U.S. Senate
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(D) J. Hickenlooper*
(R) Somebody
80%
20%
Governor
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(D) Phil Weiser
(D) Joe Neguse
(D) Jena Griswold
60%
60%
40%↓
Att. General
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(D) M. Dougherty
(D) Alexis King
(D) Brian Mason
40%
40%
30%
Sec. of State
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(D) A. Gonzalez
(D) George Stern
(R) Sheri Davis
50%↑
40%
30%
State Treasurer
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(D) Brianna Titone
(R) Kevin Grantham
(D) Jerry DiTullio
60%
30%
20%
CO-01 (Denver)
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(D) Diana DeGette*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
CO-02 (Boulder-ish)
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(D) Joe Neguse*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
CO-03 (West & Southern CO)
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(R) Jeff Hurd*
(D) Somebody
80%
40%
CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado)
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(R) Lauren Boebert*
(D) Somebody
90%
10%
CO-05 (Colorado Springs)
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(R) Jeff Crank*
(D) Somebody
80%
20%
CO-06 (Aurora)
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(D) Jason Crow*
(R) Somebody
90%
10%
CO-07 (Jefferson County)
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(D) B. Pettersen*
(R) Somebody
90%
10%
CO-08 (Northern Colo.)
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(R) Gabe Evans*
(D) Yadira Caraveo
(D) Joe Salazar
50%
40%
40%
State Senate Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
State House Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
December 18, 2010 11:52 PM UTC
48 Comments
Promise kept. Good job! I listened, again, to so much bullshit from the opposition on this.
Next up – START!
I damn near dropped the dough I was kneading for candy canes when the final vote was announced. It’s long past time but today’s a good day to celebrate.
I didn’t think they were actually going to accomplish anything. Good for Joe Lieberman, who probably deserves as much credit as anyone for this.
Sen. Udall and a few others brought the repeal to life and got it passed. Thank you Mark!
Obama is not stopping DADT discharges.
Metro Weekly
and today the United States Senate has voted to end that denial. When we the people through our elected representatives end the stain of discrimination, it indeed makes us`all free. Today I am proud to be an American.
Gigantic thank you’s to all the people who worked so hard for this. This is a proud moment for our country – we make mistakes at times, but eventually we do the right thing.
I know they’re good Democrats and are just doing their jobs, but Udall, Bennet and Polis have acquitted themselves well over the past few days and I’m proud that they represent this state (even if CNN’s graphic confused our Udall with New Mexico’s Udall).
Udall’s aggressive leadership on DADT is the stuff of storied careers. Chris Matthews telling Polis “You’re so cool,” when Polis said homophobia now belongs to older generations was fun to see, and true. Bennet seemed to be the only one shouting his ‘Aye’ votes on behalf of the DREAM Act and DADT repeal today. Well done, gentlemen.
Thanks to those who have worked so hard for this, and who have supported the effort even quietly. And, finally, thanks to those who have served silently – those days are over. To my friends Mark, Aaron and John – beers are on me, at the bar of your choosing, this time without fear.
So, a nod to the Republicans who voted for repeal:
George Voinovich OH
Olympia Snowe ME
Lisa Murkowski AK
Mark Kirk IL
John Ensign NV
Susan Collins ME
Richard Burr NC
Scott Brown MA
and another nod to:
Ben Nelson NE
for one of his rare votes with his party’s majority.
It’s nice to see that there remains some shred of human decency in a few Senate Republicans.
Is a strong word for people who voted against the Dream Act.
You can’t judge people by one vote. You have to judge them by all of their votes.
The ridiculous back slapping that happens everytime a member of the opposite party does something we agree with is just ridiculous.
His was the “Aye” vote that surprised me the most. I am grateful for his vote, but refuse to ignore all the other shit he’s done because of it.
I am extremely proud of our two Senators and Rep. Polis for their leadership on this and other issues. Especially Udall. He has been a very vocal and very visual leader on the repeal of DADT and it paid off.
My one regret is Rep. Patrick Murphy paid a heavy price for his true outspoken leadership on this issue from the very beginning. I am glad he was able to see this bill pass the Senate before his term in the House ended. He deserves every bit of praise we can give and should receive every award possible. Without his and Lieberman’s tenacity and leadership, I don’t know if this bill would have gotten through the House & Senate respectively.
As a gay man and veteran, I can promise that this repeal will not effect our troops’ ability to do their jobs in any meaningful way. I can also say this is one of the proudest moments of my adult life. It’s amazing to see our deliberative bodies actually DO something for once, but to have them pass something that corrects an amazing injustice is truly amazing.
As a straight man and a veteran, I salute you for your service to the country we both love.
I join in your celebration!
Jim
not a lot, about the vote on DADT.
The Dream Act is another story, and one that the back-to-the-past GOP will eventually lose.
Over in freeperland those R’s are marked Senators now. And for some reason, only they can provide it, America is dead, the military are pansies and don’t let your sons enlist because they will be gay.
Expect to see ugly primary fights for those up for re-election in 2012.
…and I’m not talking about the teh gayz in every single branch of the military.
I’m talking about the officers and senior enlisted advisors who, since 1993, have looked the other way when they KNEW they had a gay member of their command, and chose to lie and let them serve.
While some of these people chose not to judge another SM’s sexual peccadilloes as a standard of fitness for military duty, others “let it slide” as long as they weren’t too offended by that SM’s conduct. The moment that SM did something that the command didn’t like (refuse a lawful order, expose some other misconduct by the command) then all of a sudden that “gayness” was too much to bear, and out teh gayz went.
Another group can be honest – those intolerant hateful Southern Baptist chaplains that chose to spent their time outing all teh gayz they could find, instead of tending to the metaphysical needs of the troops.
They’ve threatened and threatened to resign and leave the military if this came to be. Well, I hope you decide to be truthful to yourselves, and GET THE FUCK OUT as fast as you can.
Otherwise, what an awesome day.
It’s unfortunate that the Dream Act failed the same day.
My experience with corporate America over the last few years is growing intolerance and covering up for blatant bias for management employees.
It’s good to get a victory nevertheless.
After a blistering midterm, fighting R obstruction on everything (START?), during a lame duck session, this president and this Congress ended this un-American, pointless discrimination. DADT REPEALED! It’s not health care, but it is a big f***ing deal.
Politically, this was an excellent move by the President and Congressional Dems. They just passed a bipartisan tax deal that angered part of the Democratic base (tax cuts for millionaires). The base has been restive, and this is exactly the kind of victory they need. The party’s liberal base knows that only Ds could achieve repeal of DADT. Their support of the administration is energized going into a tough 2011.
so many quality people before this, particularly interpreters, at a time when we have needed quality people in uniform so badly. I have new respect for the Republicans, especially those not leaving at the end of this session, who stood with the grown ups on this one and will be proud to volunteer for Mark Udall in future elections.
BO signed it yet?
for the policy shift? I’m still not clear and hate to run my mouth until I’m fairly sure my foot isn’t going in it.
Current:
Capt: Sargent are their any gays among your men?
Sgt: Of course not sir.
Capt: Thank you, dismissed.
Future, maybe a year or two or the next prez:
Capt: Sargent are there any gays among your men?
Sgt: There are sir.
Capt: Thank you, dismissed.
The “training” is for the old people to retire and people like McCain to get even more bitter and enraged about us still walking on his lawn.
The other real part is because there are changes, updates and rewrites of UMCJ, forms, regulations and the “you will not call XX anything derogatory…you will be punished if you do”. And, Obama did not want Congress to pursue repealing DADT, he said so back in the spring.
So the DADT repeal that was passed is not a repeal. It is to allow the prez and the Pentagon (nefarious creature it is) to decide when to allow gays into the military. There is no time table. Lieberman walked back the talk about immediate to months if not years. Obama has stated he will not stop DADT discharges – he will continue to prosecute those discharges. That does not sound too hopeful to me.
Right now there are people out there betting real money he will not sign it. I think he will because he does not have to do anything else. He can continue to prosecute DADT discharges and he can continue to say he supports getting rid of DADT, but he can say it is not time to implement it.
Better money is on that he will not implement it during his presidency.
Even better money is he will wait until the Marine Commandant decides it is okay to have gays in the Marines.
Stop by Pam’s House Blend for several diaries to peruse. It is important to read Zack Ford’s diary, he puts in to words what many of us feel.
Also, this step, when and if it actually occurs, does not bring the U.S. military up to the same equality level other countries have. Transgender people are still not allowed to openly serve. From my personal point of view we are the best troops and most fearless fighters in the military.
“If something is really, honestly indefensible, it can be defeated. The people perpetrating that indefensible thing will want you to think that what they are doing is inevitable. They will want you to think that it cannot possibly be changed or fixed. That it is the way it has to be, that that is the way it’s gonna be, they will want you to think those things. And it’s not true. An indefensible practice or policy is, in America, vulnerable.”
– Rachel Maddow
Like ten questions I had, but didn’t ask, answered.
Thank you.
And sigh.
And I will read your linked information.
And thank you for your service.
Gates & Mullen clearly support ending DADT and that’s gigantic.
First, the American people willed it. With the examples of thousands of out gay and lesbian people baring their identities, folks gradually saw the light: these are our friends, our family, our co-workers, our day-to-day fellow citizens. This bill passed because so many gay and lesbian people chose (bravely) to live “out”, transparent lives. They deserve a huge round of admiring applause.
Then, our Congressional representatives enabled it. It’s been a cliff-hanging back and forth, but they listened–to their constituents, to congressional testimony and to military leaders, and chose to further the wishes of those they heard: the citizens, both civilian and military. In a too seldom display of duty over dollars they stood up and passed this law. Every progressive at this site should directly write a thank you note to Udall and Bennet. And to our congressperson as well if he/she voted for it in the House. They deserve a pat on the back.
Now, the Executive branch will order it carried out. Obama and Gates have the marching orders they both wanted: an orderly repeal and an orderly execution. Again, I’m so proud of this team. Can you imagine any other President/Defense Secretary team that would have pulled this off? I, for one, will be more forgiving in the future.
And, almost without exception, the Military will carry out the mission as set. C’mon, does anyone question the ability of American military personell or the quality of their training, or doubt their pride in being able to say “Mission accomplished”? Their dedication to mission puts to shame our citizens’ dedication to, say, voting, or keeping informed, or our representatives’ obligation to vote duty over dollars, or our administration’s steadfastness to proffer and champion what is just. How about a letter to each of the Joint Chiefs (even the Marine Commandant). Bet they haven’t had many of those, huh?.
As happy as I am for the actual legislation, the actualization of “the way it ought to be” is even more satisfying. It would be heaven if more issues, military, domestic or international, progressed this way, wouldn’t it?
And, speaking of credit due: here’s to Pols and you folks on this site. Thanks.
It’s a lose lose situation.. You will be on wrong side of history and will be voting against something that many people strongly support with very few that strongly don’t support. I doubt there will be any attack ads in the next election cycle for voting to repeal DADT.
“wrong side of history and all”, but I think you’re greatly misunderestimating how vile the right-wing gets. Please see — “Horton, Willie” or “Muslims, Ground Zero, Victory Mosque.”
You can bet there are already Republican operatives tasked with scouring heaven and earth for news of that first “bad” gay after DADT is signed. No doubt that eventual news will be gleefully used against many repeal voters, and as a guilty-by-association indictment against all gays and their supporters, just as “Horton, Willie” was used to play on the race fears of too many white voters.
And even if news of that “bad” gay miraculously never surfaces, it’s almost a sad certainty that some small, isolated, group of yahoos in uniform are going to violate and brutalize some gay service member. And guess what? — It will be broadcast on the right as the fault of Obama, and the Democrats, and the gay service member, and gays, and their supporters . . . for pushing DADT repeal “too soon.”
Wasn’t it less than four months ago when we had the scary muslims — and by extension, President Obama and his supporters — celebrating 9/11 in New York by desecrating hallowed ground with a victory mosque?
their target hate group.
They have illegal immigrants to get up a sweaty hatred for. They are also on the wrong side of that growing demographic but that’s another story.
Kudos to Udall for doing his job and getting this done.
People are becoming less shy about unpopular votes; weed initiatives aren’t seeing the extra push from people presumably too embarrassed to say “yes” to a pollster, Obama’s loss of points didn’t happen, etc.
For whatever reason people have a real problem with homosexuals, see nearly every single vote by the people on equal rights in the last decade. How often do you meet someone who admits to being against gay marriage?
I’ve been fascinated by the opposition for years, so I ask a lot of people. In the suburbs, not Wash Park. Maybe 10% admit to voting no on Ref I and yes on the Constitutional amendment.
My point is there doesn’t have to be an “attack” ad, there can be an informational ad. Same damage. Or so says cynical, disappointed me.
I also expect to see the McCain theory to see air time. No, it’s not that we hate queers, it’s that we’re offended that a Republican is suggesting the Armed Forces could be better. Do you know what they risk for us??? $20 says they don’t mention the number of troops dismissed for sexual orientation and not gross incompetence.
START and 9/11 First Responders health bill.
the Chamber of Commerce killed the 9/11 first responders bill, because it was paid for by closing a tax loophole on foreign businesses.
Fortunately, even FOX News viewers got an earful about the shamefulness of not passing this bill – from Shep Smith, with concurrence by Chris Wallace. I hope it comes up for a second vote, and that it passes this time.
START passed its first big hurdle by surviving an amendment calling for a rewrite. The Big Question: can it get 67 votes? Aside from the naming of post offices, the only vote I think managed a 2/3 majority in the Senate in the past two years was the tax compromise.
as our top priority is so despicable, will even the Mightie Rightie Spin Machine be able to hide the stench? Especially after all those years of using 9/11 as an excuse to strut their more patriotic than thou stuff?
Dems should never stop reminding the public that the tax cut for the rich isn’t paid for either but that was such a priority for Rs they were willing to stop all legislation to make life an iota easier for the besieged middle class until they got it while they are still voting literally to let first responders die of neglect. Dove tails nicely with Jan Brewers death panels, something the Dem leadership is also not making nearly a big enough public fuss about and is not anywhere near as widely known as the false “fact” of Obama’s death panels was during the fight on health care reform.
Come on Dem leadership. For decades the Rs have enjoyed complete message hegemony. Now all kinds of great message opportunities are falling into your laps and you are still afraid to seize the opportunity?!?
The President and Dem leaders should be pushing this in the public’s face so hard the lowest information demos can’t help but hear about this stuff the way they’ve been hearing about everything the right wants them to know, most of it completely untrue. On every talking head show, Dems should be demanding to know why unfunded tax cuts for billionaires are the Rs top priority at the expense of the heroes of 9/11, when possible accompanied by shots of Rs posing with 9/11 heroes back in the day to share their reflected glory
Politifact’s Lie of the Year 2010 – government takeover of health care
Politifact’s Lie of the Year 2009 – death panels
Message hegemony is right. And I’d be inclined to say it’s ALL completely untrue.
Apparently someone on the Republican side got the message; rumors are floating about that the 9/11 responders bill might get another try, this time apparently with a couple more supporters.
This is a tremendous victory for President Obama. He has worked hard for years for the repeal of DADT. This is yet another campaign promise he has fulfilled. To all of the critics out there who said he didn’t move fast enough, you’ll now have to eat a few of your words–the President did this the right way, the legal way, and the politically proper way.
Thank you also to Sen. Udall, who has been particularly passionate on this issue.
by the tax deal, that had McConnell beaming, out of some progressive mouths. It may be looked back on as a reset, helping Obama inject some enthusiasm into his base. Especially since hope was almost lost and the victory was such a nice surprise.
I can’t help but feel a little sorry for McCain. Soon it will be time for him to leave the stage (he doesn’t seem likely to be one of those who stays healthy enough to serve far into his eighties) and this once heroic figure could have prevented winding down his career with a whimper as an irrelevant old fool but chose not to. It’s not just that he’s so out of touch but that all of his promises to support repeal once the military leadership got behind it are so public, his excuses, largely based on clinging to a single Marine voice, so desperate.
He really screwed the pooch. He could have had a legacy, a purpose, and a chance to say whatever the hell he wanted if he had stuck with the maverick bit. He sold out for a shot at the WH, and now he’s stuck on the bitter, angry losers bench.
1. Sarah Palin
2. The 21st century’s answer to Strom Thurmond.
Except, sometimes, I think Sarah Palin just might be a tremendous gift to us Dems. Thanks John! (Now he’s even more angry and bitter).
But I think it’s unfair to compare him to Thurmond.
just looks to be headed in that general direction.
There was a time when McCain, even if I thought him too conservative, had some integrity. He has become a shameful caricature of what he once (pretended to?) stand against. When the schoolchildren look at our old 2d TV clips from the era of discrimination, Sen. McCain will be the Bull Connor of our time.