Imagine my surprise when, wading through The Washington Post's endless articles on the debt-ceiling fight and budget talks, I came across the headline "Obama backs bill to repeal Defense of Marriage Act". Turns out that California Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced a bill at some point this year (completely unbeknownst to both me and Daisy) aimed at repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.
It's called the Respect for Marriage Act.
Honestly, I got an extra little feeling of warmth for Senator Feinstein when I read the name of the bill. Even as I thought that it's an odd time to bring up such a bill. (I'm still appreciative of it, mind you, regardless of the timing.) Then, I thought, only a Californian senator, and the Obama administration for that matter, would think that two weeks from financial default is the right time to come down on the side of lancing that ugly DOMA.
Of course, maybe their thinking was that the rabid conservatives bent on holding the American people hostage on morals and finance wouldn't notice that the bill was brought forward, now, while they're absolutely transfixed on sending the United States to bankruptcy court. One can only hope that might prove true.
Does this bill have a snowball's chance in Hell of passing? Maybe. After all, stranger things have happened in our political system. Like the former leader of the "Party of No," current Speaker of the House, John Boehner, suddenly seeming like the voice of reason in the Republic party and working with the president on a debt solution.
Daisy and I will have our fingers crossed as the Respect for Marriage Act plays out, of course.
--Penn
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