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The Christie Marriage Equality Veto: Throwback To An Ugly Age In America

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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie‘s marriage equality veto today will go down in history for standing in the doorway to progress by obstructing love between same-sex partners. Christie lacks empathy, compassion and certainly vision. Write it down in your book. He will be viewed like segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace who in the 1960’s defined his shameful persona as a segregationist during a similarly ugly age in America–Christie will ultimately be viewed as a bully and obstructionist in his refusal to expand the circle of dignity to LGBT persons who have been historically marginalized within American society.

Chris Christie’s same-sex civil marriage veto reveals him to be small in mind and certainly, small in virtual stature. Amazingly fitting words to describe the Christie veto were written by Ralph Waldo Emerson long ago who once said, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” If the shoe fits, Chris Christie wears big ones today.

His veto also demonstrates a colossal misreading of the fact that a majority of Americans now support marriage equality. Christie’s propensity to persist in opposition to advancing gay rights is a miscalculation that will increasingly marginalize an already badly damaged Republican Party brand that has put itself on the “Road to Serfdom” during an election year by opposing tax cuts for the middle class and has all but officially launched an undeclared war on women’s health and heavy handed efforts to deny their access to birth control and safe, legal, abortions.

According to Columbia University political scientists Justin Phillips and Jeffrey Lax, as recently as 2004 same-sex marriage did not have majority support in any state. By 2008, three states had crossed the 50 percent line. Maine revoked marriage equality in 2009 by ballot initiative, but will revisit the issue with another voter opportunity to revoke its ban on gay marriage with opinion polling that is quite dynamic. but arguably trending into the support column. New York State and New Jersey had moved into a majority of voters supporting marriage equality in 2010.  Consequently, New York State passed marriage equality in June 2011, Washington State moved into a majority of support in 2010 t00 and made gay marriage legal last week, while New Jersey adopted marriage equality this week, despite Christie’s veto threat. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional in early February. At this very moment, Maryland State’s General Assembly is debating marriage equality and according to legislative authorities, Maryland is likely to embrace pro-marriage equality this evening.

There seems to be a strong trend developing  here and there are solid reasons for these rapid advancements in LGBT civil rights.

A cautionary tale to all elected officials who oppose LGBT rights: In the Phillips and Lax 2009 Gay Rights in the States:  Opinion and Policy Responsiveness they assert an evident trend of growing support nationally that has emerged, but not because of overwhelming majorities found in more liberal states that could skew the national picture. Their research shows that a majority of young people in almost every state support gay marriage. In other words, as new voters come of age, and as their older counterparts exit the voting pool, it’s likely that support will increase, pushing more states over the halfway mark.

For me, Christie’s veto reminds me of Wallace’s historic “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door,” (image, top,) which took place at the University of Alabama on June 11, 1963. George Wallace stood in the school house door by supporting “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever” and stopping the desegregation of schools, stood at the door of the auditorium to try to block the entry of two black students, Vivian Malone Jones and James Hood.

Chris Christie may have slowed down the march to marriage equality by casting his veto today, nonetheless, the tide of history has now shifted dramatically toward the embrace of LGBT rights in just a few years. And Christie has another problem too–under the aegis of Garden State Equality and its allies, the New Jersey legislature could potentially override his veto and has two years to put together a strategy that could yet compel him to yield to the forces of equality. Meanwhile, Christie is confronted with a legal action before the state supreme court that has been filed by seven same sex couples and their children who claim harm under the state civil union system. It is now only a matter of time and even a bigot like Chris Christie will eventually succumb to a rolling tide of justice.  Just wait and see.

 Image: Wikipedia

 

Tanya L. Domi is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University who teaches about human rights in Eurasia and is a Harriman Institute affiliated faculty member. Prior to teaching at Columbia, Domi worked internationally for more than a decade on issues related to democratic transitional development, including political and media development, human rights, gender issues, sex trafficking, and media freedom.

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Fox News Host Suggests Trump ‘Force’ Court to Throw Him in Jail – by Quoting Him

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April 19, 2024

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The Fox News host who targeted a juror serving on Donald Trump’s criminal New York trial is now suggesting the ex-president should violate his gag order and “force” the court to throw him in jail, by quoting the Fox News host.

Jesse Watters came under fire earlier this week for profiling juror number two, sharing possibly identifying information published by a myriad of reporters but then using that information to pass judgment on her ability to serve.

“I’m not so sure about juror number two,” Watters concluded on Fox News.

Jurors, at the judge’s direction, were to remain anonymous, for their protection and the protection of the trial.

The judge excused her, after she said she felt she was not able to be impartial because friends and family were calling her asking if she had been chosen to serve on the Trump trial, after the media blitz.

New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan admonished the press for reporting the information, but some news outlets appeared to ignore his warning.

Watters on Wednesday “did a segment with a jury consultant, revealing details about people who had been seated on the jury and questioning whether some were ‘stealth liberals’ who would be out to convict Trump,” the Associated Press reported.

READ MORE: Gaetz: ‘Corrupt’ Republicans Could ‘Take a Bribe’ and Throw House to Dems, Blocking Trump Run

Trump later posted Watters’ quote on his Truth Social platform, leading some, including New York prosecutors, to ask the judge to cite him for allegedly breaking his gag order.

Judge Merchan ordered Trump to not mention witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff, or the family members of prosecutors and court staff, CNN has reported.

New York prosecutors told Juge Merchan Trump has violated the gag order at least ten times.

“Prosecutor Christopher Conroy described the ‘most disturbing’ example as a social media message Trump posted on Wednesday evening quoting a Fox News host as saying, ‘They are catching undercover Liberal Activists lying to the Judge in order to get on the Trump Jury,'” Politico reports.

That host was Jesse Watters.

RELATED: ‘Afraid and Intimidated’: Trump Trial Juror Targeted by Fox News Dismissed

Friday afternoon, Watters appeared to egg Trump on, urging the ex-president to violate the gag order.

“I would make them put me in jail,” Watters said on Fox News. “I would have a tweet about something perhaps I said on ‘The Five’ or ‘Jesse Watters Primetime,’ and I would force them to throw me in jail.”

Watch Watters’ remark below or at this link.

 

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Gaetz: ‘Corrupt’ Republicans Could ‘Take a Bribe’ and Throw House to Dems, Blocking Trump Run

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April 19, 2024

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U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) says some of his fellow House Republicans would “take a bribe” to throw the razor-thin GOP majority to the Democrats if a far-right faction calls up a motion to oust Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, allowing Democrats to hand the gavel to the Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. he warned if that happens, Democrats would immediately declare Trump ineligible to be President, pack the U.S. Supreme Court, and pass numerous laws like the American Rescue Plan.

“I do believe in a one seat majority there could be one or two or three of my colleagues who would take a bribe in one form or another in order to deprive the Republicans of a majority at all,” Gaetz said Friday on his podcast (video below.)

He added, “the risk that one or two of my corrupt Republican colleagues might take a bribe, take a walk, feign an ailment and flip this thing to the Democrats is a risk that is too high for me at this time.”

Gaetz’s fellow far-right Florida Republican member of Congress, Anna Paulina Luna, told listeners, “I heard that when, if and when the motion vacate is introduced, that there will be immediate resignations of a couple of more moderate members of Congress. And in the event that that happens, that ultimately means it does go to a Democrat speaker.”

RELATED: Jeffries Vows Democrats Will Ensure Ukraine Aid Passes as Johnson Defectors Grow

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) last month filed a “motion to vacate,” which she can use at any time to force a vote to oust the GOP Speaker, Mike Johnson. U.S. Rep. Tim Massie (R-KY) and just today, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) has signed on as co-sponsors.

Congressman Gaetz told listeners if Democrats do take the House through a force vote to remove Johnson, Democrats would “be declaring Donald Trump an insurrectionist and setting up a barrier to him being able to become the president United States.”

“That’ll be their leadoff hitter, and then the chaser to that shot will be a massive spending package that looks a lot more like the American Rescue Plan. They will blow past every concept of every cap ever imagined. You’ll be looking at Universal Basic Income, you could be looking at packing the Supreme Court.”

Watch a short clip of Gaetz’s remarks below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Stop Bringing Up Nazis and Hitler’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Smacked Down by Democrats

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Jeffries Vows Democrats Will Ensure Ukraine Aid Passes as Johnson Defectors Grow

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April 19, 2024

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Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries vowed Friday the majority of Democrats will support Republicans’ Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and Gaza foreign aid legislation as Republican Speaker Mike Johnson lost support of another member of his conference to a faction determined to oust him.

“Democrats will provide a majority of our majority as it relates to funding Israel, humanitarian assistance, Ukraine, and our allies in the Indo Pacific,” Minority Leader Jeffries said. “It remains to be seen what Republicans will do in terms of meeting the national security needs of the American people, but it was important for House Democrats to ensure that the national security bills are going to be considered.”

Despite Republicans having a one-vote majority, more Democrats on Friday voted to move the critical and long-awaited foreign aid bills forward than did Republicans.

READ MORE: ‘Stop Bringing Up Nazis and Hitler’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Smacked Down by Democrats

The 316-94 vote included 165 Democrats and 151 Republicans voting yes, and 55 Republicans and 39 Democrats voting no.

Axios’ Juliegrace Brufke posted the list of Republicans voting against their party’s legislation.

Calling it a “rare” moment in modern congressional history to have to rely on opposition party votes to pass legislation, BBC News reports Speaker Johnson’s “hold on power is tenuous, and the legislators who oppose him – and his bid to provide aid to Ukraine – occupy some key positions within the House’s power structure.”

Amid the procedural vote to move the foreign aid funding bills forward, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, a far-right Republican of Arizona, announced he is joining Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Congressman Tim Massie (R-KY) in formally announcing their will vote to oust Speaker Johnson.

Gosar, like Greene, is reportedly a Christian nationalist. In 2022 CNN reported his “lengthy ties to White nationalists, [a] pro-Nazi blogger and far-right fringe received little pushback for years.”

RELATED: ‘Repercussions’: Democrats and Republicans Stand Against ‘Pro-Putin’ House GOP Faction

“We’ve been very honest in our assessment of the situation from the beginning,” Jeffries on Friday also declared. “At the appropriate time as House Democrats, we will have a conversation about how to deal with any hypothetical motion to vacate.”

“Moscow Marjorie Taylor Greene, Massie, and Gosar are quite a group. But central to our conversation is to make sure that the national security legislation in totality is passed by the House of Representatives.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

 

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