Pictured U.S. Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif., the subject of a recent outing campaign. He voted against the anti-gay amendment. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo., an author of FMA. Photdo by Patsy Lynch
The antigay Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) gained a majority but fell short of the two-thirds majority required for passage in the U.S. House of Representatives. The vote on Sept. 30 saw 227 Representatives support the measure and 186 oppose it, while 20 did not vote.
The House has been highly polarized along party lines throughout most of this session of Congress, but this vote showed an unusual degree of crossing the aisle in both directions. Black and Hispanic members of both parties were disproportionately among those who simply skipped the vote, while many voted for it.
Among the Illinois delegation, here are the votes: Democrats: Costello, Y; Davis, absent; Emanuel, N; Evans, N; Gutierrez, N; Jackson, N; Lipinski, N; Rush, N; Schakowsky, N.
Republicans: Biggert, N; Crane, Y; Hastert, Y; Hyde, Y; Johnson, Y; Kirk, N; LaHood, Y; Manzullo, Y; Shimkus, Y; Weller, Y.
Some 27 Republicans opposed the FMA. They generally represent districts from the Northeast or West Coast. But 36 Democrats crossed the other way and voted for the FMA. Among the more troubling votes was that of Harold Ford, 35, the dynamic African American representative from Tennessee who many believe has a greater political future ahead of him.
The two and a half hours of debate that preceded the vote had all of the freshness of a Nick at Night rerun of a decades-old sitcom, but none of the entertainment value.
Social conservatives trotted out their old bromides of the horrors that same-sex marriage would unleash upon the nation.
'We are here today to protect marriage' that is 'ordained by God,' claimed Mike Pence, R-Ind. He declared that in last year's Lawrence decision striking down state sodomy laws, the Supreme Court 'strongly signaled' the right to same-sex marriage. And that is why the FMA is necessary.
Todd Aiken, R-Mo., asserted that 'whole cities have suffered decline and crime' because of a weakening of the traditional family. He said this amendment was 'brought on by activist judges;' not adopting it would 'deny children a mom and a dad.'
Democratic floor leader Jim McGovern (Massachusetts) noted that the speakers highlighted at primetime at the Republican National Convention were all opposed to amending the Constitution. He cited Vice President Dick Cheney's comments that people should be free to enter into relationships and that states may differ on how to handle those relationships.
Openly gay Barney Frank, D-Mass., called the FMA 'an undemocratic act that says that no state can differ from your view' when it comes to marriage and families.
'I'm sorry that Rush Limbaugh has been divorced three times, but it ain't my fault,' Frank added. 'We feel [love] with someone of the same sex ... and we look at your institution of marriage, and we see the joy it brings, we see the stability it brings to society. How do we hurt you if we share in it?'
This amendment 'plays to the worst fears of the electorate,' said John Conyers, D-Mich.'Everybody knows it is going nowhere' because the Senate refused to pass it, and it is only being brought forward to mobilize the social conservative base on election day.
Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, offered a spirited defense of gays, saying they are members of our families in every single congressional district. 'They deserve to be treated fairly.'
REACTIONS
Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director Patrick Guerriero called the outcome 'a stunning defeat for the radical right. This failure sends a clear message to Marilyn Musgrave and Tom Delay: stop using the politics of fear to divide America.'
Cheryl Jacques, president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), called the debate and vote 'a pathetic attempt to distract voters from the issues that matter.'
The Republican leadership seemed to recognize the double-edged nature of the issue and perhaps took that into account in scheduling the vote for the same day as the first presidential debate.
'Republican leaders have shamelessly admitted that they pushed this amendment so that they could create a wedge issue to benefit their candidates in this election,' said Dave Noble, executive director of National Stonewall Democrats. 'The small minority of Democrats who could not understand that fact, and who voted for this amendment, do not deserve the support of our community.'
Some would question whether the 36 votes for the FMA and 11 members not voting, nearly a quarter of the Democratic delegation of 205, constitutes a small minority. Was the scale of this defection the result of an all-out effort by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, or of something less?
In speaking with reporters earlier in September, HRC's legislative director Christopher Labonte said, 'The Democratic leadership has been working their members hard. But this is an election year and members are hearing from volumes of their constituents.' It showed in the final vote.
Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United, said, 'This amendment posed a grave threat to the separation of church and state ... . Some religious traditions perform same-sex unions, and some do not. It's wrong for the government to favor the religious rituals of the majority over the minority.'
