Posted on 12/18/2010 7:35:51 AM PST by Red Steel
The Senate will act on two important pieces of President Obama's progressive legislative agenda today: the DREAM Act and the repeal of the military's ban on openly gay servicemembers. By the end of the day, the path to final passage is expected to be set for DADT repeal, while DREAM is expected to languish for another Congress to pass.
Starting at around 10:30 this morning, the Senate will take up a cloture vote on DREAM. Cloture -- voted in by a 60-senator super majority -- is required to cut off debate and move a bill to final passage in the Senate. DREAM, which would provide legal status for illegal immigrants who serve in the military or earn college degrees, is not expected to hit that mark, effectively scrapping the bill for the time being.
That will set the stage for a cloture vote on a standalone DADT repeal bill, which proponents say is destined for passage. That will be the first step toward ending the nearly two-decade practice of allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the military, but not if anyone who works with them knows they're gay. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who has been the driving force behind lining up the votes for DADT repeal, says he has the 60 he needs and most observers expect there to be little drama today.
Lieberman and his allies in the Democratic caucus are expected to get help repealing DADT from at least four Republicans -- Sens. Scott Brown (MA), Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Olympia Snowe (ME). Most of the rest of the GOP caucus is expected to vote against it, though Lieberman said yesterday that the bill may pick up support from the GOP as it heads toward final passage.
On the Democratic side, Sen. Joe Manchin (WV) has not said whether he'll support the standalone bill -- and he voted against repeal the last time it came up, as part of a defense spending bill last week. Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), who voted for cloture on the spending bill, has also not said how he'll vote. Proponents of repeal say they don't need either vote to win today.
Supposing cloture is reached (which, again, is all but a foregone conclusion according to supporters of repeal), a final vote on the bill to end DADT could come as early as today. More likely than not, however, 30 hours of final debate on the measure will be kicked off by the cloture vote. That puts a final repeal vote sometime late Sunday.
The House already passed its version of the standalone DADT repeal (as well as DREAM, for what it's worth) which means that if the Senate passes the repeal this weekend it will go straight to the president's desk for likely signature.
Stay tuned throughout the day for live updates on the happenings here on Capitol Hill.
Feinstein is blabbing at the moment mixing DADT and DREAM together.
DADT cloture vote is first up at 10:30 am ET. Harry Reid did a switcheroo as DREAM was scheduled first.
Pray for America.
Sen. Kyl is giving a great speech on the floor now. Very logical and measured in tone to vote against the DREAM Act.
Americans are going to regret allowing homos to run the military. You can take that to the bank. Hopefully, Stinky Harry’s Wet Dream Act will fall on its ass. A military full of homos and illegal aliens seems kind of sleazy to me. A platoon of day laborers that swishes when they march? Yikes!
That Asshat Reid would not be bringing this up were it not a shoe in.
Republican for Reid costing the GOP ... the Senate.
"Sen. Harry Reid’s list of the 60 members of Republicans for Reid"
It’s hard to keep perverts out of the military when you can’t keep perverts out of the US senate.
The Army’s new motto: “Be as fabulous as you can be”
I watch the “lame duck” Congress working OT to destroy the country before they leave and can only think “You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! Damn you all to hell!”
If the queers want to serve openly in the military, put them all in the same unit, send them to the fiercest fighting, repeat as necessary.
By the end of the day, the path to final passage is expected to be set for DADT repeal, while DREAM is expected to languish for another Congress to pass.
More coffee...
Hmmmmmm...looks like Reid didn't do a switch.
The new House majority MUST punish Senators who ram this through.
It will take a shut-down of the government to repeal this before 2013 and it will be the lame duck Senate’s fault for putting the House, and the nation, in that position.
No pork, not even normal spending for their states.
A couple things to keep in mind regarding the repeal of DADT:
1) This is NOT about, nor has it ever been about, homosexuals serving “openly” in the military. It’s simply another step in the homosexual agenda to have their lifestyle regarded by society as normal.
2) Homosexuals will not be lined up in droves to join the U.S. military. See #1 for explanation why.
The military will rue the day they caved to social engineering.
Kharis13
What this Amnesty Act says to all “Legal” immigrants who were/are lawfully attempting to obtain citizenship, “You Fools!!!”
“It’s hard to keep perverts out of the military when you can’t keep perverts out of the US senate.”
Point, set, match. Right on.
Chucky Schumer says, on both issues, Dream and Dadt - We Will prevail!
Side note: Reid’s pet Coons has the gavel.
McCain is up and talking to truth to power...doing good.
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