House GOP To Supreme Court: Gay People Are Too Powerful To Get Equal Rights
Source: Think Progress
For nearly two years, House Republicans paid conservative superlawyer Paul Clement $520 an hour to defend the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act in federal court and then sent the bill to the American taxpayer. In total Clement has now cost the American people up to $3 million for his efforts on behalf of this unconstitutional law. Last night, we taxpayers finally found out what we were paying for a 60 page brief explaining why the justices should leave marriage discrimination untouched.
As decades of precedent establish that the Constitution should provide a shield to minority groups when prejudice leaves them without adequate recourse to the political process, Clement includes a section discussing just how very powerful and completely capable of vindicating their rights at the ballot box gay men and lesbians have become. Same-sex marriage is supported by President Obama and Vice President Biden! Less than half of Congress filed a brief agreeing with them! A magazine once wrote an article about how influential the Human Rights Campaign is! For the first time in history, an entire 1 percent of the Senate is openly gay!
After touting the immense political clout of a group that, after 226 years of American democracy, finally managed to elect a single person to the upper house of Congress, Clement then drops this line:
In short, gays and lesbians are one of the most influential, best-connected, best-funded, and best organized interest groups in modern politics, and have attained more legislative victories, political power, and popular favor in less time than virtually any other group in American history. . . . Gays and lesbians not only have the attention of lawmakers, they are winning many legislative battles. And the importance of this factor in the analysis cannot be gainsaid. . . . [G]iven that the ultimate inquiry focuses on whether a group needs the special intervention of the courts or whether issues should be left for the democratic process, the political strength of gays and lesbians in the political process should be outcome determinative here.
Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/01/23/1483131/house-republicans-to-scotus-gay-people-are-too-powerful-to-give-them-equal-rights/
I wonder how the Log Cabin Republicans feel about being used as a prop to defend DOMA?
Smilo
(1,944 posts)equal treatment cost taxpayers $3 million. I don't know where to laugh at the absurdity, or cry at the lack of humanity coming from the right.
As for the Log Cabin Republicans - these idjits make no sense, how can they not support gay rights and marriage equality?
Indykatie
(3,697 posts)It was simply masterful that PBO spoke so passionately on the issue of full equality for our GLBT community in front of the very Justices that will review the cases. Not that it swayed Thomas or Scalia but I think there is real hope for Roberts to be on the right side of an historical decision yet again.
William769
(55,147 posts)leftyohiolib
(5,917 posts)I wonder how the Log Cabin Republicans feel about being used as a prop to defend DOMA?
William769
(55,147 posts)The last paragraph of the linked article. Not the OP's comments.
Beartracks
(12,814 posts)Clement basically says since the Powerful Gays (c) are winning legislative battle after legislative battle, then there should be no problem for them to win the right to marry AT THE BALLOT BOX. AFAIK, if the LGBT community is seeking the RIGHT to marry, they're wanting that right enshrined in the law of the land, rather than be just the result of some local referendum along with sales taxes and bond issues. 'Cause if your neighbors vote to grant you a "right" then they might someday vote to take it away, too.
AnotherDreamWeaver
(2,850 posts)BainsBane
(53,034 posts)Hypocrites.
primavera
(5,191 posts)olddad56
(5,732 posts)olddad56
(5,732 posts)"people don't think it be like it is, but it do" --- Oscar Gamble
Fearless
(18,421 posts)We may win just because of their asinine attempts.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)...uh,...let me rephrase that....
Lordquinton
(7,886 posts)There's a Big Gay Lobby now?
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)SoapBox
(18,791 posts)Seriously.
What a stupid fucking argument.
Hey Boner...you're TOO ORANGE...better outlaw tanning beds. Or some other kind of bullshit like that.
...what a dick he is.
liberal N proud
(60,335 posts)Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)The article mentions many nasty Republicans, I could not find the part about Log Cabin and that is of interest to me.
blueclown
(1,869 posts)He lost the individual mandate part of the Affordable Care Act challenge, he lost in the Arizona v. United States "show me your papers" defense and he may in fact lose this case too.
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,344 posts)... as does Big Oil, Big Pharma, and the MIC.
The gay interest group, with its sneer of cold command, just says, "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
er, wait ...
(some words ripped-off from "Ozymandias", Percy Bysshe Shelley)
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)bamacrat
(3,867 posts)Give them all the rights they deserve then it won't be an issue. Well the right will always bring it up ala abortion, but it will be a non issue.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)Ian Iam
(386 posts)Ash_F
(5,861 posts)Your tax dollars at work.
Initech
(100,079 posts)bongbong
(5,436 posts)More giveaways to rich repigs (in this case, the lawyer), courtesy of the taxpayer.
As always, the only thing that repigs are good at is hypocrisy - and they are EXTREMELY good at it.
goclark
(30,404 posts)" For nearly two years, House Republicans paid conservative super
lawyer Paul Clement $520 an hour to defend the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act in federal court and then sent the bill to the American taxpayer. In total Clement has now cost the American people up to $3 million for his efforts on behalf of this unconstitutional law. Last night, we taxpayers finally found out what we were paying for a 60 page brief explaining why the justices should leave marriage discrimination untouched."
As my father would say, " There is a Special Place in Hell for these Republicans!
randome
(34,845 posts)Isn't that special?
Politicub
(12,165 posts)Talk about being behind the times!
We're part of the Obama coalition. And it feels good.
NICO9000
(970 posts)And I say that as a married straight male with lots of gay and lesbian friends and relatives. My sister got to marry her partner right before the heinous Prop H8 passed here in CA and they now have a beautiful baby girl.
One thing these haters need to realize is that gays and lesbians generally have the same lives as their straight counterparts i.e. working, raising kids, trying their best to enjoy their lives, etc. This homophobic crap just shows how immature these idiots are. Gays are here to stay, kids! Woo-hoo!