NY Senate Watch Thread - 6/24/11

Figured I'd make a thread for updates instead of having a bunch of smaller ones.

Resources to Follow the News (thank you Ian!):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=221&topic_id=180178&mesg_id=180178

EDIT: Senate Livestream is available here: http://www.nysenate.gov/event/2011/jun/24/senate-session

5:17p EST:

-The latest according to Twitter is that the language for religious exemptions was agreed upon. NY Times has this also: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/24/albany-leaders-reach-consensus-on-religious-exemptions-for-marriage-measure/?hp

-According to our local news in NYC (WCBS 2) "sources" expect that the marriage equality bill will be voted on tonight. Many Senators, for and against, do not want to let this drag into the weekend, with Pride events going on and another opportunity for Dolan and the Bible beaters to gin up more heat on the issue. No further details.

-Vote still stands at 31 for, 31 against.

-Omnibus bill on property tax cap and rent control, and the SUNY bill is still on the agenda.


5:43p:

- @NYSenate reports Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos has confirmed the marriage equality bill WILL come to the floor for a vote.
Skelos' statement: http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/statement-senate-majority-leader-dean-skelos-same-sex-marriage-legislation

Never heard of him.

He and the rest of the Catholic crime family in NYC have been scaremongering on the issue for a long time.

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/archbishop-dolan-on-same-sex-marriage-vote/

If it's deadlocked at 31, won't the lieutenant governor just break the tie? Why is everybody saying there's still one more vote needed?

Yes, it's stupid. But 32 votes are absolutely needed to pass.

Or, at least, the law is sufficiently unclear that trying it with a 31-31 tie would mire the legislation in litigation. They want a clean victory.

Though nobody's saying who the 32nd one is.

Also apparently some reports (which I'm following via Twitter) that the Republican conference, which just ended, agreed to bring the bill to the floor, but no hard confirmation of that yet. If both of those are true, we win.

Some say we have the 32nd and that Senator won't come forward, but I saw another report that the final vote will likely end up being higher if it does pass, because a lot of Republicans are scared to be that 32nd vote. The Conservative Party's threats still have a lot of them afraid. Time will tell, I guess.

But I may well be being optimistic.

more likely that both will vote aye.

and re-won it - that's a tough call if he's yes or no.

The undecided senators being Mark Grisanti (R-SD60) and Steve Saland (R-SD41).

Dolan can take his catholic religion, and ............. When he learns to protect CHILDREN from catholicism, come back and talk to me.

Every second that delays the vote moves the probability further toward the "no" side.

The thing is, this is NY, our state legislature is so dysfunctional even on issues that aren't "controversial" or require any kind of political courage. Every session ends up going to the wire like this because nothing EVER gets done on time. On one hand, I'm afraid you're right, but OTOH I keep feeling that Skelos is playing chicken with Cuomo because he knows if it goes to the floor, it'll pass. It's all so maddening, really.

Marriage equality will happen in NY though, and sooner rather than later, even if it doesn't happen today in this session. The genie is out of the bottle, every poll taken shows a majority of New Yorkers support it and the margins of support only get bigger. The Diazes and Dolans of the state are a dying breed. The only question at stake now IMO is if the political will exists to make it happen. The pressure is on these assholes, the bigots are the ones in the minority, and it's only a matter of time.

Usually pessimism and cynicism is a safe bet, but luckily not this time.

:hug:

Looks like that's clear at this point.

So the question now is whether one or more of the undecideds or the nos is going to vote "Yes." I think the probability of that is very high. There seems to be a lot of confidence on the "Yes" side.

Edit: http://www.towleroad.com/2011/06/gop-senator-ny-marriage-equality-coming-to-a-vote-tonight.html

Majority Leader Skelos confirmed it will come to the floor.

I am feeling good about this.

do you make me stay up all night here? :)

Best of wishes.

One edit: Kick and rec.

For a celebration! :D

but I was kicking in my front seat ... :)

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/new-york-conservative-party-chairman-predicts-passage-gay-marriage-bill_575521.html

Mike Long, the chairman of the New York Conservative Party and a leading opponent of the bill to institue same sex marriage in New York, tells THE WEEKLY STANDARD that the bill will likely pass "by the end of the night."

"I'm sorry to say that the bill's going to pass," Long told me in a phone interview minutes ago. He said that the recently released religious liberty amendment would serve as an "excuse for some Republican senators to hang their hat on."

"I know they've got the 32nd vote, and I think they've muscled two more people" to give the vote some cushion.

"Hopefuly all of that blows up," Long said. "I don't see that happening."


-----------

Thanks pretty encouraging!

As of 6:23PM.

Livestream is available here: http://www.nysenate.gov/event/2011/jun/24/senate-session

Senator Andrew Lanza (R) from Staten Island is voting NO. Others who were known to be on the fence have not shown their hands yet, however.

I think that they are just playing with us. There is no reason for this to be taking so long. The Xtians have their fucking protections, but nothing short of making us illegal again will satisfy them. And they wonder why so many of us are anti-religion.

those celebrating other liberties today will continue to see them fade. When one group is denied liberties everyone loses in the big picture. I'm so fed up with religion in this country they can all crash off a cliff as far as I'm concerned.

Republicans here, like everywhere, are cowards. The bigoted religionists in this state are a quickly fading minority but they still feel beholden to them. This exemption shit is just a smokescreen, the pimps in the pulpits are pushing this meme to frighten people. I was just arguing about this with my evangelical mother the other night when she started in with this talking point.

But this is going to pass. If not tonight, at some other point. What we're witnessing is the desperate flailing from a group that knows their bigoted worldview is on its way out and they are terrified. Even the younger generations in their own churches aren't buying this snake oil any longer.

http://twitter.com/BreakingNews
BreakingNews

W/link | Live video of N.Y. State Senate session; Gay marriage vote will be last item on agenda, source tells NBC http://t.co/DwQ7nAt

Watching Diaz speak on the Livestream I had the urge to punch him in the face and he wasn't even talking about marriage. UGH

We're getting there...

@NY Senate reports the Assembly passed the religious exemption amendment.

There are good vibes in the air! :hug:

:freak:

The warden on the phone just before an execution.

fingers crossed

is on now

:hug:

He sounds like the adults on Peanuts

WA WA WAAAAAA

(Saland, that is.)

Gannett has learned that Sen. Steve Saland will support #samesexmarriage and be the 32nd vote for passage in the Senate."

That was the religious exemption amendment. The final vote is coming now!

Saland was #32, that was all we needed.

I just want to save the champagne for the real thing!

I do hope the senator enjoys living in a country that affords him so many rights that he would happily deny to so many others.

To hell with him...he and his kind are dinosaurs.

his ignorance helps little in even trying to make his point clear - to his detriment

:woohoo:

How could anyone including you know who argue with what he just said?

Carl Kruger (D-Closet Case)

WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:party:

:toast:

:woohoo:

:grouphug:

:party: :party: :party: :toast: :toast: :toast:

Legalizes Gay Marriage!!!


Oh and P.S. to my own state senator who voted against this...FUCK YOU, but your a repig so i never voted for you anyway.

I was worried but thank god it passed.