Senate Passes Hate Crimes Bill; Larry Craig Opposes

Moments ago, the Senate voted 60-39 to end debate on the Matthew Shepard Act, which expands federal hate crimes laws to include violence based on a victim's sexual orientation, gender, disability, and other factors. The AP reports:

The Senate attached hate crimes legislation to a must-pass Pentagon spending bill Thursday, but opponents predicted it ultimately would fail.

"The president is not going to agree to this social legislation on the defense authorization bill," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. "This bill will get vetoed." [...]

The Democratic-controlled House passed the same hate crimes legislation as a stand-alone bill earlier this year despite Bush's veto threat. That makes a repeat of 2004, when the Senate passed a similar amendment to the same bill only to see it stripped out during negotiations with the Republican-led House, less likely this time around. President Bush, who says the bill is not needed, could then be faced with vetoing the vast defense authorization bill containing the same provision.

The White House had no immediate comment Thursday.

Notably, Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) voted against the legislation.

UPDATE: See the full roll call here.

Comments

[gallstones]

Why would anybody find Craig's vote surprising? I wouldn't have bet money on him voting FOR such legislation. HE'S IN THE CLOSET! (he thinks)

[CrimsonTom]

He's not in the closet, he's in the stall.

[watchingthings]

He sees it as much more important to pass some bill against Gays then it is for his Republican Party, Raping the Nation.

[NotMyPrez]

...and posting on Larry Craigslist

[iswearington]

craigs photo should be posted on the door of every mens room in america with a clear warning sign.

[KenNY]

Maybe they should name the bathroom at the Minnesota airport 'Senator Larry Craig Room".

[Wintergreen4President]

More like the "Senator Larry Craig Memorial Bathroom."

[Hawkeye17]

Larry Craig...th­e gift that keeps on giving :)

[SamBrown]

The audacity is just mind-numbing.
I went to a chiropracter for my sore neck and he asked me if I was a Democrat. I asked him how he knew, and he said I'd obviously been shaking my head in amazement over an extended period of time.
Bah da bum.

[lthuedk]

Oh stop it!

http://www.light-to-dark.com/republican_totem.html

[NoblesseOblige]

Larry, the 'Potty Pariah', will haunt restrooms across the country for years to come.

[OpusIsUnderTheBed]

Larry, I will be in the main men's room at Lindbergh Field, San Diego, on November 01, at 10:00 AM.

2nd stall from the back.

Reach under and into my stall, with the hand you never want to use again.

[LIR]

Shamelessness is his calling card...or shall we say spread eagled legs????

Wide stance Larry tries to impress the one last Repig who thinks he is straight..­.

Mary, now run off and check out those GARDEN mags you love at Union Station...

...unfortu­nately, a tea room isn't going to be so anonymous for you anymore...

[Johnbo]

Craig took a wide stance, er, I mean, a strong stand on an issue he obviously felt strongly about - no special rights for gays.

And, now it's time to apply the law to him - no reversal of his guilty plea and no more career as a Senator.

His vote on this issue was a fitting farewell to another ReTHUGlican hypocrit.

[repubesnivel]

Eeeeeeuuuuwww! Where's that hand been, Lar?

[iggy06]

If this bill was to pass, half the people commenting on here would be deemed hate criminals. That would lead to the eventual censorship of the internet a la China. There is way more to this bill than meets the eye. The Larry Craig issue is totally seperate. I dont like the guy or his voting record, but let him have his day in court. They tried to frame Jim Garrison during his Kennedy investigation the same exact way so it is possible he was set up. The ADL is famous for blackmail.

[MI6troll]

da Jooooooooo­ooooooooos­!

[iggy06]

Listen, there are many here who are totally fooled by this bill. This is a bill sponsored by the ADL that is not really meant to protect gays but to stop anyone from questioning just about anything that someone may deem offensive. Look what these bills have done in Canada and parts of Europe. These are launched by Jewish interests to stop any criticism of Israel. They are already calling criticism of Israel "anti-semetic" and had the audacity to insult Jimmy Carter over and over again, even comparing him to Hitler. If you want to know what this bill is really about, Google Rev. Ted Pike, who's lobbied for years to clarify who is behind this bill and what it really means.

[MI6troll]

"da Joooooooooooooos"

[jfredmuggs]

Which juice was it that made him gay?

[LIR]

Sick anti-Semit­e...you disgust me.

[barrycourage]

Anti-semitism has nothing to do with anything but anti-Semitism. Res ipsa loquitor.

[LorettaSingbiel]

"This is a bill that is not really meant to protect gays but to stop anyone from questioning just about anything that someone may deem offensive.­"

If THAT were true, it would certainly ruin YOUR fun, wouldn't it, iggy06!? But, it's NOT true. So rest assured, that THIS hate crimes amendment will ONLY take away your right to VIOLENTLY (not VERBALLY) ABUSE The GLBT Community.

(And cheer up, iggy06, because VIOLENT Bush plans to VETO!)

It's been nine years since Matthew Shepard was senselessly murdered because of who he was. This is the year we finally make sure every American is protected from this kind of VIOLENCE.

In an historic step toward equality for GLBT Americans, the U.S. Senate voted to pass the Matthew Shepard Act, which updates and expands the federal hate crimes laws to include bias motivated VIOLENCE based on a victim’s sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, and disability, and provides new resources and tools to assist local law enforcement in prosecuting VICIOUS crimes.

Stay safe, healthy and happy,
Love, Loretta

[Boadicea]

This guy has one twisted brain. Inside, he is an ugly, ugly little man.

[gallstones]

A nasty, naughty, ugly man.

[JohnJames]

You got it wrong - a nasty, bad, naughty boy.

[LightningJoe]

Deep inside, Craig is a perfectly valuable, even decent person, as all of us are.

Surrounding that core, there's a shell that feels a deep shame about one facet of his being, and wishes it were possible to change that part of himself.

Surrounding that layer is a layer where he tells himself that that deeper part of himself doesn't really exist.

Surrounding that denial is a patina of hate for the part that denies, and for the deeper trait that's the subject of the denial. This layer is striped with resentment of the denial itself.

Over that is a layer of denial that there's anything to deny at all. This is where Larry tries to live, but every time he visits a men's room, he slips down a few layers.

At the top is the politician, where all of his denial skills have paid off handsomely for him; and where he tries periodically to prove to the world that he has no depths to deny.

He isn't an evil man. He's a man who can't remember who he is.

...which puts him in good company with most of the rest of us.

[getoffmedz]

GOP "poster child" for hypocrisy. Your TYPICAL Fake Republican.

[susiesorority]

god...can'­t someone make this twit go away?

[LIR]

The Repigs are ignoring him...hopi­ng he will up and toe tap into oblivion with his garden magazines in tow. Hell, all those cute pages that Mark Foley has sent his way means if he quits he will lose out on all that chicken! Why run off to some airport stalll when he can get it in the Senate cloakroom?

[PaceSetter]

So when Craig gets bashed and the perpetrators are shouting "Take that you closeted old faggot!" it won't be charged as a hate crime, no mater how much they do.

[PaceSetter]

in fact hate him, that is.

[only1Demvoter]

Not much of a ' Pace ', is it there Pup ?? -ralph

[LIR]

Right...bu­t he will make a special exception for himself...­mark my words.

[olivia]

Idaho Mormons, I hope you are proud of what you sent to the Senate.

[lornejl]

Rest assured, they are.