Posted on 09/08/2005 7:54:01 AM PDT by SmithL
IN PASSING a law to legalize same-sex marriages, Democrats in the Legislature sent a clear message to California voters: You don't count. And I say that as someone who was in the minority in 2000. I voted against Proposition 22, an initiative that outlawed same-sex marriage, but 61 percent of state voters supported the measure.
On the one hand, it was courageous for Democrats -- only Dems, but not all Dems, voted for the same-sex marriage bill introduced by Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco -- to ignore the will of the voters and vote their conscience. But the vote also was arrogant, because it flouted California law.
Bob Stern, an expert on the initiative process with the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles, noted that "California is the only state in the country that says a statutory initiative cannot be either amended or repealed by the Legislature without a vote of the people."
And it was reckless, too. GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promises to veto the bill. He has said he wants the courts or the voters to decide, not the legislators. He's wrong about the courts. If they should overrule Prop. 22 -- which is hardly a given -- then voters will see the move as more judicial arrogance.
It would have been "more appropriate" for Leno to have included a provision to bring the same-sex marriage issue before the voters, Stern said.
Then the governor would not be able to veto it. And the governor, who always would rather that voters settle issues, would have signed it.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Any chance this'll cause a backlash? (I'm not in Kalifornia, but I bet no one will care come election time.)
Sounds like the whole thing was done just so dems could get liberal brownie points for voting for same sex marriage knowing full well it would be vetoed.
I know many liberals deep down do not like the idea of same sex marriage but they are like sheep and rarely go against the liberal tide. They know the fate of those who do not tow the liberal line fully and without question....
"On the one hand, it was courageous for Democrats . . .to ignore the will of the voters and vote their conscience."
It wasn't "courageous" at all - it was typical dem politican arrogance. They're not there to "ignore the will of the voters." Of course, here in California, it doesn't matter: the dimwitted big city voters keep electing these dem a**holes no matter what they do.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
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