Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos spoke with reporters this morning after meeting with Governor Cuomo and the State Assembly leader:
There's still time to call and email the New York Senators and make your voice heard! The SSM vote could happen anytime in the next 24 hours.
More rumblings that our message is resonating in the halls of the New York State House:
State leaders have the framework of an agreement on end of session issues -- a property tax cap, rent control, state university tuition -- but the deal does not appear to include an agreement on same-sex marriage.
The log jam broke after a two-hour, closed-door meeting between Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
"There's a framework by which we plan to end session," Silver, D-Manhattan, said. "We will be developing with the conference, over the next several hours, the various areas that are important to close down session and hopefully complete session as quickly as possible."
He and Skelos refused to offer details of the agreement before briefing members of their conferences; Cuomo refused to address journalists after the meeting.
... "We're working on details, but I'm very confident in working with the governor, he has shown tremendous leadership, and the speaker, showing flexibility, that we will have a session completed tomorrow," Skelos, R-Long Island, said. -- Albany Times Union
The end is in sight: keep calling and letting your voice be heard!
The MSM always mines marriage advocates' words to find the message point they think will hurt. We were with Sen. Diaz at the capitol yesterday and what he was clearly communicating is: if gay marriage comes, it's not because it's inevitable, it's because the Republicans caved.
He's not capitulating, he's fighting mad.
His statement makes it clear:
“For the sake of accuracy, this is what I said:
“Because the Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo is making the Republicans do what the Democrats could not do when they were in the majority, the Republicans are bending to the Democratic Governor and gay marriage is inevitable in the State of New York.”
An updated on what is happening in NY from the AP:
The Republican leader of New York’s Senate says gay marriage wasn’t discussed during meetings today with the governor and top Assembly leader.
National advocates and opponents are watching the marriage debate, waiting to see if New York will restart momentum or kill it the way it did two years ago.
Long Island Republican Dean Skelos says a “framework” for an agreement was reached Tuesday on rent control for New York City apartments and a statewide property tax cap.
Those two issues initially were lumped in with gay marriage as politicians from both parties worked for the issues closest to them.
It looks like so far the NY Senate is focusing on the priorities the majority of New Yorkers want them to focus on. Let's help keep them focused by calling on them not to redefine marriage!
NOM Chairman Maggie Gallagher in the New York State House yesterday:
If you haven't taken a few moments to call the undecided NY Senators, please do so now!
David Tyree, who is taking a brave and effective stand for marriage in New York, will be on the FOX Business channel tonight with David Asman at 9PM EST.
Be sure to tune in!
Lady Gaga has activated her "little monsters" in the gay marriage battle in New York - a move supporters of same-sex nuptials fear will only anger reticent lawmakers.
... In two tweets, [Gaga] urged fans to go through the Human Rights Campaign to contact fence-sitting senators, including Buffalo GOPer Mark Grisanti.
HRC's Brian Ellner insisted the megastar did not coordinate her efforts with advocates - and now some worry she's doing more harm than good.
... Meanwhile, Mayor Bloomberg rushed to the Capitol Thursday in a last-ditch effort to convince Senate Republicans, who have been agonizing over how to deal with the issue, to allow a vote on the gay marriage bill.
... Some Republican senators oppose bringing the measure to the floor. Others, despite opposing gay marriage, want a vote to get the issue off the table before next year's elections.
Many believe allowing a vote will result in Conservative Party backlash that could make it tougher for the GOP to keep its thin majority.
And there are Republicans who don't even want to consider the issue until they pass some of their legislative priorities, such as a property tax cap.
Salon seems to think so:
Diaz is still against gay marriage. But Kruger has switched his vote. And all that's changed is that his secret life was revealed to everyone in the New York Times.
... While the FBI investigated Kruger for bribery, they learned that he lived with his longtime male partner while pretending (or at least allowing people to believe) that his partner's mother was his girlfriend.
I find this to be pretty compelling evidence that reporting on a politician's sexual orientation serves the public interest.
Kruger's secret life was surprising to many, but in Albany, his weirdness was well-known. It was known that he was unmarried, but he sometimes appeared at photo ops or events with a fake (rented?) "family." Most signs pointed to closeted pol. But it took the FBI to actually do the legwork involved in outing him. And now, though he still insists he's a victim of "media attacks," Kruger has seen the light, and says he has "a better understanding of the impact that this bill will have on the rights to countless New Yorkers." I bet he does!
State Senator Greg Ball has been casting a wide net looking for opinions on the SSM bill under consideration in New York and it turns out that, where it matters most, people are opposed to redefining marriage by a wide margin, as Politico reports:
"In Ball’s district office, he said, calls and letters are running about 60-40 in favor of a no vote."
(BTW, Sen. Ball has asked people to tweet their opinion of how he should vote, so let's make sure he hears from all of marriage's defenders, here's a sample tweet: @ball4NY. Let #NewYorkers vote on #marriage. Vote against the #SSM bill.)
This 60% figure closely mirrors the recent polling conducted by ADF showing that 63% of Americans believe in 1M1W marriage.
Thank you to all of our local supporters in New York who have been hitting the phones and writing letters. Let's not let up now!
In New York 1, Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz welcomes the new troops showing up to protect marriage in Albany:
Bronx Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., the only senate Democrat who opposes the measure, said he was encouraged seeing such vocal opponents of gay marriage inside the capitol.
"That shows that this is not me alone. There are a lot of people in the State of New York that are against gay marriage," he said. "And the legislators have told the senate, people are saying, 'Reverend Diaz, Reverend Diaz.' This is not Reverend Diaz's issue, this is the people's issue."
In the Capital, an interview hinting at the horsetrading Governor Cuomo is conducting for gay marriage votes behind closed doors.
Wouldn't it just be easier to let the people decide, instead of Albany and Governor Cuomo?
Gov. Quid Pro Cuomo, you might say:
Josh: So do you see [Gov. Cuomo] making a ... compromise on gay marriage? Do you think Andrew Cuomo has had to make any assurances on this or any other issue to the Republicans in exchange for passing it?
Liz: I don't think you can compromise on gay marriage. It's either passed or it isn't, and there are some people who simply can't be moved on it one way or the other, no matter what you say or offer them. That said, it is in the horse-trading mix with a whole lost of unrelated issues like SUNY tuition, the property tax cap and the rent laws, which, as you're aware, expired at midnight last night because the Senate Democrats refused to vote for a 48-hour extension. Cuomo might have a small problem there, because I've been told by several Senate Dems that they don't want to vote on marriage until they get rent. Without those 29 "yes" votes, marriage is nowhere. So the timing of the bill is a bit of a problem, because the Senate G.O.P. needs a tax cap and the tax cap is connected to rent and rent is now connected to marriage. See how that all makes complete sense? (Not).
On the "what is he promising" question ... The governor can only promise so much. If he, say crossed the aisle and endorsed someone like G.O.P. senator Jim Alesi in a year when his own party is fighting to try to regain control of the chamber, well, I think that would simply be beyond what is acceptable for the Democrats. However, he could do a nudge, nudge, wink, wink sort of a thing...
SuperBowl superstar David Tyree, NOM's Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown, and a coalition of conservative and faith-based leaders were in Albany today, demanding the NY Senate vote down this bad same-sex marriage bill and allow New Yorkers to vote on marriage!
Please take a moment to let your voice be heard, no matter where you live, and tell these undecided NY Senators to protect marriage as between one man and one woman! This is the people's choice—not Albany's.
| Legislator Name | Phone Number | Email Address | Social Network | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Saland | (518) 455-2411 | [email protected] | Send message to @senatorsaland | |
| Andrew Lanza | (518) 455-3215 | [email protected] | Send message to @senatorlanza | |
| Mark Grisanti | (518) 455-3240 | [email protected] | Send message to @senatorgrisanti | |
| Greg Ball | (518) 455-3111 | [email protected] | Send message to @ball4ny |
Then contact these three Senators if you are able:
| Legislator Name | Phone Number | Email Address | Social Network | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Flanagan | (518) 455-2071 | [email protected] | Comment on his YouTube page. | |
| Joseph Addabbo | (518) 455-2322 | [email protected] | Comment on his Facebook wall. | |
| Shirley Huntley | (518) 455-3531 | [email protected] | Comment on her Facebook wall. |
Thank you, and please invite your friends now to do the same! We're close!
Dear Marriage Supporter,
I'm in Albany, New York, where I had the privilege of standing with Rev. Jason McGuire of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms this afternoon as he delivered 63,000 petitions from New Yorkers urging their senators to oppose the same-sex marriage bill.
Although the New York legislative session was slated to end at midnight tonight, we've just received word that any vote on the same-sex marriage bill has been postponed until at least tomorrow—so it looks like we're headed to overtime.
Your phone calls are needed now more than ever.
There is no reason the Senate should even vote on this bill. Marriage belongs to the people of New York—not just 62 senators under intense pressure from donors, activists and lobbyists. Please call every senator on the list below and urge them to oppose the same-sex marriage bill and instead support a referendum that would give the people of New York the right to vote on marriage.
Tell them it's time to make sure the marriage question goes directly to the people. Let the people vote!
| Stephen Saland | (518) 455-2411 |
| Andrew Lanza | (518) 455-3215 |
| Mark Grisanti | (518) 455-3240 |
| Greg Ball | (518) 455-3111 |
| John Flanagan | (518) 455-2071 |
| Joseph Addabbo | (518) 455-2322 |
| Shirley Huntley | (518) 455-3531 |
Then forward this message to everyone you know who lives in New York. The outcome in the New York Senate will have ramifications all across the nation—please take action right now! And if you can't make phone calls today, click here to send your message by email!
It's down to the wire! Please keep praying!
Faithfully,
Brian S. Brown
President
National Organization for Marriage
P.S.: Senator Ball took to Twitter over the weekend asking his Twitter followers how he should vote on the same-sex marriage bill. Click here to tell Senator Ball to vote NO!
Reporters interviewed David Tyree today when he was at the New York State House to be a voice for protecting marriage:
Our video of NOM's fight for marriage in Albany should be available soon -- so stay tuned!
In the meantime, please keep calling the undecided Senators in New York.
That headline from the Capitol Confidential:
It looks like the anti-same sex marriage side got the jump on occupying the hallway outside the Senate chambers this morning with a mix of Tea Party activists and those with religious objections to the measure arriving early. Among the group were some African American church members.
“I’ve been here for the last week,” said Willie Stovall, minister at Albany’s Mt. Olive Baptise Church who brought a few supporters this morning.
