This morning, I got a breaking news text from the Des Moines Register, which read: "Symbolic vote on gay marriage fails in Iowa Senate."
Yep, GOP State Senators in Iowa forced an initial vote in their effort to end same-sex marriage in their state. It was actually a vote on procedure, but the anti-gay forces will consider it a vote on marriage. The GOP-led House is already on its way to passing legislation that would lead to a ballot measure. The Majority Leader in the Senate, Mike Gronstal, has vowed to block that measure in his body. This morning, the Senate battle began. The anti-GOPers lost. The Des Moines Register has the details:
A Republican senator called up a proposal that would take the first small step toward banning gay marriage in Iowa, and Democratic leaders agreed to allow a vote on the procedural issue of suspending Senate rules.The anti-gay Republicans in Iowa are just obsessed with taking away rights from Iowa citizens. And, from Iowa to Congress, legislative gay-bashing takes precedence over fixing the economy.
Just after 7:30 a.m, the vote failed on party lines, 26-24. All Democrats voted no and all Republicans voted yes to override the Senate President’s decision against breaking the rules.
The battle began just after 7 a.m., when Sen. Kent Sorenson, R-Indianola, asked for unanimous consent from the 50 senators to call up Senate Joint Resolution 8. The resolution, sponsored by all 24 Senate Republicans, proposes amending the Iowa Constitution to specify that marriage between one man and one woman is the only legal union valid or recognized in the state.
And, as I explained in the post below, these anti-gay legislators are guaranteeing that marriage is an issue in the 2012 presidential race. Iowa is, after all the first caucus state.
Marriage might be a political symbol for Republicans, but from same-sex couples, it's a right.
