Landrieu may shift marriage-law stand

The Times Picayune ^ | June 07, 2006 | Bruce Alpert

[Klatuu]

Two years after voting against a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., is reassessing her position with a key procedural vote scheduled for today.

[Klatuu]

She is reassessing her position after 78 percent of Louisiana voters approved a similar state constitutional amendment in 2004, barring same-sex marriages and civil unions, and because courts, at least in some instances, have intervened to block state efforts to limit marriages to a man and a woman.

The only reason for her meaningless change of heart is that her N.O. Morial machine / 9th Ward safety net is gone. She isn't going to win any more close elections without radically changing some of her positions and convincing voters that she's genuine.

[trifona]

She's changing her position because the vote was going to fail anyway. Political posturing at its worst. Much like the introduction of this bill right on the heels of the Senate voting for Amnesty.

[george76]

[So Cal Rocket]

She voted "NAY", so she voted with the rest of the Donk's.

[lnbchip]

Landrieu is in real trouble in this state now. Her brother's loss in the NO Mayor's race was a huge blow. My guess is that she has given up and is trying to solidify her future in Washington after her defeat.

This is the state controlled by the Democrats that just passed a very strong ban on almost all abortions in the state. And the Democratic governor is going to sign the bill. Not only is Landrieu distancing herself from the average Louisiana voter, she is even separating herself from her own party in the State.

The Democrats in Louisiana assisted the state in passing our own ban of same-sex marriage.

[detroitdarien]

She's changing her position because the vote was going to fail anyway. Political posturing at its worst. Much like the introduction of this bill right on the heels of the Senate voting for Amnesty.

It's frustrating to watch us being played for fools... the Senate voted 49-48: way below the needed 67.. Is the WH going back and trying to rework a stategy to build up support? NO. The bill is going to a vote in the House, where everyone will get up and bluster for the home town audience, take a vote which will be far short of the needed 2/3 super majority, and the "Conservatives" will be able to go back to their districts, claim they voted for the sanctity of marriage (while a good many of them visit their mistresses), and continue to have no serious longterm strategy to succeed on this issue.

Sorry, I'm feeling very cynical today..

[ViLaLuz]

I called Landrieu's office a few days back to inquire how she was going to vote. The intern answering the phone said that Landrieu was going to vote against the marriage amendment because it was unnecesary, since Louisiana already had a state constitutional amendment protecting marriage.

It didn't matter to Landrieu that an activist federal judge can deem our state amendment unconstitutional.

In other words, Landrieu is for counterfeit marriage.