DC marriage acceptance to be challenged

Thanks to Juliet for posting today -- I, unfortunately, slept through my usual blogging time, and thanks to Wolfie at Back2Stonewall.com for the heads up on this one!

Rep. Jim Jordan of Urbana (OH-4) has promised to put a bill before the House of Representatives that would define marriage as between one man and one woman, thus invalidating a vote earlier in the month that would recognize out of state marriages. The head of the subcommittee that oversees DC affairs, Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, has all ready promised he would make the attempt as well. Said Jordan at a press conference today: "This is a fight we cannot shy away from, and it is a fight we have to win."

Oh? It's that important to you as a person? Or just as a politician? I wonder.

What's interesting about this is that, since Nancy Pelosi has essentially said she's not interested, and the committee that would put the bill to the floor is headed by a supporter, we are likely going to see a House vote on a Defense of Marriage Act...

...for the first time since 1996.

What's even more interesting is that it will likely pass the House, and then may pass the Senate, and then we'll get to see what kind of stuff President Obama is really made of. Of course, there is an easy way out of this for fence sitters: "We believe in the right of the District of Columbia to dictate its own policies, and we have no interest in interceding on Council's decisions." In a way, the showdown in DC may turn into a more interesting and fascinating Constitutional dance than we've seen in a while.

Utah Rep. Trying to Stop DC Marriage Recognition

I was right!

A far-right Representative (from Utah) named Jason Chaffetz is trying to intercede in Washington, DC Council's decision to recognize out-of-district same-sex marriages. Chaffetz is a freshman Represenative -- elected for the first time in 2008 -- and, get this, the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee. Wow. They were really stretched thin for leadership, there.

From the Washington Post, this is what he said:

"Some things are worth fighting for, and this is one of them. It's not something I can let go softly into the night. . . . I recognize the Democrats are in the majority, but I represent the majority of Americans on this issue."

Why does it matter? Thank goodness for his Twitter account, and the Washington City Paper, we get to find out: "Why am I involved? Congress is set up to oversee the affairs of D.C. I am one of the Members on the relevant committee."

Oh, OK. That explains it.

For the record, Mr. Chaffetz is also against DC representation in Congress -- believing, instead, that the District should be retroceded (is that the word?) into Maryland, despite the Constitutional mandate for an independent District to house the capital.