This is it. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has called for a cloture vote on the standalone Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal bill for Saturday morning, Eastern time. Everyone seems to be pushing hard – President Obama, the Democratic National Committee, DADT repeal groups – while, of course, the antigay, anti-repeal groups are praying for defeat. A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll found that an extraordinary 77% of Americans support ending DADT.
The Advocate described White House press secretary Robert Gibbs as being “bullish” on repeal, albeit he added that he would “not necessarily use the term ‘in the bag’” in describing the Senate repeal vote.
But Igor Volsky at Wonkroom reported Friday afternoon that there’s a new threat to passage of repeal from a Republican intent on defeating the bill:
“This afternoon, as momentum began to build for repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) threatened that if Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) brings up a vote to repeal the ban, Republicans would not support ratification of the New START treaty. Referring to DADT a “partisan” and “political” issue, Corker accused Reid of poisoning the well with Democratic “campaign promises” to “accommodate activist groups”:
CORKER: What’s happened is it’s poisoning the well on this debate, on something that’s very, very important….I’m just hoping that saner minds will prevail and that these issues that have been brought forth that are absolutely partisan, political, issues, brought forth to basically accommodate activist groups around this country. I’m hoping that those will be taken down or else I don’t think the future of the START treaty over the next several days is going to be successful, based on what I’m watching.”
Volsky subsequently reported that Sens. McCain and Kyl were backing away from Corker’s threat.
A source familiar with the senate vote counts says that the votes are not there for either the START Treaty or the DREAM Act and both President Obama and Majority Leader Reid are determined that the repeal of DADT succeeds. But please check out this backgrounder on why the START Treat is important to seize up just how dangerously absurd it is to compare real national security with ending discrimination against gays soldiers, which many argue is itself a national security issue when you consider how many vital linguists has been discharged.
Meanwhile, another hitch developed with MSNBC reporting that Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore) will be out getting treated early stage prostate cancer. That’s another anticipated vote now down.
Here’s an Action Alert from Servicemembers Legal Defense Network for DADT repeal calls – NOW:
Get Contact info at www.congress.org Congress Main Switchboard 202-224-3121
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK): 202-224-6665 (supports repeal, but mixed signals on the stand-alone bill)
George Voinovich (R-OH): 202-224-3353 (no position)
Olympia Snowe (R-ME): 202-224-5344 (no position)
Richard Lugar (R-IN): 202-224-4814 (no position)
Judd Gregg (R-NH): 202-224-3324 (no position)
Scott Brown (R-MA): 202-224-4543 (now likely supports repeal)
Kit Bond (R-MO): 202-224-5721 (no position)
Mark Kirk (R-IL): 202-224-2854 (no position)
Joe Manchin (D-WV): 202-224-3954 (no position, but mixed signals on repeal)
–Harry Reid (D-NV); (202) 224-3542
–Carl Levin (D-MI); (202) 224-6221…
–Susan Collins (R-ME); (202) 224-2523
–Mark Pryor (D-Ark.); (202) 224-2353
–Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark); (202) 224-4843
–Judd Gregg (R-NH); (202) 224-3324
–Lisa Murkowski (R-AK); (202) 224-6665
–The Senate Switch Board (202) 224-3121
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