The House passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011, which includes the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy. The Roll Call was 229-186. Only five Republicans voted for the DADT amendment (Judy Biggert of Illinois, Joseph Cao of Louisiana, Charles Djou of Hawai’i, Ron Paul of Texas and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida). But nine voted for final passage on the bill containing it. The new Republicans were Mary Bono Mack of California, Mike Castle of Delaware (who is running for Senate), Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, Mark Kirk of Illinois (who is running for Senate), and Dave Reichert of Washington. Ron Paul switched his vote to no, so he supports ending discrimination in our armed forces but does not support more money for unending war. In this he was joined by a good number of progressives. The Democrats who opposed the bill because it was good for gays?
Bobby Bright of Alabama
Travis Childers of Mississippi
Lincoln Davis of Tennessee
Jim Marshall of Georgia
Mike McIntyre of North Carolina
Gene Taylor of Mississippi
See a theme there? Maybe a familiar geographical aversion to extending civil rights to an oppressed minority? Anyone? You there?
