For core N.J. Democrats, a defining moment

by: Rosi Efthim

Fri Dec 04, 2009 at 01:04:41 PM EST

Published today:

Over Thanksgiving weekend, a small group of Democrats circulated a letter calling on Democratic legislators to post, and pass, a marriage equality bill that would give gays and lesbians the same right to marry the rest of us enjoy.

Our goal was to get 100 signatures, which would send a clear message that we expected our legislators to stand up for the values of the Democratic Party and its strong legacy of civil rights.

By the end of the week, 2,500 of the state's most prominent Democratic activists, including elected officials, consultants, fundraisers, campaign operatives, staffers and grassroots supporters, signed on to our letter. In all my years in politics, I cannot recall another time when so many came together to support a single issue.

This group represents the backbone of the Democratic Party and our message to legislators is clear: we will have your back when you do the right thing and support marriage equality. Most of us have dedicated our careers to getting Democrats elected to public office and we would never do anything to undermine our party and its elected officials. It is precisely because we believe that there are no negative political consequences to supporting this very basic civil right that we are urging this course of action.

Consider the following: Across the country, not one legislator who supported marriage equality, from either party, has ever lost re-election. Several have gone on to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and many have moved up to higher elected office. Not one Democrat who votes for marriage equality in 2009 will lose his or her seat in 2011 because of that vote.

New Jersey is a diverse state and its Legislature represents that diversity. Surely, almost every legislator grew up hearing stories of oppression from their parents or grandparents. It wasn't so long ago that "No Irish Need Apply" signs hung outside work places, black children were not allowed to attend school with white children, Jews were subject to university admissions quotas and Italians were excluded from white-shoe firms. It is no coincidence that these ethnic groups turned to the Democratic Party when they became politically active. Now it is time for the Democratic Party to do the right thing by another minority group that is denied the legal rights available to the rest of us.

To those who believe that our economic crisis forces legislators to address only fiscal issues, I say that there never appears to be a good time to press for civil rights. But remember that Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation during the dark days of the Civil War, Wilson pushed for women's suffrage despite a post-World War I recession and Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act even as the nation was embroiled in the Vietnam War. Now is the time for marriage equality.

Those of us who practice politics for a living tend to get caught up in the minutiae of the process. We live and die by news cycles and polls that reflect a small snapshot in time. But in the larger scheme of things, our party has always been stronger when we have embraced diversity. When Democrats promoted the rights of African Americans, we gained an important voting block. When Democrats embraced the rights of workers to organize, we gained another. Both morally and pragmatically, the time has come for us to remember once again why we chose to join the Democratic Party and the history and core beliefs that we stands for as Democrats.

Failure to pass a marriage equality bill will not personally affect my right to marry - as it will not personally affect the rights of most legislators. But I, and the many Democrats who signed our letter, simply feel that the rights enjoyed by most of us must be enjoyed by all of us.

That is why we became Democrats. That is why we have worked all of our lives to elect Democratic majorities in Washington and in Trenton. That is why our fellow Democrats, whom we have supported time and again, should vote for marriage equality.

You did this. Keep it up.

by: Rosi Efthim

Tue Dec 01, 2009 at 01:40:08 PM EST

A little while ago, Zachary Fink at NJN News posted a bright break of sunshine in the marriage equality fight, and his view - and mine - is that the won't-back-down stand of the progressive community, and the letter many of us sent to the statehouse this morning, may be turning this fight around.  Zachary Fink:

We all believe in second and third acts, and when it comes to the fate of legislation it can sometimes be a bit of a bumpy ride. Just as opponents appeared to have won the debate over gay marriage which would have prevented the bill from even coming up for a vote, it looks now as though the proponents of gay marriage will indeed get their day. Maybe.

An insider tells me that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo has sent a draft schedule to the Senate President's office for next Monday which includes the bill S1967. That is the bill legalizing marriage between same sex couples in New Jersey. The Senate President must approve the bills that will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 7th. So for now, it is up to Dick Codey. Should he greenlight it, that bill will finally get it's long awaited hearing.

What it means is that the stand we all have taken - and I include both the marvelous hotshot Democrats who signed the letter and the Republicans who are willing to stand for what's right on this issue - may yet overcome the willingness of those in the legislature saddled with inertia and unreasonably worried about their next election. In fact, as Fink says:

This is tricky for some lawmakers who were more than happy to see it die from lack of oxygen. However, some advocates would like to know which legislators may have been talking outta both sides of their mouths on this one - telling the gay rights groups they would vote for it, while promising the church they would not.

It's not over yet. Nowhere near. But you just showed the state legislature who has the balls to stand and not fade away.  

The Letter drops: What your legislature is reading this morning

by: Rosi Efthim

Tue Dec 01, 2009 at 09:41:00 AM EST

This letter has been signed by more than 200 influential New Jersey Democrats, including Members of Congress Rush Holt, Steve Rothman, and Frank Pallone, Mayor Cory Booker, and many elected officials. Here is the letter:

An Open Letter Calling on Democratic Legislators to Post Marriage Equality Legislation for a Vote
We believe that equality and fairness are fundamental principles of New Jersey's Democratic Party, and that is why we call on the state legislature to vote immediately on, and pass, the marriage equality bill.  

New Jersey has a proud history of supporting civil rights. It was this legacy that encouraged many of us to become involved in politics. We believe that allowing committed gay and lesbian couples to marry is, at its core, about treating our family members, friends, coworkers, and neighbors with dignity and respect.  

We appreciate that this is a difficult issue for some state legislators. But marriage equality is an idea whose time has come. We are confident that the voters will stand by those elected officials who do the right thing.  

When our children and grandchildren look back on this moment, we want to be able to tell them that we, too, did the right thing.  

As Martin Luther King poignantly reminded us, "the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice." That is why we're proud to lend our names and our voices to this important cause. We do so in our capacity as private citizens and Democratic voters, and not on behalf of any particular office or organization.

If you would like to add your name, we invite you to do so now, here on line. A full list of signers - including Blue Jersey writers - is below the fold.

Quite a few legislators must already know this letter was coming. It has been quietly circulated by a now-larger group of people, and in some cases legislators will open the door to their offices to find their own staff have signed on. A buzz about this letter has been growing for days, as Democratic stalwarts sign on and help circulate.

The letter represents a grass roots effort within the party amid a sense of frustration that Democratic lawmakers are being tempted to back away from a vote on the bills, even as outgoing Democratic Governor Jon S. Corzine said he would sign into law marriage equality legislation as soon as lawmakers sent the bill to his desk.

Gently written, and evocative of past civil rights struggles though it is, the meta-messages it carries are deadly clear: Do not underestimate where your friends are on this issue. Do not underestimate that the muscle of your party demands a vote, and expects marriage equality to pass, in this legislature dominated by Democrats. And understand that if you vote for what you know is right, do not underestimate how strongly we will stand behind you. And look at the list: This is a civil rights issue for us, an issue of fairness. Both straight and gay people signed.

"A lot of us are feeling let down, especially younger Democrats," said Ronald C. Rice, a member of the Newark City Council. "We sense there is an enthusiasm gap in Democratic support for this legislation, and we are asking Democrats to live up to the mandate set for them by their own party."