Showing posts with label New Jersey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Jersey. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

NJ Gov. Christie Calls for Voter Referendum on Marriage Equality

Latter Day Pontius Pilot, Gov. Chris Christie
As support for marriage equality builds in the New Jersey state legislature, LGBT advocates were hopeful that Republican Governor Chris Christie was coming around. Just yesterday Christie announced his nominations for two positions on the NJ Supreme Court, which includes Bruce Harris, 61, the openly gay former mayor of Chatham, NJ.

On Tuesday, however, Christie dashed the hopes of Marriage Equality supporters, saying he would veto any legislation aimed at legalizing Marriage Equality and  called for the issue to be put to a public vote. From NJ.com:
"I think this is not an issue that should rest solely in my hands, or the hands of the Senate President or the Speaker or the other 118 members of the Legislature," he said. "Let's let the people of New Jersey decide what is right for the state."
That's right, gays and gals. One more republican refusing to do his job and instead counting on mob rule to to resolve the foremost civil rights issue of our time.

Christie went on to say, "Let's make sure that political maneuvering is not what judges this and let's make sure this is not someone just trying to have fun and create a campaign issue," he said. "The institution of marriage if too serious to be treated like a political football."

Excuse me? Using same-sex marriage as a wedge issue to get the homophobic Republican base to the polls is a tried and true GOP political maneuver. The Bush campaign did it very successfully in '06 and North Carolina is doing the same in the coming primary in May with Amendment One.

Washing your hands of a controversial issue involving the rights of human beings and throwing it to the angry mobs goes all  the way back to Pontius Pilot. Abdicating your responsibility instead of showing true leadership is nothing more than cowardice, especially when new polling shows that 52% of New Jersey voters now favor marriage equality.

If Governor Christie can't take the heat, he should get his fat ass out of the kitchen.

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Sunday, January 8, 2012

NJ Legislators to Introduce Marriage Equality Bill Monday

Democratic leaders in New Jersey have scheduled press conference for Monday where they will announce the introduction of legislation making same-sex marriage legal in the Garden State. The main obstacle will be getting it past the desk of Republican Governor Chris Christie.

Via NJ.com:

TRENTON - In a dramatic move, Democratic leaders plan to announce at a news conference Monday that a bill legalizing gay marriage will be the first measure introduced in the new session of the Senate and the Assembly, sources with knowledge of their intentions said last night.


A unified Democratic leadership represents the best chance supporters will have to see a bill legalizing gay marriage move through both houses, according to three sources who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the plan.


State Sen. President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who is now said to be a pivotal supporter of the legislation, abstained the last time a similar bill was voted down by the Legislature in 2010 — a decision he later said he regretted more than any other in his career. A spokesman for Sweeney did not respond to questions about the plan last night.


Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) will also be at the news conference, ensuring that the proposal has the support of the state’s two most powerful Democratic lawmakers. She could not be reached for comment.


But there’s a major obstacle: Gov. Chris Christie.


A spokesman for the governor, Michael Drewniak, declined to comment on the move. But Christie has emphasized in the past that he opposes gay marriage and supports civil unions, civil unions, which New Jersey currently allows.
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