Do we have the votes to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell?

I think that everyone here in DU is in agreement that DADT should be repealed. Yet neither Congress nor the Preisdent has said or done anything since the November election to lead us to beleive that this will be happeneing any time soon.

Many Democrats in Congress are from districts which socially conservative. Could it be that there simply aren't enough members of Congress who support the repeal?

Votes are there in the House, but not enough to clear cloture in the Senate.

I think Dems should attach it to the next defense appropriations bill and dare the GOP to filibuster it. Every day they filibuster, Dems run ads saying that they want to cut off funding for the troops.

I am not sure that there are even 50 votes in the Senate. I wish it weren't so but I'm afraid that is the way things stand now.

It's the damn Senate we're fucked in.

spending is, so attaching the repeal of DADT to defense spending makes sense.

I think that DADT is a socially charged enough to scare more than just the blue dogs and the DLC.

I think neither wants to touch it during Obama's first term, either. Any time you see stuff land in committee when there's not pressing language issues to be worked out, that's a stall tactic.

And then, there's THIS: http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=blog&sc2=news&sc3=&id=92180

Barney Frank said in that Congress won't take it up until then and the same has been heard unoffically from the WH since the election that it's on agenda for 2010

They aren't pushing the matter (or taking it up): http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gY0fGi1hLfp2_NW6yO6Iblm2l16QD98MKANG0

If they can't pass the bulk of their "prioritized" agenda, it may get pushed back. Conservative Democrats, and even moderates, are always chickenshit when it draws close to reelection time. They run away from legislation that has potential to be "controversial." If they can't get it taken care of and out of the way early enough on, they'll wait. And that could bode ill, because it's not unusual for the party in power to lose a few seats -- nature of the beast.

The time to move forward on this matter is now, but I don't sense an enthusiasm on the Hill for it. I wish it were otherwise. I think they're all focused on Health Care, and they want to see something jinned up with Teddy K's name on it passed before they do pretty much anything else.

Time will tell, though.

It seems as though he's going to have to step in and take care of DADT when he's got a few other things squared away.

Pay no mind to the one who may not have any respect for an individuals right to everything stated in the constitution despite gender.

It could be interpreted 2 ways. But so could the OP. And I interpreted it differently than most, based on history. And I think I am right.

I think he'll get this done though.

voted for it, that were in there then. Even our VP

I'll never forget the vote. I'm pretty sure Boxer, Feingold, and Specter were the only ones to say, No to that gay bashing legislation. And I know Orin Hatch thought it was stupid

And of course the great Paul Wellstone

I know. It's stupid. It's asinine. But...

There needs to be a march by veterans of past wars and the ones now who are gay who show the human face of this tragic legislation. People who vote for this crap need to be shamed into submission.

This shit is out of control.