| There's a lot to be angry about from today's vote. Some of the following rank at the top of my list:
1) Ruben Diaz was the only one on the "No" side to state his convictions and speak publicly about his No vote. None of the rest of the 38 had the courage to get up and explain their vote.
2) Hiram Monserrate, a man that supported marriage equality in the City Council and in his Senate campaign, flipped and voted no. Hiram Monserrate, a man convicted of assault against his girlfriend, wants to tell same sex couples that their right to marry a partner of their choice are less important than his.
3) 8 Democrats broke rank and voted against equality. That's 25% of the Democratic caucus in the State Senate.
4) Zero Republicans voted for the bill. This includes people like Vincent Leibell, who counsels gay couples on estate planning, as well as Jim Alesi, who attends a church where gay couples are given the church's blessings. This includes 3 Republicans who represents New York City. This includes 7 Republicans who represent Long Island. 100% of the Republican caucus voted for discrimination.
5) John Sampson, our new caucus leader (or whatever his title is) was nowhere to be found during today's debate or in comments after the press. Supposedly he spent his time pressuring borderline Senators to vote yes. The one one to do so was Senator Valesky.
Shame, shame, shame.
But let it not go without saying that we now have these people on record. Even if the No side hid their votes until the very end, we have a record showing their support for discrimination. It's up to us to pound the pavement in every one of their districts and remind voters that their state senator supports discrimination. |
