There isn’t a vote to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” today. Well, not exactly.
And the word of the day is “cloture.”
Here we go.
First, you need to know that the bill to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is attached to a larger bill called the “National Defense Authorization Act,” a rather large spending and policy bill.
What is being debated right this moment is whether or not other amendments will be allowed to be debated and voted upon. Because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had originally “locked” any possibility to add amendments to the bill, several GOP Senators whom we were hoping would help us overcome a filibuster threat by Senator John McCain, have decided to not vote for cloture.
Ah, “cloture.” The Word Of The Day.
Cloture: “a motion or process aimed at bringing debate to a quick end.” That’s all it means.
Today, around 2:15 PM, the Senate will vote on cloture for the “National Defense Authorization Act,” including the Dream Act, and yes, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
What will happen is anyone’s guess.
What we DO know is that the actual vote on the actual bill, including “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” will not take place until, probably, after the November midterm elections.
You can watch the vote on cloture, and the debate leading up to it, on C-SPAN 2, and on C-SPAN.com, beginning now.