Barney Frank is speaking right now on the House floor. He's insisting that the house members who are fighting to include the Baldwin Amendment are attempting to undermine the ENDA bill currently on the floor for debate and vote.
Not a perfect quote, but as close as I could get: "If we do not have the votes to go forward as much as we'd like to, do we then abandon any effort? Do we allow the use of a particular group to prevent progress?"
I cannot wait until this man is booted from his office out on his arse.
You can watch it all here:
http://www.cspan.org/watch/cs_cspan_wm.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS I am pleased by Rep. Doc Hastings from (of all places!) Yakima, WA. He is pushing hard for the representatives to vote NO on a previous rule vote which does not allow the house to vote on any amendments to ENDA. When Rep. Barbara Lee (Oakland, CA) was speaking in support of the Baldwin Amendment, she was cut off quite forcefully. Hastings conceded some of his time so Lee could finish her statement. He also spent some of his time arguing back and forth with Frank.
I am, however, heartened by the number of representatives speaking against the current state of ENDA and lobbying for the Baldwin Amendment.
I could sit here and update the debate all day, but I'm sure we'll have enough to review later. So I'll post separately with my personal rant.
EDIT: Still wonder why I love Kucinich?
"This is one of those moments where the Housee gets to demonstrate the degree to which we are truly committed to... due process and equal protection of the law. I believe that people who happen to be gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender are entitled to the full and equal protection of employment laws...
None of us can know unless we've walked in somebody's shoes... Imagine what they must go through in their daily lives. And imagine that we would separate those people from... the claims of constitutional protection.
To be an American means really standing for those constitutional principles... I'm very concerned that the Baldwin Amendment can be offered and pulled back without a vote."