It might sound like an urban myth-turned-March Madness basketball line up, but the Senate Seven, the group of (gasp) Democrats that don’t believe in marriage equality, is absolutely authentic.
VIDEO: You Go Girl! Hillary Clinton Officially Announces Her Support For Gay Marriage!
The thing is, it’s kind of hard to believe that there are seven Democrats who are still holding out, but the way these senators have been falling like dominos, the number might be zero at the end of the day.
Just this morning Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware offered his support for same-sex marriage in a post to Facebook:
As our society has changed and evolved, so too has the public’s opinion on gay marriage – and so has mine. I pray every day for God to grant me the wisdom to do what is right. Through my prayers and conversations with my family and countless friends and Delawareans, I’ve been reminded of the power of one of my core values: the Golden Rule. It calls on us to treat others as we want to be treated. That means, to me, that all Americans ultimately should be free to marry the people they love and intend to share their lives with, regardless of their sexual orientation, and that’s why today, after a great deal of soul searching, I’m endorsing marriage equality.
And three more hands in the air would establish a majority on the issue (there are 48 senators who support marriage equality.)
PHOTOS: The Ol’ Switcheroo! Republican Senator Supports Gay Marriage After Son Comes Out
So why the hold up, Senate Seven? All this stalling forces me to do one thing I know you’re not going to like… put you on blast.
Here we go!
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia opposed the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2010 and he vocally supports the Defense of Marriage Act. Looks like he’s not budging any time soon. But then again, that’s what we said about Republicans and look at them now!
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota looks at marriage equality as an Obama administration distraction. Ouch! She also believes marriage should be handled on a state-by-state basis. We’re keeping an eye on her. She doesn’t seem like the type that can be the “last man standing.”
Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana is definitely one of the next to fold. She said that her “personal views have evolved,” AKA, “I’m about to come out and support gay marriage because I’ll be damned if I’m the troll who hold this whole thing off.” Whatever it takes Mary…whatever it takes.
Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota I see what you did there. The senator said he no longer supports the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) but he has yet to support marriage equality for everybody. Get this…he plans to retire after his current term (ending in 2014) which means he’ll never have to support what he doesn’t believe in officially. But mentioning that he kinda, maybe, sort of supports it won’t make him a complete villian.
Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida is a stickler of sorts. No fuss here. He said that it’s still his personal preference that marriage is between a man and a woman. Chances of him folding? Slim to none.
Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana is at least open to the idea of same-sex marriage. A spokesperson said last week that he still believes marriage is “reserved for the union between a man and a woman,” but he will “continue to review the issue.”
Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas is just confusing. In 2006, he voted against a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, but expressed his support for both the Defense of Marriage Act and Arkansas’s state marriage amendment.
So in the end, it’s up to these guys to make it happen. Who will fold? Who will stick to their guns? Who will be the last man standing?
I’m pretty sure no one wants to take that position.
SOURCE: ThinkProgress
