Two more Republican state Senators representing otherwise Democratic districts in the Hudson Valley seem on the verge of resigning. The declared votes for SSM in the chamber are all Democratic, but (with a single exception) only Democrats from greater NYC and the Hudson Valley. So far.

All NY state Senators are up for elections in ’10 again afaik, and it’s quite clear now who to target and where to pick up votes for SSM.

Disillusioned with Democrats.

I thought I would give Libertarians a try and then they select Bob “Mr. DOMA” Barr as their Presidential candidate!!!

There is no viable third party. Because the Democrats and Republicans put aside their differences to assure that no third party makes it into “their” debates.

Until their duopoly on American politics is abolished, we will never have true “change” in this country.

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, never now. Sure they take our money and our votes, but they never pay up when we ask for action.

Needless to say this is exactly why my wife and I both left the Democratic party recently. We were sick of constantly giving them our money and votes and getting nothing in return but promises of “maybe next time”.

In my state of South Carolina I know for a fact that they are going to try and push that unmarried couples adoption thing (which by the way has anyone heard whether or not anyone in Arkansas will challenge this in the courts), but I am not aware of any definite plans to try and turn back anti-discrimination employment ordinances. This is not to say that it will not be a plan in the future.

But you touched on a good point, K. If we, as a community, are aware of their talking points, what are we doing to counter them now in this lull period rather than wondering whether or not Democrats will be afraid to stand up for us. Are we assembling ourselves, educating ourselves, or starting any type of resistance to combat possible rollbacks on job discrimination?

I’m of the opinion that our allies will be on our side if we are as vocal and as aggressive in pushing our points as the religious right are in pushing theirs.

How will they push back against employment protections? If by “they” you mean the religious right, here’s how:

They will say that having to hire and work with homosexuals is against their free exercise of religion, as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. They will say that being banned from saying what they think about homosexuals violates their free speech rights, as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

They’ve been using these arguments increasingly in recent years when fighting off state and local anti-discrimination laws and ordinances. And, politicians being the lily-livered chicken-shits they are, more often than not these arguments succeed.

In other words: Obama and the Democrats in Congress will not take on civil rights of any sort for LGBTs unless and until they are ready to take on the religious right in a very big way. And, after the California fiasco, Democrats will think very carefully before they move forward.

And Obama by nature is a cautious individual. He will be pushing for pro-gay laws and such but will try to establish consensus first. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is a good example.

I would like more info on how they are going to try and push back against employment protections though.