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DADT Stand-Alone Bill Faces Senate Cloture Vote Today

Saturday, December 18th, 2010

The bid to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” is heading for a crucial showdown in the Senate, where supporters say they have the votes to overturn a ban on gay people serving openly in the U.S. military.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., said Saturday that the Senate action does not “just right a wrong” but it would “honor the service of a group of American patriots who happen to be gay and lesbian.”

Lieberman has said he has more than enough votes to get past a procedural roadblock and move ahead with passing repeal. The restrictions on the military service of gay people have been part of federal law since 1993.

Full Story from USA Today

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Tags: dadt, don't ask don't tell, repeal, senate

Will Senate Have Time for DADT Repeal?

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

If Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is going to be repealed by Congress this year, it will be because the Senate found the time to do it. That’s what the long battle to end the military’s ban on openly gay servicemembers has come down to: a Republican Senator, and the number of days before Christmas.

Unfortunately for proponents of repeal, how those two factors play out is very much an open question.

Yesterday, the House passed a standalone DADT repeal bill — the second repeal legislation to leave the House this year. The bill means that the House is well and truly done with DADT repeal. A bipartisan coalition of 275 House members weighed in and voted yes on repeal yesterday, sending the action to the Senate once and for all.

Full Story from TPM

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Tags: dadt, don't ask don't tell, repeal, senate

DADT: Senator Snowe Will Support DADT Repeal

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

U.S. Sen. Olympia has said she will vote in support of repealing the armed forces’ “Don’t Ask, Dont Tell” policy.

Under the 17-year-old law, a gay or lesbian people may serve in the U.S. military as long as they do not disclose their sexual orientation.

“The legislation under consideration does not direct immediate repeal, but rather requires the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, in consultation with the service chiefs, to develop a detailed plan prior to executing repeal of the policy,” Snowe said.

Full Story from WMTW

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Tags: dadt, don't ask don't tell, repeal, senator olympia snowe

New Poll: 77% Support DADT Repeal

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

According to a new poll, 77 percent of Americans back letting gays and lesbians who have publicly expressed their sexuality serve in the military. It’s the highest level support in the history of the poll.

Respondents were asked, “Do you think [homosexuals/gays and lesbians] who DO publicly disclose their sexual orientation should be allowed to serve in the military or not?” Each of the terms, “homosexuals” and “gays and lesbians,” were used in half of the questions.

Support for ending the military’s controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” was high among all groups polled in the Washington Post-ABC News survey. Of the Democrats asked, 86 percent said that gays should be allowed to serve. A majority of Republicans, 74 percent, also expressed support.

Full Story from The Raw Story

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Tags: abc, dadt, don't ask don't tell, poll, repeal, washington post

Stand-Alone Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Repeal Bill to be Introduced in House Today

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

There appear to be lots of machinations on Capitol Hill regarding repeal of DADT. Last night, John posted the statement from Speaker Pelosi. Late last night, Josh Gerstein, who always seems to be right on top of what’s happening, filed this report:

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) are expected to introduce standalone “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal legislation on Tuesday, three sources actively involved in repeal discussions told POLITICO Monday.

However, considerable uncertainty swirled around the mechanics of the “don’t ask” repeal effort over the course of the day Monday.

Full Story from AmericaBlog

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Tags: dadt, don't ask don't tell, house of representatives, repeal, stand-alone bill

Pelosi: An “Army of Allies” Ready to Pass DADT Repeal in House

Friday, December 10th, 2010

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says if the Senate can pass a stand-alone bill to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, such as the one Joe Lieberman announced he was introducing yesterday, she will get it passed in the House.

Talking Points Memo reports: “An army of allies stands ready in the House to pass a standalone repeal of the discriminatory policy once the Senate acts,” Pelosi said in a statement to reporters.

Under the rules of the House, where Democrats still have an overwhelming majority until Jan. 5, bringing the bill to the floor is much easier. The way the system works in the House could allow Pelosi to bring a Senate bill to the House floor and pass it in a matter of hours, making the pressure of the condensed legislative calendar much less of a factor there than it is in the Senate.”

Full Story from Towleroad.com

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Tags: dadt, don't ask don't tell, house of representatives, Nancy Pelosi, stand-alone

WV: Joe Manchin Sole Democrat to Vote Against DADT Repeal

Friday, December 10th, 2010

Senator Joe “Homophobe” Manchin offered up a series of rather lame excuses as to why he could not vote to begin debate on repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell- a repeal process that will take roughly a year.

Under his excuses, repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell will only happen after the military service chiefs have long since passed away. Senator Manchin proved himself to be a Republican in Democrats clothing while betraying his predecessor’s memory. Senator Robert Byrd, whose passage this past year lead to Manchin’s senatorial job, supported the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Adding salt to the wound, Senator Manchin also told supporters of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to take it up with the other Republican in Democrats clothing, President Barack Obama.

Full Story from Lez Get Real

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Tags: dadt, democrat, don't ask don't tell, joe manchin, repeal, Senator, vote

Senators Plan to Offer Stand-Alone Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Repeal Bill

Friday, December 10th, 2010

Two senators said they will introduce a separate measure to repeal a U.S. ban on gays serving openly in the military after Democrats yesterday failed to get enough votes for the Senate to consider the legislation.

Senators Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, and Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, will jointly introduce a stand-alone proposal to end the :don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, they told reporters yesterday in a news conference.

The 57-40 vote fell short of the 60 senators needed for the chamber to take up a defense spending bill that included the repeal. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said he couldn’t reach agreement with Republicans on terms that would have allowed debate of the broader spending legislation.

Full Story from Bloomberg

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Tags: dadt, don't ask don't tell, joe lieberman, legislation, repeal, senate, susan collins

Senator Scott Brown Votes Against DADT Debate, Says Tax Cuts Must Come First

Friday, December 10th, 2010

Senator Scott Brown has voted to block the debate on ending the ban on gays serving openly in the military, one week after announcing he was ready to support a repeal of the ban.

The 1993, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law bans gay troops from publicly acknowledging their sexual orientation. For years, this ban has been hotly debated, but as of right now it has been put on the back burner. Thursday’s 57-40 test vote fell three votes short of the 60 needed to advance.

Democratic Sen. John Kerry voted to allow debate on the repeal, but Brown’s vote to block the repeal has caused quite a stir because he said that he would support a repeal of the federal ban if battle readiness of US troops was guaranteed.

Full Story from 22 News

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Tags: dadt, don't ask don't tell, massachusetts, senator scott brown, tax cuts

DADT Repeal Fails By Three Votes After negotiations Break Down

Friday, December 10th, 2010

The Senate Thursday blocked a bid to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy toward gays in the military, a vote likely to doom the effort this year. The 57-40 vote to cut off a Republican-led filibuster, or extended debate, fell three votes short of what Senate rules require.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, joined 56 Democrats to vote yes, while 39 Republicans and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., voted no. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was thwarted by the objections of some Republicans who oppose lifting the ban while the country is fighting two wars. Other Republican senators felt bound by a pledge to their leaders not to vote on anything unrelated to tax cuts or this year’s budget until those matters are resolved.

While Thursday’s vote wasn’t strictly on the merits of repealing the policy, reconsideration is highly unlikely this year because of limited time and the Senate’s full agenda of tax cuts, government funding, and perhaps the New START nuclear arms treaty. Senators hope to conclude the 111th Congress at the end of next week.

Full Story from the Joplin Globe

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Tags: cloture vote, dadt, don't ask don't tell, fillibuster, repeal, senate