The New York Times Caucus Blog -

Guns and Gays: Senator Claire McCaskill, who voted against expanding conceal-and-carry weapons privileges on Wednesday, has been forced to clarify the rationale for her decision after being called out by a gay conservative group. Following the vote, the Missouri Democrat cast the gun provision as a state’s rights issue — as had other Democrats who voted against it – saying “this is a foot in the door that would require, for example, the laws in Vermont on gay marriage to be enforced in Missouri. It just kills me, these guys, that they would pound the tables about states’ rights until, situationally, they don’t want to talk about states’ rights anymore.”

GOProud, the gay conservative group, then accused the senator of using “baseless antigay scare tactics.” The Advocate reports that Ms. McCaskill, in a statement, responded that “I wasn’t clear when I stated that my vote against that provision was because it came down to a state’s rights. I was expressing my frustration in that some who argue that states shouldn’t respect the laws, certificates, or permits from other states when it’s convenient, like with gay marriage, but then argue that they should when it’s convenient on another issue, like gun rights.”

Click here for more.

Sen. John Thune’s (R-SD) closing remarks prior to the vote on his concealed carry reciprocity amendment.

Watch Senator John Thune (R-SD) explain his concealed carry reciprocity amendment -

Leading lgbt publication, The Advocate, mentions GOProud’s support of the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Amendment in this article about Hate Crimes legislation.

The Senate is scheduled to vote Wednesday on one more contentious amendment to hate crimes that would allow licensed gun owners to carry concealed weapons across state lines. The outcome of the measure, sponsored by GOP Senator John Thune of South Dakota, remains far from clear and continues to be hotly debated among Democrats.

While HRC has no official position on the gun amendment, the LGBT conservative group GOProud endorsed it.

“Including concealed carry reciprocity language in the hate crimes legislation will empower individuals to lawfully defend themselves from becoming victims of violent crime,” GOProud said in a joint statement with Gun Owners of America.

Senate staff have told GOProud to expect a vote on the Thune-Vitter Concealed Carry Reciprocity Amendment sometime on Wednesday, July 22.  So there’s still time for you to call your Senators and tell them to vote yes on the amendment!  Call (202) 224-3121.

US Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will outline his opposition to Judge Sonia Sotomayor in a Senate floor speech on Monday.  Watch C-SPAN 2 on Monday for the entire speech.  Here is an excerpt from Senator McConnell’s prepared remarks-

“Judge Sotomayor’s record on the Second Circuit is troubling enough. But, as I said, at least on the Circuit Court, there’s a backstop. Her cases can be reviewed by the Supreme Court. This meant that in the Ricci case, for example, the firefighters whose promotions were unfairly denied could appeal the decision. Fortunately for them, the Supreme Court sided with them over Judge Sotomayor. If, however, Judge Sotomayor were to become a Supreme Court Justice, there would be no backstop. Her rulings would be final. She’d be unencumbered by the obligation of lower court judges to follow precedent. She could act more freely on the kinds of views that animated her troubling and legally incorrect ruling in the Ricci case. That’s not a chance I’m willing to take.”

Click here to read GOProud’s statement in opposition of the Sotomayor nomination.

Nicole Stallard, with the Northern California Pink Pistols, gives her take on hates crimes legislation in this video.  She has a good point.

This is a good read in tomorrow’s New York Times.  The Art of the Political Comeback. Here’s a good part -

Mike Murphy, a Republican consultant, noted another demographic weak spot: younger voters, who don’t share the party’s opposition to gay rights.

“Some of the stuff that is going to work for us in the short term is not going to work in the long term,” Mr. Murphy said. “The heavy lifting we need for a real comeback — a comeback that would give us majorities and not just slow down Obama — is going to mean modernizing what conservatism means because the demographics of the party are changing and we are not.”

Read it all here.

GOProud joined with other 15 other national organizations in signing a letter of support of H.R. 2517, the Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act.

Read the entire letter below -

July 8, 2009

Dear Chairman Lynch,

We, the undersigned organizations, write in support of the Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act, H.R. 2517.  The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act would provide health care, retirement, and other benefits to all federal civilian employees with qualifying same-sex domestic partners on the same basis as spousal benefits.  The Act also provides benefits for domestic partners’ children, even if they are not the biological or adopted children of the employee.[1]

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