From the story: The Senate Judiciary Committee held round one yesterday on a controversial amendment to the state constitution intended to stop men from marrying other men and women from marrying other women in the Keystone State.
The judiciary panel is due to hold round two today, when it's expected to vote on whether to send the so-called Pennsylvania Marriage Protection Act to the full Senate for action.
Sen. Jane Earll, R-Erie, broke with her Republican colleagues and opposed the constitutional amendment. She called it "a dangerous precedent'' that was based on fears of "a ghost in the corner.'' Read more...
Just to think, if the state Republican leadership had their way in 2002, State Senator Jane Earll would now be in her second term as Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania. In their infinite wisdom, they paired a pro-life gubernatorial candidate, Mike Fisher, with a pro-choice candidate, Jane Earll, for Lt. Governor. In trying to please all sides, they pleased no one and the Fisher – Earll ticket was trounced.
In 2007, if the state Republican leadership had their way, State Senator Jane Earll would be sitting on the Pennsylvania Superior Court in place of pro-life Superior Court Justice Jackie Shogan. Quite possibly, a Superior Court Judge Earll would be ready and poised to strike down the 1996 Marriage Protection Act should a test case be submitted.
Right now, State Senator Jane Earll is one vote of fifty. But she could have been one vote of twenty on the PA Superior Court or even be in a position as Lt. Governor to break a possible tie in the State Senate on this legislation.
Bottom line – These decisions to pick the future candidates of the Republican Party are made at the Republican State Committee. State Committee votes and attendance are not released to the public. Republican voters have no idea if their values were represented, or if their elected committee members even bothered to show up.
The good news is that Republican leadership did not get their way and State Senator Earll is still only one vote in fifty. The bad news is that we can’t vote out the 145 Republican State Committee members who voted to endorse Earll over Shogan for Superior Court, because we don’t know who they are.
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