Log Cabin...

I am a Green Party member - I understand market principles but do not necessarily agree with them in many cases.

Chris Barron offered a nice view of how to merge a gay identity with conservative thought at the State of the Movement. His point, overall, was very clear. The Gay Rights Movement is dependent upon the Conservative movement - for better or for worse. As Joe Solmonese pointed out, corporate America (tending to be right leaning), is leading the charge on gay rights. But that is driven by profit. Chris' point was politically oriented. And the bottom line is cloture in the Senate. If gay folk want to get legislation through both branches of the legislature, then cloture is the safety net and the sticky point. That was made clear with Harriet Myers - she would never pass cloture (hence her withdrawl).

Chris' clarifying comments were focused on the nature of what role that both sides of the aisle playing in letting a bill through the Senate. It is bipartisan inherently. It has to be a joint choice. His strongest point is that nothing will pass the Senate (without regard to the House) without 60 votes. And this is a check that keeps us gay folk hopeful and in despair. Chris clearly states that anything that will reach the Executive for a signature must pass muster of the Senate. The subcommittee, the committee and the Senate as a whole. And that requries compromise and negotiation.

We won't get what we want with 50 votes in the Senate - we need 60. And Chris brought that point home. Cloture is real. He was clear and a singular voice on the panel that the current minority is not powerless - rather they can exert a very strong effect on our future. And we must negotiate with them to effect change.

One benefit of the panel was that it brought out nuances in our current state. And it definitely gave me pause to think about the concept of a majority and what it actually means to us. It is an opportunity at the committee level - but it will not get it through the Senate alone. We need to keep in mind that the minority is both a curse and a blessing. These 60 votes are the singular check to the excesses of the majority. And I thank Chris for bringing up this point.