It’s civil rights history.
Harry S Truman would be proud today of all the brave gay men and women serving who waited patiently 17 years for this Clinton era policy to be overturned. Many Democrats fought diligently to get the job done. The Senate today voting 63-33 to advance DADT.
The final vote to repeal DADT came this afternoon, passing 65-31.
From the New York Times, with a really beautiful picture at the link that says so much:
Capping a 17-year political struggle, the Senate on Saturday cleared the way for repealing the Pentagon’s ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military.
By a vote of 63 to 33, with six Republicans joining Democrats, the Senate acted to cut off debate on a measure that would let President Obama declare an end to the Clinton-era policy, known as “don’t ask, don’t tell,” which allows gay members of the armed forces to serve only if they keep their sexual orientation a secret. The vote indicated that there was easily enough support to push the measure to final passage.
“By ending ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay,” Mr. Obama said in a statement after the cloture vote. “And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.”
No group has worked harder than Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, with many activists standing next to them, including my friends Joe Subday and John Aravosis among those working so hard on the political side to keep the pressure on.
In the media, Rachel Maddow never let an opportunity go by to trumpet the injustice of servicemembers who stand on a line to protect this county, our allies and the interests and values for which this country stands.
Sen. Joe Lieberman deserves praise for working tirelessly to bring a stand alone bill to the Senate floor before the end of this session, with Sen. Harry Reid also working diligently to get time for the vote.
While Democrats carved a path to make civil rights history, Republicans disgraced themselves, the pathetic statement of Sen. John McCain representing their moral bankruptcy.
“Today is a very sad day,” McCain sighed later.
Today we can be very thankful that John McCain didn’t become president, because he would have thoroughly disgraced our troops serving on the field of battle and this country through opposing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. No man in political history has fallen further than where he began than Sen. John McCain.
No matter.
It’s a great day for civil rights, with final victory within reach.
Screen capture via Huffington Post. This post has been updated after the final vote in the Senate.
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Hallelujah!
I second that!
It’s really a great, great moment in American civil rights history.
It’s such a victory for the soldiers who braved DADT and paved the way for it to be overturned.
Well its official, this is a anti-Obama hate site. When I heard that DADT would be repealed today I waited breathlessly to see how you would carve President Obama out of any credit. You didn’t disappoint! You posted without mentioning the President name, hell you mention a TV talk show host(who I love) but had no authority to do anything but the President? Nada! No doubt if this had failed your post would have mentioned the President many time!
As usual, the ravings of Obama guard dogs are long on Kool-Aid, but short on facts.
There were numerous reports last week that the White House
was working behind the scenes to *kill* the DADT repeal so as not to stymie the President’s bigger priority, the START bill. Look it up.
Those reports were lost on you but not on Taylor Marsh or the LGBT activists who, according to Politico’s reporting, are grumbling that the Obama White House tried to sabotage it.
Lieberman and the SLDN worked overtime to make sure the White House and Republicans did not get their way. Too bad no one did the same on the Bush tax cut extension calamity.
Credit is given where credit is due. It is not given to those who arrive tardy to the party, and then try to pretend they were there for the setup when in fact they tried to cancel the whole shindig.
As usual when things go badly President Obama gets the blame and things go well he gets none of the credit. By the way, the New Start Treaty is important and a year from from now the tax deal will be seen for what it is, a smart political move. I guess I’ll have to add homophobe to the list of things President Obama’s detractors think he is! Right beside socialist, communist, Muslim and vampire!
And still more Obama fluffing and not a single fact. You cannot refute the point that the White House tried to kill the DADT bill in favor or START, so you’ll resort to hysterics and hyperbole to distract.
Won’t work.
Your point was that Obama deserved credit for passage of the the repeal. Our point was not that Obama was not that 1) START is unimportant or that 2) Obama is a homophobe, muslim, socialist, or vampire. Our point was that, in fact, he was working against repeal.
When you have run out of arguments, it is always easier to hyperventilate and invent straw men. The topic here is DADT, not vampires. Try to stay on topic, and thanks for playing.
When the Democratic Party acts likes Democrats, this is what can happen. When you stand up and fight for your principles you can win and win big. especially when its the right thing to do.
Taylor, agree w/you re HST. Sens Reid and Leiberman, who have taken a ton of criticism from this site deserve major props and respect today. As does Nancy Pelosi for forcing the hand of the Senate and to Patrick Murphy for his tireless efforts.
And credit to Pres Obama-yes-he may not have “been the fierce advocate” he said he would be, but he kept the conversation moving and it happened on his watch. It didn’t happen on G. W. Bush’s watch and definetly would not have happened on a Pres McCain watch.
straight, gay or lesbian-terrific day to be an american anda great day for the USA. Finally a tribute to all the gay and lesbian servicemen and servicewoman who have, and would willingly lay down their life for their country.
Next the fight continues to pass the DREAM Act.
Wow! You actually said something decent about the President! Better be careful you have your “I hate the President card” revoked! LOL!
Solo,
I earned that-your right.lets all play nice in the sand box.
cool.
Yay!
We can’t marry our loved ones…
We do not receive the same benefits as non-gay people…
We cannot sponsor our bi-national partners…
We remain subject to employment and housing discrimination, but…
… We can now openly go kill people!
Los Angeles Democrat,I agree and hear what you have to say. much more work still needs to be done.
But the importance of this is not to be diminished howecer late it was in coming. Universal civil rights absolutley needs to start at the Federal level.
We can’t discount the importance of HST ending segregation in the military. That act helped greatly in setting the stage for the rest of the civil rights movement that followed. So too will the repeal of DADT set the stage for the advancement of gay rights throughout the states.
I absolutely agree that there are precedents for how things evolve. And, yes, universal civil rights need to be anacted a the federal level.
At the same time, I believe that the extent of the hypocrisy and the homophobic bigotry needs to continue to be pointed out.
We have a so-called “fierce advocate” for LGBT rights in the White House, and, while he gave a modicum of lip service to the repeal of DADT, he ran an extremely homophobic primary campaign, and he NEVER really put action behind his words for the DADT repeal. Congress did it with consistent pressure from LGBT service members and LGBT voters.
Of course the repeal of DADT had nothing to do with Obama but i’ll bet if it had not passed you would have been generous with the blame Obama!
You Obama fluffers are so full of it.
You better believe it – the real of DADT had nothing to with Obama. That is, Obama – yet again – cowardly ducked the fight. Indeed, news reports had sleazy Barry pushing to back burner DADT in favor of his START treaty.
Obama has been nothing but a homophobic sore on the Democratic party – from his South Carolina gay-bashing primary tour, to his shameful anti-gay bigot preacher at the inauguration. Barry acts like nothing more than a self-loathing, “on-the-down-low” black man.
Obama provided little to nothing for this historic civil rights gain. He deserve none of the credit as a result.
You can in Massachusetts. This is just the beginning. Gay rights is the civil rights of our generation. I expect a vastly different landscape for gays within the next ten years.
That’s the spirit!
Lieberman deserves a lot of credit on this one. In MA, when Deval Patrick used a ton of political capital to stop marriage equality from becoming a ballot initiative, and just letting the courts decision stand, he and the entire legislator were absolutely in tears. It was an incredible moment in history. On this debate, we’ll see more not less.
A great day. Wonderful achievement.
I have tears in my eyes. Congratulations to all the activists and soldiers who made this happen!
McCain is pathetic! “Today is a sad day” WTF?
Taylor, maybe you could get one of these to embed if you happen to see this? John McCain is embarrassing himself. He should have just retired!
From Think Progress, clip of McCain’s comments on DADT today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CLT93mnljY
From Firedoglake, clip of more McCain/DADT comments today (h/t on both clips to Garance Franke-Ruta at The Atlantic):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsinlKURAbo
Profile in courage award goes to newly minted Senator Joe Manchin III. Voted to support the filibuster and then ducked the vote when DADT repeal was stood along. Way to go Joe!
Better Late then Never award goes to the dynamic female duo from Maine. Both Collins and Snowe finally came over to the light when it mattered most.
Bitter, fading, irrelevant old man award goes to none other than John Sidney McCain III. Hey McGrumpy! it’s no longer the policy, it’s no longer the policy, it’s no longer the policy; nya, nya,nya!!
Taylor, check the spelling in your headline.
As for this repeal, did we get it because of BHO or in spite of him. Why am I having trouble thinking he was a part of this?
Obama was ready to punt on this for START and Joe Lieberman basically said hell no. Really, it’s the activist and Joe Lieberman who made this happen. Harry Reid and Nancy certainly did their part as well.
Oh, and Manchin? A pig. A real pig. Of course, people represent the people who vote for them. Pigs. And W. Virginia is doing so well! One wonders why.
props to the movement- a grassroots network of men and women lek get equal and lsdn who really were the backbone of ths. whenever ths repeal seemed dead they popped up- lke get equal chaining themselves to wh fences, heckling obama at apseeches etc.. this is the way to get many a cause done and its time tested.
Sen Lieberman really came through on this one. dogged and determined he never let up on this. when dadt repeal look rip last week when the gop blocked the def bill lieberman, rep murphy, pelosi and sen collins sponsored stand alone bills to pass it. reid came through on his promise as well for once. even obama picked up the phone and twisted a few arms like sen conrad’s yesterday.
once gays can serve openly in our forces the arguement that they cant be equals at home via marriage are near impossible to make. as for the DREAM ACT- this is a human tragedy with 5 dems opposing cloture thus ensuring it wouldnt get a vote- sen tester, hagan, baucus were shameful inthis. DREAM IS VITAL – innocent kids are being punished and our country suffers for it. UNPRECEDENTED LATINO MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE VOTE ON UNIVISION ETC MEANS BIG EXPOSURE TO WHO SAID NO AND FALLOUT. also a few repubs voted yes in 07 for and no today! like sen hutchinson. disgusting and petty and cruel. sen ben nelson in 07 voted for dream, today he voted no. THIS DUMB FLIP FLOPPING WONT SAVE THEM. Next session odds be damned we must push for immigration reform. Let the GOP shout no but the dems must and I think will press for it.
oh on dadt repeal- sen gillibrand of NY deserves major props. tenacious she got hearing on it and levin to get this thing done this year. NOTE: Murkowski today was for dream and dadt repeal. Just a note here.
Oh yes, I forgot Gillibrand. She and Lieberman were a powerful team on this.
Murkowski gets me all mixed up on what party means.
For more years than I care to think about, there have been individuals and organizations fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation. Today’s vote to repeal DADT is a result of that work more than anything else. In the last couple of years, that work took on a different tone, and different sense of reality — it isn’t a “fierce advocate” in the WH who made this happen. It’s the individuals who joined the military even knowing they were going to be treated as “less than,” it’s their partners, families and friends; and it’s the grassroots LGBT and supportive activists who simply would not stop fighting who deserve the credit.
Getting ENDA enacted and DOMA removed probably has little to no chance of happening in the next two years. But the repeal of DADT is another step toward equality.
Very well said Joyce, politicians should not be given the credit for the hard work others have done.
You could go back at least to the Stonewall Riots and mark a society’s transition on norms, traits, and taboos and the evolution of a taboo to becoming an eventual norm.
A lot of people, a lot of work, and a lot of sacrifice.
For on November 30, Gates urged repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” before the end of the year, and warned against “rolling the dice,” and allowing the courts to repeal it first via “judicial fiat”
Politicians reconizing an inevitably is not really a profile in courage.
Of course, the politicians that did vote yes on repealing DADT should be thanked, but people still need to keep the pressure on them.
The thanks to the Electeds who voted for repeal should be made, absolutely. They are, as frustrating as it usually is, an integral part of the process toward equality.
Gates, via AmericaBlog — note the last sentence: “It is therefore important that our men and women in uniform understand that while today’s historic vote means that this policy will change, the implementation and certification process will take an additional period of time. In the meantime, the current law and policy will remain in effect.”
yes but i feel confident thsi will get done bc the public assumes its been repealed. also byrd put into the repeal that a 60 day wait must take place before any implementation. but the gay rights groups have figured out how to get things done- if obama stalls they will stalk and harrass him. they will protest. hin hint for other progressive causes out there.
meantime msm praises the elites getting this done. nothing about dan choi. or americablog. or even the many gay servicemen who got pushed out for being gay. nope its heaping praise solely for obama. well at least something positive has happened here. dems did do something very important today. just wish we could get them on track with the economic polciies and away from austerity.
The plans for “what’s next,” knowing that there would be efforts to postpone (at the very least) the impementation of the repeal have been ongoing.
Still work to be done.
A wonderful day in American history has took place today. I like to thank the senators that voted for this. But I really have to give a hugh thanks to the GLBT servicemembers and the gay rights groups that worked so hard to get DADT repealed !!! I am thrilled and more must be done to give GLBT citizens in this country full equal rights. Now we finally join most of developed countries and allow GLBT members to finally serve openly in the military. I am glad something finally good happened this year !!!
At last, at long, long last a major step towards all Americans having ALL their rights as guaranteed in the Constitution recognized and respected. Not the final step by a long shot. But a MAJOR step. At last, at LONG, long last Democrats ACTED like Democrats.
I can’t WAIT to hear what limpwithnoballs, handjobity, blech and OLielly have to say!!!!!!!
I have a few upthread comments.
regarding Pres Obama’s role-you can’t discount or say he has played no role.Overall the Pres Played a positive role in this repeal.
Yes he could have been a stronger”fierce advocate” rather than not forcefully injecting himself into the debate. But realistically, one of the reasons Pelosi, Reid, Lieberman, Gillibrand, and Murphy were able to retain their energy and maintain the fight was the belief that if successful, the repeal legislation would be signed by Pres Obama. That knowledge, and his keeping the conversation going did play a solid role.
Does anyone on this thread realy believe a Pres Bush or a Pres McCain would have signed the legislation, especially when neither the House or Senate did it with a veto-proof majority.Does anyone think that Reid or Pelosi and the others would have spent political capital for repeal if they believed it would have been vetoed. I don’t think so.
Im not a Pres Obama Apologist. I am as frustrated, angry and disappointeed in his leadership on host of issue’s most recently the Bush tax cut debacle. I have said in other posts on this site he should be primaried.
But on this issue Pres Obama deserves some respect and props because if he were not President this would not have happened or even been possible.
It’s plainly embarrassing that he could utter a word of fiery support in favor of this. Instead he was working to put if off in order to pass START and out giving fiery defenses of the Bush tax cuts.
Par the course for this President, but at least he is there to sign it instead of John McCain. If a DEMOCRAT were not the President, it wouldn’t have been possible.
But if Obama had gotten his way, the Senate would be debating START till next weekend, and time would have run out on the DADT repeal.
Thank you, Sens. Lieberman and Gillibrand for saying “eff that, we’re getting this done today.”
Also, shockingly enough, the lawsuit that got the ball really rolling was filed by a right-wing group, The Log Cabin Republicans, who unlike the neutered left would not wait for Obama and Congress to get is act together.
They helped forced Congress’s hand while MoveOn and Dogfirefake and the rest sat on theirs.
Isn’t it ironic…
I give him SOME props.
So, THANK YOU Mr. President for saying you would sign this even though you were AWOL in the fight for it.
And as far as this being possible I can’t help but wonder how long into the Presidency HRC would have waited. I DON’T think it would have been two years.
Will this be enough for the “progressives” to forgive Obama his anti-progressive income and estate tax giveaway to the rich? Was this a quid pro quo for giving the GOP everything they wanted for tax cuts for two years? A “win” on a single progressive issue…that may or may not be actually enacted within the next year or so.
JoeBeets,
I don’t think so. We need to keep the pressure on to move him left, especially with a Repub House.
But what it does do is staunch some of the bleeding and hopefully demonstrate to Pres Obama that when Democrats act like Democrats great things can happen and that good policy is good politics.
Obama does not applaud the tenor for clearing his throat. The Democrats did here what they were supposed to do. It does not excuse past, present, or future bad behavior.
We are not battered wives, running home after delivery of a bouquet of flowers. Past abuse will not be forgotten, not this time.