Despite Senate Coup, O'Donnell Remains Confident on Gay Marriage
Sitting in the back of the Assembly chamber, Assembly Member Daniel
O'Donnell (D-Manhattan) said that despite the turmoil which erupted in
the State Senate this afternoon, he feels there is still hope for his
gay marriage legislation to be passed.
"You still have to try to get to 32 votes. I've always taken the position that the bill should be put to the floor," he said. "So if they don't want a Democratic senator to carry the bill--we passed it in this chamber and sent it to them--they can take my bill and put it on the floor and let the votes go where the votes go."
O'Donnell said he was "absolutely" sure there was support among Republican senators for the bill and said he did not immediately plan to let up in his lobbying, despite what appears to be a switch in power to a group of senators largely opposed to the bill.
"I currently don't know whether they're gaveling out tomorrow or going home. I don't have a clue whether they're going to get their act together to finish the last two weeks of session," he said. "If they are going to try to do that, yes, I think the effort should continue to get the vote to the floor."
O'Donnell laughed off the suggestion that the discontent over gay marriage being pushed through was a catalyst for State Sens. Pedro Espada (D-Bronx), Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) and Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) bolting the Democratic conference."
"Their people have senses of humor I don't even know," he said. "I can't Monday morning quarterback how this came to be."
He suggested an alternative explanation.
"Nothing happens here for one reason. This happened for a myriad of reasons," he said. "And almost everything that happens in this building has to do with money. It always has to do with money. The gays don't have anything to do with it."
O'Donnell insisted the strategy for getting gay marriage passed into law has not changed significantly--at least not yet.
"Clearly I was shocked, and it will require rethought, but it doesn't change my belief that a vote should be taken."
He challenged apparent new Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos to allow a vote.
"I continue to believe it is a possibility this year to get this done. It was never going to be an easy thing to get done, but it's still possible," he said. "And if in fact Dean Skelos meant what he said, that it's a vote of conscience, then he can put my bill on the floor and let it go down to glaring defeat because no one's voting for it, and then we'll know where the votes are."
Reminded that Skelos had said that one of the moves the new majority would insist on was opening the process of bringing bills to the floor, O'Donnell said, "Why don't you ask him tomorrow when he's putting that one on the floor? You tell me what he says because I'll be interested to know."
"You still have to try to get to 32 votes. I've always taken the position that the bill should be put to the floor," he said. "So if they don't want a Democratic senator to carry the bill--we passed it in this chamber and sent it to them--they can take my bill and put it on the floor and let the votes go where the votes go."
O'Donnell said he was "absolutely" sure there was support among Republican senators for the bill and said he did not immediately plan to let up in his lobbying, despite what appears to be a switch in power to a group of senators largely opposed to the bill.
"I currently don't know whether they're gaveling out tomorrow or going home. I don't have a clue whether they're going to get their act together to finish the last two weeks of session," he said. "If they are going to try to do that, yes, I think the effort should continue to get the vote to the floor."
O'Donnell laughed off the suggestion that the discontent over gay marriage being pushed through was a catalyst for State Sens. Pedro Espada (D-Bronx), Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) and Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) bolting the Democratic conference."
"Their people have senses of humor I don't even know," he said. "I can't Monday morning quarterback how this came to be."
He suggested an alternative explanation.
"Nothing happens here for one reason. This happened for a myriad of reasons," he said. "And almost everything that happens in this building has to do with money. It always has to do with money. The gays don't have anything to do with it."
O'Donnell insisted the strategy for getting gay marriage passed into law has not changed significantly--at least not yet.
"Clearly I was shocked, and it will require rethought, but it doesn't change my belief that a vote should be taken."
He challenged apparent new Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos to allow a vote.
"I continue to believe it is a possibility this year to get this done. It was never going to be an easy thing to get done, but it's still possible," he said. "And if in fact Dean Skelos meant what he said, that it's a vote of conscience, then he can put my bill on the floor and let it go down to glaring defeat because no one's voting for it, and then we'll know where the votes are."
Reminded that Skelos had said that one of the moves the new majority would insist on was opening the process of bringing bills to the floor, O'Donnell said, "Why don't you ask him tomorrow when he's putting that one on the floor? You tell me what he says because I'll be interested to know."
