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News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbySeptember 18th, 2012
ThinkProgress caught up with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) at last week’s Values Voter Summit and asked wither he would support re-instating “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the ban on gay military personnel serving openly which was rescinded one year ago this Thursday. Jordan answered, “We’ll look at guidance from our military, but I’m certainly supportive of going back to the previous policy.” ThinkProgress explains why we should pay attention:
Though first elected in 2006, Jordan is no back-bencher. He chairs the conservative Republican Study Committee, a group of more than 160 Republican congressmen dedicated to pushing conservative causes that wields major influence within the GOP caucus.
Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, said earlier that DADT’s revival was “not something that I would personally bring up.” Gov. Mitt Romney, too, has said that he would not pursue its implementation if he wins the presidential race. That’s not exactly a principled stand against DADT’s revival, but it does recognize that DADT is not a burning issue, even among a very substantial number fellow Republicans. But not being a burning issue is not opposition; it’s just a complacent acceptance of the status quo. And that complacency ignores the fact that there are still a lot of Republicans for whom it is a burning issue, and they have been ascendant in the GOP for the past four years.
And so, I would have to say that those statements from McKeon and Romney answer the wrong question. The real question is this: If DADT’s revival were to gain traction, would you oppose it or support it? Because personally, I cannot even begin to imagine that a President Romney would suddenly grow a principled backbone and veto such legislation if it were to reach his desk.
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Michael Bedwell
September 18th, 2012
Uh, with respect, y’all are forgetting that legislation is NOT required; that over 100,000 LGBs were kicked out of the military before anyone had ever heard of DADT. From early WWII until March 1, 1994, when federal law TITLE 10, Subtitle A, PART II, CHAPTER 37, Section 654 [aka DADT] took effect, they were discharged simply under internal policies of the Department of Defense, never voted on by Congress, nor required to be. So, it’s NOT just an issue of whether or not a future Congress might want to restore the law DADT or some variation, but what a future President wants, or is willing to abide that his Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff want.
I hasten to add that I don’t think any of these scenarios are likely to happen, but it’s important for everyone to understand all of them.
MsRowena
September 18th, 2012
Have you boys seen a picture of Rep. Jim Jordan back when he was a college wrestler? You might want to google that. Not that that has anything to do with his political views, but it odd to consider he spent a lot of time grappling with other muscley young men in skimpy outfits.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
JohnAGJ
September 18th, 2012
This is one I’m not worried about. Yeah, the social cons would love to bring back DADT or something worse but haven’t come to terms with the fact that their day is long past on this and even their own party has little stomach for a renewal of this fight. If Romney wins I do not believe that he would pursue this, pro-DADT legislation being sent his way or through executive action. I also don’t believe such a bill could get through the Senate – even if the GOP retakes control of that body. Should I be wrong about this, I’m confident that it would be struck down by the courts because it has been repealed for too long for the government to make an argument that could be given a pass on this now. No, DADT is dead. Vote for or against Romney based on other issues, not because of this one.
SharonB
September 19th, 2012
The repeal as a goal is found in their 2012 party platform. The language about review of personnel and administrative policies for the military includes women’s reproductive health care options, combat related career opportunities, and DADT .
Boo
September 19th, 2012
I think at this point any attempt to re-implement it would involve hearings with a bunch of generals on camera saying there’s no real point in doing so.
Donny D.
September 22nd, 2012
And a bunch of the people in “the base” want sodomy laws to be legal again.
William Tripp
September 24th, 2012
Why is the election this year have candidates who want to run this country like it got ran in the thirties and forties. Let’s go forward and not backwards.
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