As Jeremy points out, this is at best, pathetic, and at worst, an illustration of just how much contempt people like Tony Perkins have for their own followers. Basically here is what had happened was: yesterday, Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi added a non-controversial amendment to a defense authorization bill which clarified that military chaplains are free to refuse to marry same-sex couples. Though gay rights advocates have never fought to force any clergy to perform weddings they don’t want to, for whatever reason, the following video features Roger Wicker speaking to hate group leaders Tim Wildmon [AFA] and Tony Perkins [FRC], declaring this very non-controversial amendment a “victory.”
I am aware that the Religious Right is winning basically nothing when it comes to gay rights these days — and thank heavens for that — but that they are declaring this a victory is hilarious. Jeremy also points out that there was basically no opposition to this, because it’s already Pentagon policy, and no one cares.
Think about it: why on God’s green earth would any gay couple want to go to Reverend Bubba the Bigot to perform their ceremony?! Weddings are happy occasions, people. No need to have a gross old homophobe on the guest list, much less at the pulpit.
Here’s the video:
When I said above that people like Tony Perkins and Tim Wildmon have absolute contempt for their own followers, those are my words, not Jeremy’s. But let me expand on that a bit. The Religious Right [and indeed, the Republican Party] would not have the donors and followers they have if they weren’t exceptionally crafty when it comes to lying to and scaring the shit out of their sheep. There is no liberal or gay-friendly parallel to this. On this side of the fence, journalists, bloggers and non-profit organizations are well aware that our average readers/listeners/supporters are pretty smart people, and moreover people who are willing and able to research issues for themselves. Therefore, aside from the fact that we have absolutely no reason to mislead people, we wouldn’t make it very far with the people who support us if we played cute with the facts like the Religious Right does.
Sadly, and I know this is a broad over-generalization, but Tony Perkins knows it too, the Religious Right is simply not that kind of crowd. So beholden to fear and authority are they that the “daddy figures” they choose to trust are viewed as impenetrable and beyond reproach, even when the words coming out of their leaders’ mouths defy all logic, reason and civics knowledge. Tim Wildmon, being sort of a fringe, regional figure, might be so dumb/uninformed that he believes what he’s saying, but Tony Perkins is inside the Beltway. He knows full well when he’s lying to his people in order to keep their fear-based ca$h a-rollin’ into the FRC’s coffers. Aside from the fact that the man leads a well-known and detested hate group, it’s grotesque to realize that a large part of his influence comes from the fact that he lies to his own people.
That’s how you end up with a situation where these men are able to go on to AFA radio and boldly claim “victory” on an issue that literally, nobody cares about. If their followers acted like liberals and decided to check for themselves whether or not gay couples wanted to force awful wingnuts to perform gay marriage ceremonies, they’d discover that Tony and Tim and Roger are lying to them. But they won’t, and those men know it, so the lies will continue.
Yesterday, the bill to repeal DOMA passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 10-8. This is making the Religious Right whine a lot. Brian at Right Wing Watch compiled a bunch of their reactions, and you should hop over there and read all of them, but my favorite is the fact-free whining from hate group leader Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council:
Today the Senate Judiciary Committee passed S.598, Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) bill that would completely eradicate the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the protections it affords taxpayers and the majority of state’s voters who have decided to define marriage as between one man and one woman.
The misnomer medal of the month might have to be awarded early! S.598, the misleadingly titled “Respect for Marriage Act” not only disrespects American’s across the country who want to protect traditional marriage–and have done as much in the 31 states which have passed statewide referendums in favor of marriage–it will also require your tax dollars go to pay for the federal benefits and subsidies of gay couples, irrespective of where they live, who have gotten “married” in 6 states that allow it.
Marriage is not some prize that liberals can award to a small, vocal and already well off special interest group. Marriage between one man and one woman was created prior to the formation of any governments and is given benefits by governments because it uniquely contributes to a productive society. Trying to change the definition to fit some misguided concept can only cause harm to society.
Oh, boo-hoo, it “disrespects” Americans who want to “protect traditional marriage” from a “special interest group.” Also, his concept of the history of marriage is pathetically stupid. Here, let Al Franken explain that for you, as he did yesterday during the hearings. As Kirsten at Wonkette points out, it was kind of sad that he had to spell this out so slowly and nicely for the idiots, but it’s still necessary, unfortunately:
As for Tony’s blathering about state referenda and ‘Murkans who want to defend tradishnul murrge, here is a picture I found yesterday, of Rachel Maddow explaining these sorts of things to people who are dumb:
Nevada Senator John Ensign announced on Thursday his resignation from the Senate, the AP reported.
The two-term Republican who opposes gay rights, including giving gay and lesbian couples the right to marry, acknowledged in June, 2009 that he had a nine-month affair in 2008 with Cynthia “Cindy” Hampton, a former member of his Senate campaign staff. He also admitted having helped her husband, Doug Hampton, a member of his Congressional staff, get lobbying work.
The 53-year-old Ensign, who was considered a rising star of the GOP and possible presidential material, is under investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee.
[...]
In 2004, Ensign urged Congress to pass a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, saying “Marriage is the cornerstone on which our society was founded.”
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) today said, “My own belief is that when two people love each other and enter the contract of marriage, the Federal government should honor that,” and then announced her intention to introduce a bill to repeal DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act that bans federal recognition of same-sex marriages, into the Senate.
[...]
In a statement, Senator Feinstein announced, “As a Member of the Judiciary Committee, it is my intention to introduce legislation that will once and for all repeal the Defense of Marriage Act,” adding, “I opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. It was the wrong law then; it is the wrong law now; and it should be repealed.”
This comes, of course, in response to the Obama administration’s announcement that it will stop defending Section 3 of DOMA in court. It’s unfortunate that so many gay voters stayed home or protest voted in the midterm elections; moreover, it’s unfortunate that so many American voters, in general, have such short memories when it comes to remembering which party’s policies led us into the financial crisis of the past several years. Otherwise this might go somewhere if it passes the Senate.
As the new Congress is sworn in this week, there is no denying that pro-LGBT numbers have shrunk on Capitol Hill. A Human Rights Campaign analysis shows a pick-up of 53 House seats to anti-LGBT lawmakers as well as a 5 seat addition in the Senate. Not only do those opposing basic equality hold positions of power as House leaders and committee chairmen, their ranks have swollen to 225 – a solid majority of the chamber. This presents not just a roadblock to progress but also the threat of legislation that could be damaging to the community.
When anti-equality forces controlled Congress for a decade (1994-2005), they stymied any progress on LGBT issues, instead making attacks on our community part of their governing agenda. Among these were: attempting twice to amend the U.S. Constitution to deny marriage equality to same-sex couples nationwide; trying to strip federal courts of the authority to hear marriage equality cases; blocking DC’s local efforts to provide domestic partnership benefits to its employees; cutting funding for HIV prevention, research and treatment despite a growing epidemic, while pouring federal dollars into disproven abstinence-only programs that exclude or even denigrate LGBT youth; and standing in the way of openly-LGBT appointees.
At least their power is limited by the Senate and the President, but it’s going to be a stagnant couple of years.
Thank you Senators Lieberman, Collins, Udall and Gillibrand.
Get it done this time, ‘kay?
Jeremy posted a list of the key Senators that need to be called:
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK): 202-224-6665
George Voinovich (R-OH): 202-224-3353
Olympia Snowe (R-ME): 202-224-5344
Richard Lugar (R-IN): 202-224-4814
Judd Gregg (R-NH): 202-224-3324
Scott Brown (R-MA): 202-224-4543
Kit Bond (R-MO): 202-224-5721
Mark Kirk (R-IL): 202-224-2854
Joe Manchin (D-WV): 202-224-3954
Especially Manchin, who doesn’t even know why the hell he voted the way he did.
Sen. Joe Lieberman said Thursday that repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” as part of the National Defense Authorization Act is no longer a question of votes, it’s a question of process.
“I am confident that we have more than 60 votes prepared to take up the defense authorization with the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ if only there will be a guarantee of a fair and open amendment process, in other words, whether we’ll take enough time to do it,” Lieberman told reporters at a press conference, naming GOP senators Susan Collins and Richard Lugar as yes votes. “Time is an inexcusable reason not to get this done.”
Lieberman, an independent, was flanked by 12 of his Democratic colleagues — a core group that seemed intent on urging the Democratic leadership to allow enough room in the Senate schedule for a debate that would be acceptable to Republicans. The senators talked about working over the weekends, and Sen. Mark Udall offered to go straight through until Christmas Eve.
Even Jim Webb seems to be backing off of his earlier opposition, citing the huge Pentagon study on the effects of DADT repeal, unlike his colleague, fellow veteran John McCain, who has no principles.
