Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn Lobby To Legalize Same-Gender Marriage In NY

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bloombergNew York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg personally lobbied Republican state senators Tuesday to legalize same-gender marriage, while the Senate’s Democratic leader predicted the measure won’t even get to the floor this year.

Bloomberg, a major campaign contributor to the Senate GOP majority, said he argued that legalizing same-gender marriage is consistent with traditional Republican views of limiting government.

“Government shouldn’t be in the business of telling people what they can do with their personal lives, as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody,” Bloomberg said. “It doesn’t mean everybody has to agree, but nobody’s getting hurt.”

City Council Speaker also spent much of the day lobbying Albany lawmakers as well.

“I’m extremely optimistic that when the bill gets to the floor, it will pass, the governor will sign it and marriage equality will finally be the law of our great state,” Quinn told 1010 WINS’ Stan Brooks.

The mayor called same-gender marriage “one of the defining issues of our lifetime,” and warned Senate Republicans they don’t want to “end up on the wrong side of history.”

Democratic Sen. Thomas Duane of Manhattan, sponsor of the bill and the Legislature’s first openly toeivah lawmaker, criticized Bloomberg for heavily funding the campaigns of Republicans who oppose same-gender  marriage. “Talk is cheap,” he said.

“I detest the culture of pay-to-play here in Albany, but the mayor participates in it heavily, and yet marriage equality does not seem to be part of his litmus test,” Duane said in an interview after Bloomberg’s comments. “I do not understand why he continues to support them so generously, and yet none of them support my right to get married.”

Duane said he’s frustrated Senate Republicans, key to approval, haven’t yet committed publicly to supporting same-gender marriage. But he said he doesn’t believe the effort is weakening as the June 20 end of the regular legislative session approaches.

In an effort to help push the issue, Democratic Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell of Manhattan introduced a same-gender marriage bill.

One of the same-gender rights advocates was less optimistic Tuesday.

Senate Democratic leader John Sampson of Brooklyn said, “I don’t expect Sen. Skelos to bring it to the floor, if the Conservative Party has anything to do with it,” Sampson said. “I believe the governor is doing all he can to push the issue, but there is deafening silence from the Senate majority.”

Skelos, like influential state Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long, opposes legalizing same-gender  marriage. But Skelos has said he would allow his conference to vote its conscience on the issue. There was no immediate comment from Skelos on Tuesday.

“They said they would” bring it to the floor, Bloomberg said, “I assume they would.”

The Republicans hold a 32-30 majority in the chamber, where a same-gender  marriage bill fell eight votes shy of approval in 2009 despite Democrats holding the majority. The measure has strong support in the Democrat-led Assembly.

{CBS Local/Matzav.com Newscenter}


24 COMMENTS

  1. It time to start getting ready for the inevitable, toeiva marriage will be legal in a maximum of 10 years 15 years the latest. It’ll just be another thing that goyim do, but we dont, Im pretty sure that list is very very long. I promise, Yidishkeit will survive, lets focus our energy on battles we can win and are more important. (To be clear Im not saying this isnt important, im just saying that we cant win, and that other things are more imoportant)

  2. I don’t think you’re correct. After 9/11 the divorce rate in United States dropped by almost 10 percent. There are crazy happenings in the world. Iran seems to, unfortunately, be growing more powerful by day. Many other as well.

    It’s highly unlikely that there won’t be a frightening world event on scale of 9/11 (or greater) within the next 10 to 15 years. We cannot predict what type of soul-searching this fear may produce.

  3. Hashem hates this kind of behavior and will not let it continue; even Bilaam knew it approx. 3,283 years ago. If you look at history you’ll see every society and civilization started crumbling when they lost their moral values.

    The question is: Will you let yourself sink with them?

  4. Bloomberg is making a terrible Chillul Hashem! It is beyond me why “some” of our mosdos honor this NOBODY! He still has not given any of his “personal” billions to any of our local struggling Yeshiva’s. Don’t believe what these muschusim are saying. The bill is lacking support & we have a Chiuv to call our local “elected” officials & tell them how WE feel on this abomination!

  5. Bloomberg? Quinn?

    Didn’t frum organizations support these clowns?

    Didn’t frum organizations tell us to vote for these clowns?

    I guess $$$$ is more important to some than Torah values.

  6. #2 I dont believe that is accurate it doesnt make much sense, and i tried googling it to find a source do you have one? At any rate, unfortunatly even a tragedy like 9/11 wouldnt push pro-toeiva people t change their minds since in their mind they are doing the “right” thing. Lastly, even if your argument was correct, that isnt a reson for us to expend energy on a battle we can only win if a disaster occurs soon. Right now as is, it is a battle we cant win. Of course its POSSIBLE some drastic event will change the course of history. why predict a disaster though, how about Moshiach will come tommorow, and then ill certainly be wrong about my 10 year predicition

    #7: $$$$ is more important than fighting for a questionable torah value (ie toeiva marriage among our society, im not fammiliar with a value that calls for us to try to fight what goyim around us do) And more importantly, it is a value that we cant possibly attain. with money we can provide for talmud torah, almanos yesomim, aniyim, hachnasas kallah etc etc ANY ONE of those is a torah value let alone all together.

  7. After this is straightened out, we should concentrate and fix what brought this on. We have to destroy all evil from our own backyards regardless of how difficult and unpopular it may be. Now is not the time to be naive – Everything and I mean everything happens for a reason and in these days the punishment is swift.

  8. According to your reasoning we should have no objection to drugs, bigotry, etc.
    We should look the other way as long as we get some $$$$ out of it.

    You’re so confused.

  9. “$$$$ is more important than fighting for a questionable torah value (ie toeiva marriage among our society, im not fammiliar with a value that calls for us to try to fight what goyim around us do)”

    That sort of money-grubbing attitude over Torah values is what repeatedly gets us into trouble and gives us a bad name. What “the goyim around us do” has a negative influence on our behavior. This is why the Agudath Israel of America, at the direction of the Moetzes Gedolei Torah is encouraging everyone to do what they can to “help defeat this pernicious legislation.”

    Call your State Senator at 518-455-2800!

  10. “According to your reasoning we should have no objection to drugs, bigotry, etc.”

    Drugs DO harm, both to the user and to the larger community, especially, and tragically, the family and friends of the person who suffer.

    Bigotry is permissible in the sense that one is “allowed” to hate whomever one wishes to hate, it does cross a line when it is no longer free speech/belief, but becomes incitement to violence. That is prohibited.

  11. Yanki you are free to call it money grubbing, i call it harbatzos torah, and many almanos and yesomim call it survival.
    NY esq im not the one confused as it is not I who made a terrible comparison as #12 explained.

  12. We Torah Jews live in the world and our children are affected by the world we live in. Money is worthless when its comes at the cost of Kedushas Yisroel. FACT 1) The Democrats overwhelmingy support abortion at will; FACT 2) The Democrats overwhelmingly support same gender Marriage and the current Justice Dep’t is not going to support the Defense of Marriage Act; FACT 3)it was the liberal justices on the Supreme Court who forced certain material on the internet under free speech rights even in public libraries and schools; FACT 4) The supporters of legalizing mariujana are overwhelming Democrat; FACT 5)The right to die laws or death panels are overwhelmingly supported by Democrats and FACT 6) 53 representatives in the House signed an anti-Israel pro-Gaza piece of legislation two years ago ALL WERE DEMOCRATS.

  13. Quinn is a self-stated toeivanik. There are no ‘rights’ to taxpayer-funfded privileges for perverts.

  14. #16 Youre right smart voters choose candidates based on their stance on legalizing toeiva marriage and nothing else, and therfore it will never happen in the US. Thanks for your shrewd analysis.
    #14 FACT apples grow on trees FACT The earth is round. FACT Toeiva marriage will be legal in the US in 15 years tops no matter how much we protest. FACT Objects with mass attract each other. You listed a bunch of facts that were irrelevant, so I figured Id do the same, at least one of mine was relevant and all were accurate

  15. The first result on my google search clearly does suggests that.

    http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0923080.html

    When I have time I’ll try to post the results from all the different studies.

    Don’t almost most divorcees claim their divorce was “right”? ( Doesn’t another site allow one of them, as a “moderator”, free reign to try to ensnare others into their poor choices?). Deep down, everyone knows the truth. (An ironinc proof is “kofin ad sheyomar rotzeh ani).

    We have to battle as our CURRENT gedolim tell us to. Doomsaying from either side doesn’t sound correct.

  16. #19 um I hate to break it to you but the data you provided shows a drop in divorces occuring between 1990 – 2000 ie pre 9/11. As to your question, no many divorces (if not most) are based on inconsequential reasons like “growing bored” I suppose its conceivable (though you have not provided any data to this end) that a disaster would motivate people to rethink their priorities. Sadly bichatoseinu harabim this does not hold true for those who are pro toeiva, to them it is a “mitzva” based on “equality” and yada yada not comparable to divorces at all.
    no gedolim that i am aware of say to avoid dealing with and getting money for yeshivos etc… from politicians who support toeiva-marriage. I am not arguing with the gedolim, on the contrary it was #6 and #7 who not only argued, but critiszed our Gedolim.
    #18 yes and yes. In fact in 2010 I voted for Obama, though itll be safe to sit out 2012 as no Republican, let alone any that are running (Romney has the only (albeit miniscule) shot, I guess Republicans like Romneycare better than the synonymous Obamacare, ok I can live with that) has any shot at beating Obama
    🙂

  17. “i call it harbatzos torah, and many almanos and yesomim call it survival.”

    Yankel,

    It’s nice that you’re so concerned about haratzos torah, almanos and yesomim but the Moetzes has declared this bill “pernicious legislation” that must be defeated.

    As committed Jews, we don’t agree to anything just for money and we listen to our Gedolim. You can argue when you’re on the Moetzes; until then, let them worry about haratzos torah, almanos and yesomim.

  18. every single person must use all their kochos to make sure such

    a terrible thing will not happen and never ever happen

  19. We need to fight the toeiva’niks with all out might.

    Baruch Hashem for Agudah and the other organization publicly fighting this abomination on the political level.

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