Ferguson Flip Flops on ENDA

by: Scott Weingart

Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 09:52:19 AM EST

If you'll recall, Ferguson has also changed his position on hate crimes twice since his first term.  While campaigning for Congress in 2000, he supported including sexual orientation in hate crimes laws, and he cosponsored the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2001.  In 2005, he voted against covering sexual orientation under federal hate crime laws.  Then, earlier this year, he voted for the same bill he supported in 2000 and 2001 but opposed in 2005.

Ferguson has abandoned all principle on LGBT issues, voting half the time to please his right-wing donor base and half the time to mollify his mostly moderate constituents.  His vote yesterday placed him far to the right of the New Jersey mainstream; last year just 10 of 120 state legislators voted against banning employment discrimination based on gender identity or expression.  For someone who likes to talk up his "moderate" record during general election season, that's pretty pathetic.