Historic Hate Crimes Bill Passes Senate

Yes, Sen Byrd voted for cloture, (0.00 / 0)

listened to the accolades for Sen. Inoyue (as a former Senator I saw Sec. of State Clinton on the floor then), and gave a speech about his impressions of Afghanistan, now and as the junior Senator from West Virginia. Then he left. The vote on the final Defense conference report was 68 - 29, so Sen. Byrd was not the only Senator to miss the vote.

He did not stick around for the few hours of speeches from fellow Senators who do not sound like Kenneth Feinberg.

NFTT: Support My Team or I Will Dance

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by: CA Berkeley WV @ Fri Oct 23, 2009 at 02:39:34 AM UTC

I have my doubts about Byrd's absence (0.00 / 0)

Byrd either chose not to vote or voted against similar legislation in recent Congresses. He voted for cloture in 2001, but in 9 years of consideration, Byrd never joined his colleagues as a co-sponsor.

You can bet I'll be calling DC tomorrow to get an answer. For crying out loud, Cornyn, Hutchison, and Ensign voted yes! Where the hell was RCB?

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by: WV26003 @ Fri Oct 23, 2009 at 05:23:44 AM UTC

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Lisa Murkowski did the same thing (0.00 / 0)

voted for cloture but missed the final vote. The conference report for H.R.2647 has been adopted by both chambers. Is pubic law now?

Call his office about health care or the Boxer bill and sound them out about that.  

NFTT: Support My Team or I Will Dance

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by: CA Berkeley WV @ Fri Oct 23, 2009 at 08:55:31 AM UTC

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Comparing Byrd with Murkowski? (0.00 / 0)

That's a rather sad defense, CA Berkeley... especially for you.

If Senator Byrd had a doctor's appointment, that's fine. Yet that doesn't explain why he has NEVER outright supported the inclusion of sexual orientation in federal hate crimes laws.

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by: WV26003 @ Fri Oct 23, 2009 at 12:41:16 PM UTC

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But the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Act is part of hte law (4.00 / 2)

so I guess my focus is more on stories like Sen. Inoyue trying to get the Franken amendment on binding arbitration out, which is changing a conference report, a no-no. But then I am interested in process part of the sausage making.

I just don't see the point of not saying "Yeah! We won this one! New civil rights law! Whoopee!" when we still have persuasion points on other issues with our senior senator.

NFTT: Support My Team or I Will Dance

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by: CA Berkeley WV @ Fri Oct 23, 2009 at 16:28:57 PM UTC

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It looks bad (0.00 / 0)

It looks bad that EVERY Senator from Ohio, PA, VA, and Maryland voted for the bill, yet Senator Byrd did not. Like I said, even Capito voted for it.  

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by: WV26003 @ Fri Oct 23, 2009 at 18:24:38 PM UTC

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From "My Life" by Bill Clinton and more (0.00 / 0)

page 484:

Senator Byrd took a harder line than Nunn. He believed homosexuality was a sin; said he would never let his grandson, whom he adored, join a military that admitted gays; and asserted that one reason the Roman Empire fell was the acceptance of pervasive homosexual conduct in the Roman legions from Julius Caesar on down.

Byrd likewise voted against hate crimes expansion in 2000, voted against ENDA in 1996 (49-50-1 vote), and has a 22% rating from the Human Rights Campaign. It's very sad Senator Byrd opposes legislation that even Congresswoman Capito supported.

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by: WV26003 @ Fri Oct 23, 2009 at 13:02:55 PM UTC

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Evolution (4.00 / 1)

I celebrate that he voted the right way on the important vote on cloture and that he did not vote against this. Sometimes we should recognize progress, no matter how small they may seem.

When a man embarks upon a crime, he is morally guilty of any other crime which may spring from it. Sherlock Holmes.

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by: Carnacki @ Sat Oct 24, 2009 at 00:41:57 AM UTC

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Did Byrd spokesman lie? (0.00 / 0)

http://www.wvgazette.com/News/...

Although Byrd was absent for the Senate's final vote, spokesman Jesse Jacobs said Friday the senator supported the hate-crimes provisions of the defense bill. Byrd had earlier voted to invoke cloture, or end debate, on the measure so it could proceed to final passage.

When did Senator Byrd have this epiphany?

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by: WV26003 @ Sat Oct 24, 2009 at 20:39:20 PM UTC

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fabulous news (4.00 / 3)

This is fabulous news.

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by: Clem Guttata @ Fri Oct 23, 2009 at 12:01:09 PM UTC

Absolutely (0.00 / 0)

When a man embarks upon a crime, he is morally guilty of any other crime which may spring from it. Sherlock Holmes.

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by: Carnacki @ Sat Oct 24, 2009 at 00:42:17 AM UTC

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