A few months ago, some Republican on Capitol Hill thought he had a brilliant idea. Lawmakers, with significant support from the White House, would push a vote on a constitutional amendment on gay marriage. It was a strategy that had everything the GOP could hope for: it would focus political attention on social issues (and away from foreign policy disasters and poor employment numbers), it would keep the Kerry and Dems on the defensive (right before the convention), and it would make the Republican’s far-right base happy and energized.
Even if the amendment lost — proponents had to know they didn’t have the votes — they’d have each lawmaker on record, which could be useful during the campaign.
That was the idea, anyway. It’s now apparent that the GOP’s strategy has not only failed, it’s turned into an embarrassing debacle. In the immortal words of Nelson Muntz, “Ha, ha.”
[W]ith the vote coming today, it is a divided Republican Party that will seal the measure’s doom. And it is President Bush who faces a potentially embarrassing defeat in the Republican-controlled Senate on a measure he has pushed.
There may not even be a straight up-or-down vote on the measure. The amendment, which would define marriage as a “union between a man and a woman,” may succumb to a filibuster if the Senate cannot muster 60 votes to limit debate and put the issue to a vote.
The amazing thing is how split the GOP is over this. The plan was to drive a wedge into the Dem caucus, yet the Republicans can’t even agree amongst themselves which version of the amendment to support.
And in the meantime, the GOP leadership has lost the support of many high-profile Republican senators who believe the amendment is misguided and a waste of time.
Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and John McCain of Arizona have come out against the amendment.
Collins told reporters Tuesday: “I see no need for a constitutional amendment … at a time when we already have a federal law on the books that protects the rights of states to define marriage as between a man and a woman.”
Even Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), usually a reliable GOP vote, expressed concerns about the wording of the measure, saying it could prevent states from passing legislation dealing with civil unions and domestic partnerships.
So what are the Republicans left with? A divided caucus and an embarrassed White House. They probably won’t even get the up-or-down vote on the thing.
Well, at least they’ll get a motivated base of activists ready for the election season, right? Not really.
Across the country, evangelical Christians are voicing frustration and puzzlement that there has not been more of a political outcry since May 17, when Massachusetts became the first state to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
Evangelical leaders had predicted that a chorus of righteous anger would rise up out of churches from coast to coast and overwhelm Congress with letters, e-mails and phone calls in support of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
But that has not happened.
“Standing on Capitol Hill listening, you don’t hear anything,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, one of the country’s most vigorous Christian advocacy groups.
And the vaunted GOP machine disappoints again…