Republican Gays Blame Reid For Close Cloture Vote

In order for the DREAM Act to get included in the National Defense Authorization Act, a Republican filibuster must be stopped today.

Karen Ocamb writes on LGBTPOV:

Many in the LGBT Nation participated in a last-minute blitz to help Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid get the 60 votes he needs to counter a filibuster on a motion to stop unlimited debate on three amendments – one of which is the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This first critical vote is call a “cloture” vote scheduled to take place on the US Senate floor at 11:15am Pacific time, 2:15pm in Washington DC.
. . .
Log Cabin Republicans targeted Reid instead, saying he “unfairly” limited the number of amendments up for debate and that’s preventing many “supportive” Republicans from supporting the bill. LCR wants Reid to work out a compromise deal with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. LCR Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper says that there is “an overwhelming majority of Senators, Democrats and Republicans, who are committed to repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and blames Reid for “partisan tactics could prevent the Senate from moving forward with this critical legislation.”

The three amendments Reid has allowed to NDAA are: the DREAM Act, which provides a “path to citizenship” for undocumented students who came to the US as children; an amendment to strip DADT repeal from the NDAA, and an amendment that would prevent Senators from placing an “anonymous hold” on confirmation candidates and legislation. In last week’s announcement of the scheduled cloture vote, Reid said he intended to allow Republicans to submit amendments – but only when the final vote on NDAA is taken after the elections in the lame duck session. Click here for the rest of the piece.

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