Now that it’s passed the House, a constitutional amendment to ban “desecration” of the American flag is making progress in the Senate. The newest supporters, it saddens me to report, are vulnerable Dem incumbents who don’t want to see “Senator backs flag burning” ads next year.
Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who face potentially difficult reelection campaigns next year, plan to break ranks with a majority of their fellow Democrats next month to support a constitutional amendment banning desecration of the U.S. flag.
Preliminary surveys conducted last week suggest that the amendment, which passed the House by a 286-130 vote, is one or two votes short of the 67 it needs in the Senate to be submitted to the states for ratification.
That, of course, can change. This week, the amendment picked up three new co-sponsors, two of whom are Dems — George Voinovich (R-Ohio), Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), and Mark Dayton (D-Minn.).
So, are there 34 votes in the Senate to stop this thing? It may literally hinge on a vote or two. Robert Byrd of West Virginia and Kent Conrad of North Dakota have opposed the amendment in the past, but both are up for re-election in “red” states next year, and neither has said for sure how they’ll vote on the amendment when it comes to the floor.
And speaking of the flag amendment, my friend Poppy reminded me that Bush, who supports the measure, may want to revisit his own policies on proper respect for the flag.
I guess it depends on what the meaning of “desecration” is, right?