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Published Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 | 1:40 p.m.
Updated Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 | 1:43 p.m.
John Ensign
Sun coverage
The Senate voted to repeal the military’s longstanding policy against gays and lesbians serving openly in the military today, sending the measure to the President’s desk for his signature with both of Nevada’s senators on board.
Senator John Ensign was one of two Republicans to who had voted against taking up the measure Saturday morning, who on Saturday afternoon, nonetheless voted in favor of the repealing the longstanding “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
Before the vote, Ensign said the choice for him was a struggle between what he personally thought was the right thing to do, and the circumstantial concerns of various military chiefs.
That’s why, he explained, he had voted against taking up the measure.
But in the end, once the question on the table, it appeared personal conviction won out over political circumstance. “My personal feeling is that it should be repealed,” he’d said before the 65-to-31 vote.
Ensign left the Senate chamber quickly and quietly — but the other apparent switcher, North Carolina’s Richard Burr, explained his choice to reporters afterwards.
“A majority of Americans have grown up at a time that they don’t think exclusion is the right thing for the United States to do...it’s not the accepted practice anywhere else in our society. It only makes sense,” he said, adding though that he was vehemently opposed to the timing.
“Even though this bill has now passed, it should never be enacted immediately,” he added.
Other Republicans — eight in total voted for the bill — seemed satisfied with the outcome as well.
“It’s a significant vote,” said Maine Republican Olympia Snowe, who asked reporters which other Republicans had in the end voted for the bill — and seemed to express satisfied surprise when she heard Ensign’s name.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has long been a strong advocate for the legislation, which he initially tried to bring before the Congress under the defense authorization bill — a must-pass measure which the Senate may pass by unanimous consent later this weekend.
When that bill failed to pass a procedural hurdle to open it for consideration twice, Senators Joe Lieberman, Independent from Connecticut, and Susan Collins, Republican from Maine, stepped in with a standalone measure that Reid then fast-tracked to the Senate floor, also adding his name as a co-sponsor.
On Saturday afternoon, he congratulated his Republican colleagues who voted to repeal the policy for taking a vote that put them on the right side of history.
“This is one of those moments in our history when we stepped up and squared our policies with the values this nation was founded upon,” he said. “I applaud those Republicans who have joined us to repeal this policy, and hope that even more will join us on the right side of history when we complete our work, and end ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’”
On Wednesday, the House voted as well to repeal the policy, by a convincing margin of 250-175. But there wasn’t similar unanimity among members of the Nevada delegation.
Democrats Dina Titus and Shelley Berkley cast votes in favor of repealing the policy.
“It is long past time to end this policy that has only served to weaken our Armed Forces and institutionalize discrimination against brave men and women in the LGBT community who want to serve their country,” Titus said. “Gay and lesbian service members make the same sacrifice as their straight counterparts when they put on our nation’s uniform and march in to battle, and they should receive the same respect and dignity.”
“Don’t ask, don’t tell is outdated and it’s unjust,” Berkley said. “It makes no sense for our military to discharge valuable service members, especially during a time of war, when we need every American who is willing and able to serve...it only undermines the strength and integrity of our military.”
But Republican Congressman Dean Heller voted against repeal. His office did not release a statement after the vote.
It's about time. Rational and fair-minded people thank you, Senators Reid and Ensign.
We all know the LDS position on this...and
Harry Mason Reid broke ranks with Salt Lake HQ simply for the vote-tally benefit.
This DADT repeal is simply no big deal...The troops will adjust and move on. The debate is much like medical marijuana...SIMPLY no big deal!
I observe the thousands of gays in the streets today celebrating this - I venture to bet dollars 2 rainbow flag bumper stickers - these celebrants will not be heading to the recruiting office strip mall come Monday morning?
This has always been more about agenda than serving the US of America armed forces.
Let's face it, Reid was basically pressured into bringing the stand along vote on DADT. Please recall that both Ensign and Reid voted in favor of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and both argue that lesbians and gays have no legal right to marry. Both are basically bigoted to a large degree. No group has done more to oppress gays and lesbians for who they are than the LDS Church; they did the same thing to blacks in the 50s-70s until the political pressure got to great. It wasn't until the 1970s that blacks could hold the Mormon "priesthood." Honest gays and lesbians continue to be excommunicated from the LDS Church. Make no mistake, hate and bigotry are alive and well, right here in Nevada!
Time to step up to the plate and pull your weight gay community. Glad to see congress listening to the two Generals that have the majority of combat arms troops on the ground fighting.
Thank you Senator Ensign for being a fair minded and independant voice and congratulations to all the service men and women who no longer have to hide who they are or live in shame while defending our country. We are humbled to be witness to such an historic event today with the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. It's been a long time comin'
To those Republicans who voted against this may you one day feel the shame and taste the discrimination gay soldiers have had to endure for far too long.
Stuart & Robert Wyman-Cahall
Las Vegas, NV 89142
I personally know many gay men and womenin the military and they are happy things became right for them today.
There are Thousands of gays in the military and have been for years, serving their country proudly.
Most of their buddies in the service (straights) did not have a problem with them at all. They all did their jobs and did it for the same reason, because they wanted to serve.
There are haters in any group but being gay in the military is not hurting our country in any manner.
Thank you Washington for finally stepping up and doing the right thing for all that serve our country.
Nevada has demonstrated that it can be tolerant of everyones equal rights. Thank you Senators Reid and Ensign... Congresswomen Berkeley and Titus... Progress is a beautiful thing...
Yes! This will get the Tea Party Republicans fired up to pick Sharron Angle to run for Ensigns seat!
Resulting in another Democrat win of course.
Harry Reid knows how to time it, respect..
did the c street cult explode later in the day???
Thank you Senator Ensign, this is something I NEVER thought you'd support. You've taken a big chance voting this way, and I admire you for it!
I am the very proud Chairman of Stonewall Democrats of Southern Nevada. We are the largest and most influential LGBT political organization in Nevada. We worked hand in hand with the Reid campaign to make sure that Harry Reid went back to Washington. One of the reasons was the vote today. Harry Reid led this fight to the sweet ending and will forever be my Hero and have my loyalty to the end of his term six years from now!
I'd like to point out that over the last three days we here in Nevada have asked activists from around the country to bombard Ensign. Thousands of cards, emails, phone calls and office visits went on in that short time. In addition, Stonewall's friends at Log Cabin in Utah did the same on their end.
I introduced Harry Reid to Lt Dan Choi just over a year ago. At that time Harry told us that he and the President were committed "to ending this silly policy". He went on to be the highest ranking person to endorse the National Equality March and today he fulfilled his promise to Dan, myself and the LGBT community.
I am very proud to know Dan and extremely proud of Senator Reid. I am also very proud that BOTH of Nevada's Senators did the right thing and voted to repeal DADT!
Congrats and lets move forward!
Sure Derek, all three Stonewall Democrats voted for Reid. You're proud of Senator Reid? Are you delusional? The harsh criticism of Reid by the Nevada gay and lesbian community had a much greater effect on Reid than a handful of votes. Reid scrapped multiple opportunities to bring DADT to a vote in this Congress. Reid refused to bring DADT to a vote in the Senate. Reid was one of DOMA's most rabid supporters! Are you "proud" of Senator Reid for preaching the hateful idea that gays and lesbians have no legal right to marry? Sure, there's a handful of self-effacing gays who feel like they have to eat Reid's $h!+ sandwich. The vast majority of us, however, don't feel that way. Reid acted on the DADT because the political pressure got too great. At heart, he remains a homophobe and bigot, hardly someone who is worthy of praise!
Derek Washington: Why don't you go ahead and disclose how many Nevada lesbian and gay members you have on your rolls. Go ahead and tell us how many votes you brought home for Reid. It's OK that Reid scratched ENDA and supported DOMA because he threw gays a little scrap when the political pressure got too great? Pull yourself up and have a little self-respect!
The key to managing Reid is that you have to convince him that it's more painful to do what you don't want, than it is to do what you want! He's like a dumb animal that only understands an electric prod or a club. Reid's game playing with gay and lesbian issues almost cost him the election. That's why he finally brought DADT to a vote. The idea that Reid brought DADT to a vote because of his "principles" is absurd.
Thank you Harry Reid for keeping your promise!
Senator Ensign: your DREAM Act vote will come back to haunt you
You know...it doesn't matter "at all"...what you believe about gays in the military.The fact is they are there...and "always" have been. The fact is what "is important" is that everyone cover each others back and they have been all along not only in our current battles...but all the previous battles and World Wars. But to know that a person could be discharged with something ELSE THAN a honorable discharge for no other reason other then the fact he or she is gay is a crime in itself.
Thank you, Harry Reid, Dina Titus, Shelley
Berkley and John Ensign.
Thank you, Senator Reid and Senator Ensign. As a straight ally, I support the fine work gays do in the military and it's time we as a nation recognize that. Thanks also to the local LGBT community and the Stonewall Dems for all their hard work. Derek, Chris, Laura and Sandy - I am so proud of you all!
There was a "fundamentalist" group running ads on hate talk radio urging Ensign to vote NO.
Keep in mind it was hate-talker Alan Stock on KXNT radio that linked up with Richard Ziser to push the gay marriage ban. Nevada could have made millions if it was the first state to have gay marriage, just like quickie marriages and divorces helped Nevada in the 30's. Stock also went on a nasty homophobic rant against Rosie O'Donnell (I have on tape.)
The other hate talker in town, Heidi Harris, expressed outrage that Ensign might vote to end dadt.
Let's also keep in mind it was Clinton that put the policy in, in the first place.
Hannity and Oliver North, both associated with a Veterans Charity that has a high administrative cost, have also belched out their bigotry on this issue.
We need the fairness doctrine to end hate radio in Nevada.
Who was it that was maligned for saying "I voted no before I voted yes"? Was that Senator Ensign or Senator Kerry? My recollection fails me at times of gross duplicity.
So will the leftwingnuts leave Ensign and his hair alone now?
CAN WE PLEASE GET THE HISTORICAL RECORD STRAIGHT HERE:
1. Harry Reid voted TO CREATE DADT in 1993 and voted against the Boxer Amendment that would have allowed gays to serve openly in the military in 1993. Reid CREATED the oppressive policy that the brain trust at the Sun is now giving him credit for striking down!
2. Harry Reid voted in SUPPORT of the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" that prevents the federal government from recognizing gay marriage.
3. Harry Reid CONTINUES to hold the position that gays and lesbians have no legal right to marry!
4. Reid should be applauded for his vote to end DADT, but make no mistake about it, his record on gay and lesbian civil rights issues is DISMAL and the Nevada Democratic Party should be ashamed for supporting Reid as their candidate!
I guess the Nevada Democratic Party and the Stonewall Democrats need to stop drinking the Las Vegas Sun Kool-Aid: HARRY REID VOTED TO CREATE DADT IN 1993! Reid voted AGAINST the Boxer Amendment in 1993 that would have allowed gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military back in 1993. Yoo Hoo-------> The previous 17 years of government oppression of gays and lesbians, the discharge of 17,500 gays, the ruined careers of 17,500 gays, IS DUE IN LARGE PART TO THE ACTION OF HARRY REID!!! Can we PLEASE stop pretending that Harry Reid is some kind of principled statesman? This is really getting absurd!
I particularly love how the intellectually dishonest Thought Police at the Las Vegas Sun remove any comment that's critical of Harry Reid...
Giving credit to Harry the Hater Reid for ending DADT is like giving credit to an arsonist for calling the fire department after the house burns to the ground. Reid voted to CREATE DADT in 1993 and specifically voted AGAINST the Boxer Amendment that would have allowed gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military in 1993. For the 17 years that DADT has been in place, 17,500 soldiers have been discharged, 17,500 careers have been destroyed, and 17,500 lives have been ruined. Countless other soldiers have had to lie about who they are on a daily basis. Can we please stop pretending that Reid is some kind of principled statesman? It just so happens that now, it's more politically costly to support DADT than it is to end DADT; it's as simple as that. And that's who Harry Reid is. There are 17,500 good reasons the Nevada Democratic Party should be deeply ashamed for supporting a candidate who was and is willing to compromise the civil liberties of a minority for his own personal political gain!
Any and all armed forces members who find it intolerable to serve with gays/lesbians are welcome to resign, or to not enlist. And please allow the door to hit you on the way out. Bye bye!
The repeal of DADT is not about whether or not gays can can serve; they already do serve and have for some time. It is about the impact that open homosexuality will have on order, discipline, and morale. Once sexuality becomes a defining issue in the military -- and it will because that is the agenda -- there will be open disputes about promotion, assignment, rights, privacy, and relationships between straight and homosexual troops. All of these things will undermine good order, discipline, and morale. The repeal of DADT opens a can of worms that will be dangerous and disruptive.
AM talk radio will start ranting about how this is the real start of a "gay apocalypse" on monday morning, you betcha..
:-)
Has Ensign's wife been seen in public in the last year? Is she allowed out?
"Nevada has demonstrated that it can be tolerant of everyones equal rights."
Brian_Paco_A -- really? Had a look at the state Constitution since 2002?
"Sec: 21. Limitation on recognition of marriage. Only a marriage between a male and female person shall be recognized and given effect in this state. [Added in 2002. Proposed by initiative petition and approved and ratified by the people at the 2000 and 2002 general elections.]" -- from Article I "Declaration of Rights"
@RHG - I am sending my thanks to Senator Ensign and it will be a genuine thanks. But I won't forget that he voted against cloture before voting in favor of the repeal.
Discrimination based on sexual orientation has been illegal, in the U.S., for some time (and has always been just plain wrong)....why all the debate and a vote?
Hey, EnsignFamilyValues, what's the matter with you? Did Harry Reid piss on your Corn Flakes? Did he paint grafitti on your back fence? Did he knock up one of your female relatives? Why all the blackhearted hatred for the man? You know, gogo, SgtRock, Rusty57 and other regular posters here have their own particular hatred for Obama and Democrats in general, but your display of visciousness toward Reid is almost an obsession. Take a break, man, before you give yourself a coronary.
Funny how teabaggers talk out of both sides of their mouths, first bashing Democrats for not being progressive enough... Then bashing Democrats for not being conservative enough. And as always, they don't have their facts straight.
And I love how they're being silent about Ensign trying to have it both ways yesterday (voting AGAINST cloture, then voting FOR final passage).
DADT needed to be shoved into the dustbin of history, and Harry Reid made just that happen. But while he was consistently working toward this goal this year, Ensign was too busy tending to the skeletons in his closet.
"Discrimination based on sexual orientation has been illegal, in the U.S., for some time (and has always been just plain wrong)....why all the debate and a vote?"
davestovall -- you missed my earlier post?
Don't forget despite the Civil War and the anti-discrimination laws passed in that era, laws forbidding interracial marriages wasn't struck down until the 1960s. And just last year a justice of the peace in the south refused to allow a mixed-race couple to marry.
@ensignfamilyvalues: We delivered a lot of votes for Harry Reid. Your problem with that is what? Are you upset that we didn't let Angle win?
As far as the Gay community in Las Vegas being somehow mad at Harry Reid, you wouldn't be able to prove that by the standing room only events full of Gays everytime Harry appeared, including at a Stonewall event Downtown.
I don't know what your issue with Harry is and , at this point, it doesn't matter, we got what we wanted. Now, on to ENDA and getting rid of DOMA.
If you want to help, join us.
Flipping through the family albums allows the viewer to muse over snapshots, most on Kodak paper, with back drops of WW2 machinery placed somewhere in Europe, heavy jackets worn somewhere on the Korean peninsula and rolled up sleeves among rice paddies and palms.
With the passage of DADT, the zeal to encourage "joining up" to off spring ending their 2nd decade of life and continue the legacy, will not be my priority.
The "esprit de corps" that lived in my heart has flamed off and thus will cease being a blood recruiter.
Homophobe.