FEINGOLD Says: "See ya" As He WALKS OUT Of Gay Marriage Hearing

Feingold, Specter clash over gay marriage
By Laurie Kellman, Associated Press Writer | May 18, 2006

WASHINGTON --A Senate committee approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage Thursday, after a shouting match that ended when one Democrat strode out and the Republican chairman bid him "good riddance."

"If you want to leave, good riddance," Specter finished.

"I've enjoyed your lecture, too, Mr. Chairman," replied Feingold, D-Wis., who is considering a run for president in 2008. "See ya."

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/05/18/feingold_specter_clash_over_gay_marriage/?rss_id=Boston.com+%2F+News

Way to go, Russ.

Specter is showing his true colors: bigoted asshat.

I received mail once for a donation and Arlen Specter was listed as a "friend" of this group--Log Cabin Republicans. :shrug:

Major props to Feingold for standing his ground!

these days. What are the chances of THAT happening?

.

What was it that Cheney said to Pat Leahy a few years back?

Damn he is doing all the right things.

:kick: :kick: :kick:

Specter is such an ass :grr:

We need more Democrats with spines!

Showing your "gravitas" Mr. magic bullet? :crazy:

SEE YA, Specter!!! I hope you go to hell!!!

anyone know if it C-Span covered it?

the DU member who used to manage to capture video on everything and then post it here...

it will hijack the thread.

I'm sorry i don't understand? Please clarify?

but her site Can o fun is still pumping out grat videos...

this is the link I bookmark and check constantly:

http://www.canofun.com/cof/forums/forum-view.asp?fid=31&DisplayType=flat

i guess i missed some drama while i was away.. now i'm curious. :wtf:

but why am i not surprised? too bad.

I looked forward to her posts.

Profile is disabled. See this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=950958#957619

Just like in any community, people do come and go, especially when there is unwarranted dissention. I think initially there was a dispute was about how long and whether a certain video was loading correctly.

In peace,

Radio_Lady

I'll have to go over there.

Clinton or Obama?

place your bets

Does Al Gore commend Feingold, furthering the rumors?

...Jewish guy in 2000. ;-)

shoulda went for plain squeaky clean instead of sactimonious.

Way to go Russ!
:kick:

In my book.

Obama and Clinton aren't on the Committee... but then i guess that never stopped them from critising Feingold on his perfectly logical, reasonable, and Constitutional positions in the past. Censure Resolution comes to mind.

during recess.

He's big on getting Democrats to toe the line and shut up and play kissy face with the Republicans so they don't think Democrats are mean and start to :cry:

then Obama.

A narsty knave if there ever was one.

bull shit hearings over nothing should be treated this way.

Go Russ!

Stick it in their goddamn extremist faces!!

Russ -- once again, :yourock:

jeopardize their ride on the gov't gravy train. Fucking welfare kings and queens......get a job.

Go Russ go.....keep it up and we'll get your back.

equality (a hope)

Thank you Russ! At least ONE Dem out there cares.

speaks volumes for we are confronted with as an electorate, as a party, as a country.

K/R for Russ.

denial of civil rights based on sexual orientation is wrong.

Did you hear actor Ian McClellan's comments during a media blitz on movie Da Vinci Code, and re - Catholics don't like movie - he said something like " I would think the Catholics would have enjoyed this movie since it shows Jesus was not gay, and the Catholics have such a problem with gays."

showed what intelligence and a cool, rapier wit sound like.
I just love him!!!

Lots of great stuff at your site. :thumbsup:

I use my imagination for figures in my painting, and try to meld them with earth or tree subjects.

I would still respect his integrity. He represents his state and our country with a lot of guts and passion. That's commendable.

fucking assholes.

Dubya's ratings are in the toilet, Democrats seem to have the advantage over Republicans in the elections, so they have to come up with a wedge issue - you know - you are either for this amendment or you are against family values. Spin, spin, spin.

diabolical.

water for the wingnuts is making him that way.

I admire his willingness to stand up for what is right. :patriot:

Feingold / Boxer 2008!

darn.

I am holding out for a hero and I see one in Russ Feingold......

in essence--fuck you guys...he`s my kind`a guy...

I wish the Dems had got up and walked out during the Alberto Gonzalez fiasco when Arlen refused to put him under oath to testify. I really wish they'd all just gotten up, and said, "When you're prepared to have a proper hearing, with testimony under oath like every other American is required to do, you let us know and we'll be here. Until then, this is just a sham hearing and we'll have no part of it."

That would have sent a message, too!

Good for Senator Feingold. At least ONE Democratic Senator has the balls to LOUDLY protest this disgusting piece of shit.

Observe and learn.

Things are getting very testy on Capitol Hill.

"I don't need to be lectured by you. You are no more a protector of the Constitution than am I," Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., shouted after Sen. Russ Feingold declared his opposition to the amendment, his affinity for the Constitution and his intention to leave the meeting.

"If you want to leave, good riddance," Specter finished.

Making illegal spying on Americans retroactively legal and impossible to monitor or adjudicate, now there's a man who loves the Constitution. :eyes:

Not to mention moving the hearing from its usual room to a room without public access.

All the while trying to deny rights to a significant number of Americans by amending that same Constitution.

Hey, Arlen, in the words of your own president of the Senate: "Go f*ck yourself!"

That's our Russ.

:patriot:

Cheesehead. Now if we can just work on Kohl. And our wingnut state legislature...

To which Specter said, "You smell nice."

If the purpose is to "protect the family" and "protect the institution of marriage" -- they should go back to "Fault Based Grounds of Divorce" and get rid of "No Fault Divorce."

Fault based divorces are awarded to the "innocent and injured spouse" when the other spouse has:

1). willfully deserted the marriage for a period greater than one year,
2). committed adultery,
3). endangered the life or health of the other spouse,
4). entered into a bigamous marriage See my Note below,
5). been sentenced to prison for two of more years, or
6). "offered such indignities to the innocent and injured spouse as to render that spouse's condition intolerable and life burdensome."

-----------------------------
Note (with respect to "bigamy"):

I don't have a problem with bigamy per se. See , especially if there is full knowledge and consent, and no intent to defraud anybody. - But that's for another post in another DU thread in another DU forum. Don't get hung up in the sexual fantasies - look at the economics.

Here's the link --

What a crock.

The part that pisses me off the most is the "legal incidents thereof" - language that could also be used to prohibit civil unions and domestic partnerships.

I know a lot of people who have this thing about the word "marriage" thinking it should be a man and a woman, but also believe homosexuals should have civil unions - basically, a different term for the same thing. It sounds like this amendment would prohibit that.

a tool. I wish Russ Feingold were my senator, but unfortunately, since I am from Pennsylvania, YOU are. When you are gone from the US Senate, only then will I say, "Good riddance!" Are you even remotely aware that your Master has a 70% DISapproval rate in our state?

It has long been my understanding that out Constitution has the single purpose of protecting the rights of all citizens, not curbing or removing them. Marriage is not only for Christians. It is not only for heterosexuals. Neither the word nor the institution are the property of the fundament. Your job is to protect the rights of everybody, not just the religious right and the law-breaking Bush administration.

Get with it or get out.

He has become a real enabler and defender of Bush's burgeoning dictatorship.

Hello from Philly. :hi:

I agree with you on the ebabling and defending and the burgeoning. I actually just copied and pasted that post into Arlen's online contact form. It's not the first time I've emailed him, but it's the worst! :)

The staffers in his office make you give them your name and address and all kinds of info before they'll even agree to take a message or hear your question. And the responses I get from him in the mail...:dunce:

The article says he's "totally opposed" to the amendment but is voting for it.

So we need to remember that he "voted for it before he voted against it"

bastard.

Russ ROCKS!
:headbang:

Insert any Republican name here. And more than a few Democrats, to be fair.

Faxing Emailing, and calling Specturd office with some quality thank you for being such a jerk comments.

The staffer who took my call was a total idiot. When she said that Specter was personally AGAINST the amendment to ban gay marriage, I asked why then was he pushing it forward for a full Senate vote. She said that he was responding to the MANY constituents who had called/ written in support of the ban. I asked if Specter would support writing slavery or segregation into the constitution if people called/ wrote in support of such moves. That's JUST what our country needs, isn't it? A constitution that endorses hate and bigotry.

I doubt my phone call will make much impact. So I will make a contribution to Feingold's Progressive Patriots Fund and send Specter a copy of the acknowledgement, with a note that if anyone would be saying "good riddance" it would be Democrats saying it to the pandering Repubs when they get voted out of office.

http://www.progressivepatriotsfund.com/content/16

too bad we lost wellstone or we'd have a nice trinity

Feingold should be our 2008 election candidate, but alas he will not because the powers that be are invested in LOSING THE 2008 ELECTION. We need Dems with REAL CONVICTIONS, not Hillary/Kerry poll bullshit fluff. No one sitting on the fence between voting Dem or Repuke will come to our side until REAL BACKBONE is demonstrated by our candidates.

I only wish I lived in Iowa, so I could tilt the primary towards Feingold.

J

As a Wisconsonite, I'm very proud that he is our Senator. Bill Proxmire was awesome too, and I have missed him. But Russ has really stepped up to the plate, so I think my pining for "the good old days" in WI are finally over. We have a new champion of the people!

:thumbsup:

speaks for me. Here's the page:

http://www.progressivepatriotsfund.com/

GO FUCK YOURSELF!

Go, Russ, go! You make us proud!!! :patriot:

:)

Senate panel OKs gay-marriage ban

By Andy Sullivan 5 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Senate panel advanced a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage on Thursday as the committee chairman shouted "good riddance" to a Democrat who walked out of the tense session.

"If you want to leave, good riddance," Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter told Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Russell Feingold, who refused to participate because, he said, the meeting was not sufficiently open to the public.

"I've enjoyed your lecture too. See you later, Mr. Chairman," Feingold told the Pennsylvania Republican before storming out. The testy exchange highlighted tensions over the proposal, which would amend the U.S. Constitution to prevent states from recognizing same-sex marriages.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060518/pl_nm/rights_gays_congress_dc

I've so had it with these mofos....Playing election-year politics with an entire group of Americans' lives. May it blow up in their disgusting Repug faces.

I would think that ALL our Senators would not stoop to wasting the taxpayers'and money on such an idiotic and clearly bogus amendment.

I try hard not to hate the republicans. I try very hard because because of my spiritual beliefs. Jesus said Love thy enemy. Gandhi said hate the sin, love the sinner. I try to remember those words but I am challenged so much by these damn charlatans and their f-up ways of doing things.

Republicans are supposed to believe in state's rights, but now it is only when it suits their needs. Worst of all, with everything that is going wrong in our beloved country, these damn non-issues are all they seem to care about. They don't give a shit about me, you, integrity, compassion, respect, the environment, the economy, health insurance, innocent people being killed in a made up war, or anything other than pandering the the powerful Christian Right fanatics.

I am one of those people who lost their health insurance last year because of higher rates, decreased services, and outlandish co-pays. I am one of those people who have had to scrape by because of the soaring gas prices. I am one of those people who cannot afford to finish college because the tuition has increased so much in the last four years I would have to assume a massive amount of debt to pay for it. I am one of those people who suffers from breathing problems because I live in the inner-city, where the once beautiful blue Arizona sky has been replaced by a greyish-brown cloud of pollution. I am one of those people who has to duck for cover because in my neighborhood gunfire goes off at any moment due to the lack of control of firearms bought at traveling gun shows. I am one of those people who has no choice but to buy items at stores I know full well are made by people in sweat shops in China and other places in the world because I don't have the financial means to buy items guaranteed to be made otherwise. And that makes me physically ill!

I don't give a shit if the guy next door marries another guy. It does not infringe on my right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In fact, I believe that what they are doing infringes on his right of those things promised to him in the Declaration of Independence.

I am pissed, but trying not to hate.
Hate the sin, love the sinner.
Damn Gandhi! I know he is right.
But on the other hand,
he never met these bastards running our country!

Good post.

And I'm not even religious!

I've never bought into that "moderate Republican" BS meme, he's a lifelong BFEE stooge.

Go Russ!

He always steps up to the plate, never compromises his principles, and clearly and consistently speaks for us. He certainly has my vote for prez!

A so- called "moderate" piece of shit.

"at least he's doing" WHAT???

Same shit, different day!

Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold
Objecting to the Judiciary Committee’s Handling of the Constitutional Amendment on Marriage
May 18, 2006

“Today’s markup of the constitutional amendment concerning marriage, in a small room off the Senate floor with only a handful of people other than Senators and their staffs present, was an affront to the Constitution. I objected to its consideration in such an inappropriate setting and refused to help make a quorum. I am deeply disappointed that the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee went forward with the markup over my objection. Unfortunately, the Majority Leader has set a politically motivated schedule for floor consideration of this measure that the Chairman felt compelled to follow, even though he says he opposes the amendment.

Constitutional amendments deserve the most careful and deliberate consideration of any matter that comes before the Senate. In addition to hearings and a subcommittee markup, such a measure should be considered by the Judiciary Committee in the light of day, open to the press and the public, with cameras present so that the whole country can see what is done. Open and deliberate debate on such an important matter cannot take place in a setting such as the one chosen by the Chairman of the Committee today.

The Constitution of the United States is an historic guarantee of individual freedom. It has served as a beacon of hope, an example to people around the world who yearn to be free and to live their lives without government interference in their most basic human decisions. I took an oath when I joined this body to support and defend the Constitution. I will continue to fight this mean-spirited, divisive, poorly drafted, and misguided amendment when it comes to the Senate floor.”

http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/statements/06/05/2006518.html

For speaking up against the idiocy :banghead:

What he is doing is right AND patriotic.



:patriot:

PS- Fuck you ExSpectorate.

:toast:

Leahy deserves some kudos, too, imho. (Emphasis added by me.)

:D

He needs to know he's the PEOPLE'S CHOICE to run in 2008!

The 2006 GOP strategy is in full force as reported.

Go Feingold!

if you all gonna amend the constitushin...we need a ban so billy bob don't sleep with box turtles!

I trust Russ Feingold to end this war and bring the troops home... He is a smart man, look at his educational background, he is no slouch.... This kind of backbone is what we need, and as the Mom of a soldier in Iraq, I will endorse him....

:D

Think that's what I heard. Oh Please Dave! Please bring this up! Ask Mary how proud she is of her party now. What a two bit phoney she is.

was unintentional:

"You are no more a protector of the Constitution than am I,"

Put gays back in the closet. Keep women barefoot and pregnant. Unions are a bother. And who needs social security or medicare or even health insurance? Let your faith take care of you . . .

Check out "The Department of Homeland Decency: Decency Rules and Regulations Manual" at www.homelanddecency.com. It's a hilarious satire of what our faith-based brothers and sisters really want.

For his pending nuptials to Stephanie Miller!

What about hermaphrodites and all the other genetic or anatomic anomalies.

I want Clark, but MAN ALIVEEEEEEEEEEEE, how this guy is standing up for people like ME and basically EVERYONE who others could lay some kind of bigoted view upon. I despise Specter, what a nasty name anyhow, he looks like a ghost...

I would absolutely LOVE a RUSS & WES TICKET!!!


well, here's the proof! get the sticker here (it's very well designed!)
www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable

Beautiful! :applause:

i hope he runs.

I TOLD you...don't get so enamored of Specter, he's still a piece of shit.

Just because he was demanding accountability from Bush re: Iraq and the warrantless wiretapping bullshit...all of a sudden, a lot of DU'ers were swooning over Specter. As a Pennsylvanian...I TOLD you not to get so enamored of him. He is still basically a Republican and a piece of shit.

I admit I am somewhat surprised, however, by this move from Specter, I would have thought he was old-school Republican enough to have at least given consideration to my argument that you don't monkey with the Constitution to write discrimination into it...or to promote one particular faith's moral/religious values over another - pointing out that several orthodox religions had no problem with performing same sex marriage ceremonies.

That was my argument when I contacted his office. That, and the fact that he's unlikely to run again when his current term is up, in 2010, made me think he just might do the right thing this time...but it seems like, for some bizarre reason, perhaps best known to him...he has chosen to break with common sense, and old-time Republican values, :sarcasm: to make common cause with the neocons and hard-rightists...Heaven knows why.

But I can't say I'm too very surprised, either. someone is holding specter by the nuts on this one, I suspect.

Nevertheless, there's no way that they will EVER get 67 Senators to support this, so it's never going anywhere, anyway, and there's no real need to get our panties up in a bunch...this is just a typical Republican political ploy designed to pander to their Neanderthal, knuckle-dragging, foaming-at-the-mouth, bigot base. even THEY have to know it isn't going anywhere! Even if every Republican voted for it...and they won't - ther'll be a few who will remember what the Constitution is actually for...I can't see them getting a minimum of 12 Democrats to sign up for it. I'm sure he'll get Lieberman, but I can't see too many other Democrats supporting...and there'll be a few Republican defectors on this.

Just another typical Republican "divert them and pander to them with a wedge issue" divide-and-conquer strategy. It won't work.

and unless Gore get's in he shows again that he is the man for 2008. Goddamn! Making that asshole specter show his true self while showing emphatically he disses the whole red-neck targetted cheap spectacle

"Gay marriage, too much, too fast, too soon" as she said.

If Cheney can do it why cant Russ ?

He did the right thing in the way he handled this asshat, Specter. If he runs in 2008, I'm going to have some tough decisions to make. He's one of the few Democrats with a consistent record of having backbone. I admire that immensely.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2292586&mesg_id=2292586

(where I posted a modest little rant, BTW):blush:

can save his majority chairmanship.

Feingold Democrat,.... then I want to be one. Way to go Russ!

spell because Russ says, "See ya." Put a diaper on him and BBQ him Russ! BWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWa

Specter said he was "totally opposed" to it, yet voted for it anyway because it deserves "debate." Umm, aren't these stupid committees supposed to weed out shit like this?!

Gore/Feingold 2008!!!!

Now, that's SPINE!

:thumbsup:

Neither one is a 'phobe. God bless 'em.

I could get into either of those tickets too, though at this point my preferences would be something like:

Feingold/Clark
Feingold/Boxer
Feingold/Gore

Gore probably wouldn't take a nother VP slot, but I really think I want Feingold as the head man to be our leader on this issue and so many others having to do with civil liberties protections and campaign finance reform which are so sorely needed now!

:bounce:

http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=62493


U.S. Sen. Feingold: Statement Objecting to the Judiciary Committee’s Handling of the Constitutional Amendment on Marriage
5/18/2006

Contact: Zach Lowe (202) 224 8657

“Today’s markup of the constitutional amendment concerning marriage, in a small room off the Senate floor with only a handful of people other than Senators and their staffs present, was an affront to the Constitution. I objected to its consideration in such an inappropriate setting and refused to help make a quorum. I am deeply disappointed that the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee went forward with the markup over my objection. Unfortunately, the Majority Leader has set a politically motivated schedule for floor consideration of this measure that the Chairman felt compelled to follow, even though he says he opposes the amendment.

Constitutional amendments deserve the most careful and deliberate consideration of any matter that comes before the Senate. In addition to hearings and a subcommittee markup, such a measure should be considered by the Judiciary Committee in the light of day, open to the press and the public, with cameras present so that the whole country can see what is done. Open and deliberate debate on such an important matter cannot take place in a setting such as the one chosen by the Chairman of the Committee today.

The Constitution of the United States is an historic guarantee of individual freedom. It has served as a beacon of hope, an example to people around the world who yearn to be free and to live their lives without government interference in their most basic human decisions. I took an oath when I joined this body to support and defend the Constitution. I will continue to fight this mean-spirited, divisive, poorly drafted, and misguided amendment when it comes to the Senate floor.”

x(

Using this web form: http://specter.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInfo.Home I let Spector know what I thought of his behavior today. I urge others to let him know too.

Of course, Spector is too busy maligning patriots and codifying discrimination to reply to me properly. He was even too much of a p@ssy to have his droogs say what his position is in the form letter he sent me. Here's the bullsh!t I got from him today:



I am sickened by him and his ilk.

What a shock!

cya sucka!

He is, indeed, a rock star in the hearts of all good Democrats/Liberals/Progressives.

Keep standing up for what is right, Russ! Love you!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/18/AR2006051800901_pf.html

What bullshit. They're changing the facts.

"See you later" makes him sound like he was sending Specter a greeting card. If this isn't an example of the MSM shilling for the Republicans, I don't know what is.

We really need a video of this, but the reason Feingold left was that it "wasn't sufficiently open to the public".

:kick:

republicans are so; fucking; crazy :crazy: as to make one wonder if they are able to find their dicks in the dark with a flashlight...assuming of course, if america hasn't learned what they are all about by now then the lesson is not to be learned what stark raving IDIOTS!!!

junta coup from the right-wing?

Boy, those right-wing Christian nutcases are going to great lengths to get us on our knees and pray.

to put it over the top and give this thread five stars

I've been watching this all morning. It didn't move from 76 for four hours.