Hate Crimes Vote Recap

A 2/3 majority would be needed in both the House and Senate to override Dubya's possible veto of the Hate Crimes Act, which the bill's backers do not think they can achieve. Although his senior advisors are recommending a veto, historically, the Decider has been very hesitant to use his veto privilege, so we might still have a chance.

In the meantime......

The following 14 House Democrats voted NO on HR 1592, should you care to contact them about your future voting plans:

Alabama - Bud Cramer
Arkansas - Marion Berry, Mike Ross
Indiana - Joe Donnelly, Brad Ellsworth
Louisiana - Charlie Melancon
Minnesota - Collin Peterson
Mississippi - Gene Taylor
North Carolina - Mike McIntyre, Heath Shuler
Oklahoma - Dan Boren
Pennsylvania - Christopher Carney
Tennessee - Bart Gordon, Lincoln Davis.

For a complete list of the Republicans that voted YES and the reps that did not vote, go here.

The Senate version of the bill, the Matthew Shepard Act, is expected to be a much closer vote. Senate rules allow a bill's opponents to demand a 60-vote majority for passage and supporters say they cannot predict a win before the actual vote. The date for the Senate vote has not yet been set.
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