd]

2. That's his son

[TommyO]

3. Diaz, it's you who should shut the fuck up

Stay out of the way of equality for a group of people that deserve, and need, equal treatment under the law.

[t0dd]

4. There's going to be extreme pressure now for the Senate to pass this

because of what happened today in New Hampshire. With less than three weeks left for the Senate to decide this, I believe Duane does have the votes, and we'll know for sure if Smith brings it to the floor for a vote.

[KamaAina]

5. Very well, Mr. Diaz. I am not ashamed.

Of course, I'm not in the New York state Senate -- I haven't even lived in NY for nearly a decade -- but I most certainly am not ashamed to support marriage equality (note to Newsday headline writer: not "gay marriage").

[hedgehog]

6. New York is being crippled every day by a non-functioning state government.

This is just one sample. We deserve better.

[Historic NY]

7. New York state is so disfunctional.. I really hope the Dems lose because

they aren't doing sh-t period. Its the first time in a zillion years they control the whole pie and they still haven't made any progress on anything except pork barrel spending.

[Vidar]

10. Sounds like a microcosm of the nation.

[ruggerson]

8. Every Democrat who votes against this needs to go down

[Nihil]

9. Now *that* was an unfortunate phrase to use ...! (n/t)

:hide:

[closeupready]

11. STFU, Diaz.

:mad:

[David__77]

12. Few think the votes are there, but the sponsor does.

I wonder if this is a tactic being deployed, and by whom. Maybe the votes are there, but they are very soft votes in some cases. More than a couple Republicans would be required. A couple of these Democrats are in heavily Republican districts, but the ones from NYC have no "excuse" at all. They are simply reactionaries of the worse variety. They should be cleared out of office. I hope that the Working Families Party runs credible alternatives of the Democrats do not reject them.