If gay marriage fails in New York, Mayor Bloomberg's money is partly to blame

http://www.salon.com/news/gay_marriage/?story=/politics/war_room/2011/06/24/bloomberg_gay_marriage

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has forcefully urged the New York state legislature to pass gay marriage. He's spoken on it in public and lobbied for it in private. He clearly sees the equality fight as an important part of his legacy, and he's urged Albany politicians to do the same:


In his speech, Mr. Bloomberg said state lawmakers have a clear choice: "Do you want to be remembered as a leader on civil rights? Or an obstructionist?"

"On matters of freedom and equality, history has not remembered obstructionists kindly," the mayor said. "Not on abolition. Not on abortion. Not on women's suffrage. Not on workers' rights. Not on civil rights. And it will be no different on marriage rights."


Here's the situation in Albany right now: Marriage equality has passed the Democratic-led state Assembly, as it has multiple times in the past. It's stalled in the Senate, which, as always, is deadlocked. Tempers are flaring. Equality advocates now accuse Republicans of deliberately delaying in order to kill the issue without a vote.

The Republicans control the state Senate. An inability to attract one more Republican vote could doom marriage equality in New York for the foreseeable future. Democrats briefly controlled both legislative bodies in 2009, but the last election returned control to the Republicans, ensuring the legislative gridlock that has paralyzed the state for years.

And one guy has given more money to the New York Senate Republicans than anyone else: Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg's money was instrumental in the GOP retaking the state Senate. While the "independent" mayor selectively donates to politicians on both sides of the aisle, Bloomberg clearly intended Republicans to retake the Senate, giving almost a million dollars to the Senate Republican campaign just before the election.

He talks a good game--hell, he was out on the right side about Park 51 in a way that nobody else really was. But he's still a Republican at heart. Supportive of big business, big money, anything that gets him more power, and he's more than willing to step on the social causes he claims to value in the process. As witnessed by him funding anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-labor Republicans into power. And if the public doesn't like it, the hell with them, they're nobody. When NYers AGAIN tried to get term limits, he simply bought the votes he needed on the city council to override the law, then bought himself a third term, to the tune of $102 million dollars.

is that it will be one less thing where I have to be on the same side as Michael Bloomberg.

I remember that. Most of us here do, too. It was he who asked that Cohan's ruling be appealed. On appeal, her ruling was overturned. :mad:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_New_York