The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin Prevents Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

Posted on | December 10, 2010 | 2 Comments

Of course, that’s not the Associated Press lede:

Republicans blocked a last-ditch effort in the Senate to lift the military’s ban on openly gay troops on Thursday, dealing a major blow to gay rights groups and making it unlikely Congress could repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” any time soon.
The 57-40 vote fell three short of the 60 needed to overcome procedural hurdles to lift the 17-year-old ban. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine was the lone Republican voting to advance the bill, and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia was the only Democrat to vote against it.

If Manchin had been willing to vote “yes” — and if Democrat Sen. Blanche Lincoln hadn’t been MIA — it could have passed, but that doesn’t fit the media’s Republicans-as-hatemongers template, so the West Virginia Democrat’s vote — a stunning triumph of bitter-clinger bigotry! — is treated as an afterthought. Speaking of overlooked facts, Jim Hoft calls to our attention exactly who was originally responsible for this policy:

Senate Blocks Repeal of Bill Clinton’s
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy

Also unnoticed: Harry Reid is the Fred Phelps of the Senate. He intentionally brought DADT repeal bill to a vote in violation of a prior agreement with key Senate Republicans not to move any legislation until the tax bill had been passed, thereby providing certain liberal Republicans a (non-homophobic) reason to vote “no,” and preventing passage.

The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent goes out of his way to give Harry Reid CYA assistance, but the bottom line is still that Reid and Manchin were the key actors here.

Of course, fanatics can’t see that reality: “This really means that John McCain’s filibuster is what is killing repeal. Astonishing what one man’s bitter soul can do to American democracy.”

Andrew: You’re not an American. But we’ll gladly grant your expertise on men with bitter souls.

Much more analysis at Hot Air, and vast quantities of info at Memeorandum.

Category: Gays, Harry Reid, Military, Senate

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