Let's Watch The Senate Protect Marriage Equality!

Great! Now do the debt ceiling, too! And voting rights! And ...

At long last, the US Senate is fixing to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, after several successful procedural votes that passed with a dozen Republican votes, as well as all 50 Democrats, meaning it won't be filibustered. There's little reason to think any of those Republicans will flip, so the final vote should be safe from a filibuster. Then again, it's 2022, so you never know what might happen. Maybe at the last minute all the Rs will insist on an amendment specifying that the law prohibits cartoon characters and Muppets from having their marriages recognized, just to spite fans of Peppermint Patty and Marcy or Bert and Ernie, even though both couples are officially just "best friends."

Maybe it will require an amendment to guarantee that everybody understands that for any Republican male "aye" vote, an implied "no homo" will be entered into the record next to their name.

Read Moar! Senate Really About To Protect Gay Marriage, Honest To F*ckin God 

 As we've noted previously, the bill falls a bit short of "enshrining Obergefell v. Hodges in law" — that would need a constitutional amendment — but it requires all states and the federal government to recognize all marriages in any state or territory, which almost accomplishes the same goal, prohibiting any state from discriminating against legally married same-sex and interracial couples. It's a way to protect against the possibility that the Supreme Court might overturn Obergefell , using fairly unassailable legal terms that should even hold up to scrutiny by the Alito Court.

 Here is your video. The vote was expected to begin around 3: 45 Eastern, but as of then, senators were still giving speeches in support of or against the bill (we've watched a little bit; so far it's been Republicans who support it, like Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Susan Collins of Maine). And now it's some amendment that would have watered down the bill, so don't be worried by the fact that the vote right now is not passing.

 youtu.be 

Once it's passed (we hope!) you should dance with the abandon of Snoopy on a piano!

On that note, we'll just let this serve as your OPEN THREAD!

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