[UPDATE: "The bill is lost." On a vote of 24-38, the New York Senate failed to pass marriage equality today.]
Watch the debate live here, follow me on Twitter or await updates here.
N.Y. Sen. Eric Adams, speaking in support of marriage equality.
Sen. Schneiderman: “You can’t legislate morality, but you can legislate justice.”
Following Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr.’s speech opposing marriage equality in which he listed all of the states with anti-marriage equality amendments, Sen. Eric Adams began listing states as well. He finished, and said that those were the states in which slaves were permitted to be bought and sold. Adams said that popular opinion, Diaz’s argument, was not the right answer: “We have to lead the country in the right place.”
Adams went on to talk about the opposition to marriage equality, and the language of that opposition. He concluded: “The same statements being made about Sen. Tom Duane . . . are the same comments that my grandmother received.”
2:45 p.m.: The vote is happening live here.
A full list of New York senators can be found here. Adam Bink’s informed liveblog of today’s debate can be found here at Open Left.
[UPDATE: All Republicans and eight Democrats voted no.
FULL ROLL CALL
- Eric Adams (D) — YES
- Joseph Addabbo (D) — NO
- James Alesi (R) — NO
- Darrel Aubertine (D) — NO
- John Bonacic (R) — NO
- Neil Breslin (D) — YES
- John DeFrancisco (R) — NO
- Ruben Diaz (D) — NO
- Martin Malave Dilan (D) — YES
- Tom Duane (D) — YES
- Pedro Espada (D) — YES
- Hugh Farley (R) — NO
- John Flanagan (R) — NO
- Brian Foley (D) — YES
- Charles Fuschillo, Jr. (R) — NO
- Martin Golden (R) — NO
- Joseph Griffo (R) — NO
- Kemp Hannon (R) — NO
- Ruth Hassell-Thompson (D) — YES
- Shirley Huntley (D) — NO
- Craig Johnson (D) — YES
- Owen Johnson (R) — NO
- Jeffrey Klein (D) — YES
- Liz Krueger (D) — YES
- Carl Kruger (D) — NO
- Andrew Lanza (R) — NO
- Bill Larkin (R) — NO
- Kenneth LaValle (R) — NO
- Vincent Leibell (R) — NO
- Tom Libous (R) — NO
- Elizabeth Little (R) — NO
- Carl Marcellino (R) — NO
- George Maziarz (R) — NO
- Roy McDonald (R) — NO
- Hiram Monserrate (D) — NO
- Velmanette Montgomery (D) — YES
- Thomas Morahan (R) — NO
- Michael Nozzolio (R) — NO
- George Onorato (D) — NO
- Suzi Oppenheimer (D) — YES
- Frank Padavan (R) — NO
- Kevin Parker (D) — YES
- Bill Perkins (D) — YES
- Michael Ranzenhofer (R) — NO
- Joseph Robach (R) — NO
- Stephen Saland (R) — NO
- John Sampson (D) — YES
- Diane Savino (D) — YES
- Eric Schneiderman (D) — YES
- Jose Serrano (D) — YES
- James Seward (R) — NO
- Dean Skelos (R) — NO
- Malcolm Smith (D) — YES
- Daniel Squadron (D) — YES
- William Stachowski (D) — NO
- Toby Ann Stavisky (D) — YES
- Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D) — YES
- Antoine Thompson (D) — YES
- David Valesky (D) — YES
- Dale Volker (R) — NO
- George Winner (R) — NO
- Catherine Young (R) — NO
Thanks to all who worked for today's vote. I am so sorry that there was not success today. But, as Sen. Tom Duane said: " I also believe in redemption and rehabilitation; ultimately we will be successful."]
Popularity: 10% [?]
Chris Geidner is the award-winning senior political editor at D.C.'s Metro Weekly and has written for The Atlantic Online, The American Prospect, Advocate.com, Salon and other publications, as well as at his blog, Law Dork. In 2011, he received the Excellence in News Writing Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his coverage of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal. Prior to moving to D.C. in 2009, he served as an attorney on the senior staff at the Ohio Attorney General's Office and had earlier worked for a leading Columbus law firm. An extended biography can be found
Sad to say, my own State Senator, Carl Krueger, is on the ‘no’ list. Much of this has to do with New York State politics. For several years, the Democrats have managed to have control of almost every branch of the State government — except for the State Senate. This has remained in Republican hands until the last election — iirc — and some of you may have read of the ‘Senate Follies’ of the summer where several Democrats were threatening to return control to the Republicans and where, for several days, no one was sure which party held the majority.
Sadly, this has resulted in several problems. Democrats — as nationally — have been willing to support relatively conservative Senators who ‘wore the right label.’ More seriously, they have been unwilling to challenge relatively popular incumbents in primaries — unwisely, I’d argue, since in most cases they would keep the seat.
Because of my problems seeing my typing, I’ll continue this in another comment.
Ethnic politics plays a major part as well. My district is predominantly Jewish, which wouldn’t be a problem for most issues, since it is generally liberal. However, because it has a large number of Orthodox and even Hasidic Jews, this is an area where homophobia ‘plays well.’ (In fact, I think they would not vote against someone who had supported SSM, but opposition to it helps a candidate — or so he thinks — and there are several prominent homophobes based here.)
Much the same could be said for Ruben Diaz’ district. He has been an embarrassment to most NYC Democrats, because of his flagrant homophobia, and he makes it a major campaign issue in a mostly Hispanic District. Sadly, he has his district so firmly in his pocket he is unremovable. The same could be said — not sure about the ethnicity — about Monserratte — one of the ‘maybe I’ll vote Republican and throw control back’ group.
I would guess that most of the other Democrats who voted NO would have voted YES if the bill could have passed, but were ‘excused’ from risking it when it wouldn’t matter.
How this would be changable is a question NY Democrats have been wrestling with for years, so far without an answer.