Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal blows up in Senate

[Newsjock]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

The Senate is voting now on party lines on a cloture motion that will probably kill efforts to repeal the Don't Ask, Don't Tell ban on gays in the military.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine rushed to the Senate floor asking why majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., suddenly acted moments ago to move ahead on the defense authorization bill, despite their negotiations, ensuring it will fail to get the 60 votes to break a GOP filibuster. If the motion fails, so does repeal of the 17-year old ban.

... Unless something new can be worked out, Reid's move seems likely to kill repeal, along with the entire defense bill, which includes pay increases for the military. By Reid's reckoning, it's been 48 years since the Senate has failed to act on a defense authorization bill.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=78733&tsp=1

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More from Americablog:
http://gay.americablog.com/2010/12/breaking-there-will-be-vote-on-dadt.html


UPDATE @ 3:35 PM: Senate is voting to end the filibuster right now.
__________________
The Majority Leader just said on the Senate floor, "I've bent over backwards to find a way to get this bill done...but, it's clear that Republicans, led by a few of them, don't want to have a vote on repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Reid said repeatedly that no matter what he did, he couldn't win because the rules kept being changed.

There will be a vote. But, there's no deal to bring in GOP votes. No Susan Collins. This dooms the chances for passing the DADT language this year.

[rocktivity]

1. At least it's on THEIR heads.

Obama must issue an order stopping implementation on DADT now.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[jezebel]

2. Sen. Collins just voted YES per CNN. It will be on Scott Brown's head.

[MaineDem]

13. She voted yes 'cause she knew it would fail. n/t

[robinlynne]

3. whihc includes pay increases? what?

[xchrom]

4. Sigh - the way things have been going - who

Can be surprised?

[Joanne98]

5. Collins was STALLING!

[Tippy]

6. I am not at all suprised.....and yes Obama will be blamed

But those that stared all this knew they were going to throw a monkey wrench in the spokes...but went right ahead...

[Democat]

9. Obama will be blamed because he offers no leadership for Democrats.

Get used to it - he is a failure as our leader.

[defendandprotect]

11. Unless you think Obama is sleep walking, this isn't "failure" ....it's purposeful...!!

[MilesColtrane]

22. He has dragged his feet on this and clearly preferred to put it on the back burner.

But, if he was able to whip the Democrats into voting straight party line this time, the result would have been 58-39.

Only one blue dog voted with the Republicans.

The two votes they thought they were going to get out of the Republicans didn't materialize.

[otohara]

7. GOP Fuckers

assholes, assholes

[Hawkeye-X]

8. *cough* Nuclear Option *cough*

Get the R's otu of the way

[defendandprotect]

10. 51 votes to change the rules in the Senate??? Is that still right?

[defendandprotect]

12. Like women's reproductive rights/Roe vs Wade ... DADT is another GOP wedge issue....

which they must save -- or must be saved for them!!

[kenfrequed]

14. I would be enraged

But this is all too typical. I blame the Blue dogs for screwing us all the way to where we are now. Evan Bayh, you are why this happened.

[defendandprotect]

15. Imagine what FDR or JFK would be saying and doing .... ???

Obama has repeatedly weakened himself while strengthening corporatism/fascism

and the elites who want to destroy democracy.

[skipos]

18. Yeah, JFK and FDR were real champions for gays.

:eyes:

[defendandprotect]

21. Are you saying FDR and JFK wouldn't have supported human rights???

Of course they would have and did --

they fought for human rights in the issues of their times --

to end Segregation, Inc. -- and for women's rights --

and had DADT been an issue in their time -- they would have

fought against its discrimination, as well.

[forty6]

16. Senate votes to continue allowing servicemen and women to lie while

serving in their most honorable role, putting their lives on the line for the country, the Senate of the USA has rules that say a simple majority isn't enough, so gay men and lesbians will have to continue to serve in silence about who they really are.

What a country and what a government system that perpetuates lies!

[musiclawyer]

17. They went ahead on purpose

GOP can be blamed, POTUS can issue an executive order............ But that requires action and messaging. I have lost all confidence that this administrration can follow through
; and YES it does provcide good evidence of why the senate rules should be changed --nuclear option -- in Jan 2011

It's almost imperative. Senate can pass stuff, and then the house will be responsible for nothing getting done the next two years! If the rules are not changed then nothing at all gets don e and GOP blames the dems in 2012.

[MaineDem]

19. Collins and Lieberman said they will introduce a stand-alone bill to repeal DADT

They said there are the votes to pass it.

[JDPriestly]

20. Obama is going to have a really tough time of it.

So much for snubbing your base. So much for being a neither Democrat nor Republican.

Anytime he starts making sense I will support him. I like him as a human being. But he has to get a new economic team. The current team is really bad.

Also, Harry Reid needs to be replaced by a Democrat with more energy, more strength, more vitality. Reid is a good person, but the job he has is too demanding for him. His energy level is not up to it.