Ed Markey Defeats the Ghost of Scott Brown and SJC Strikes Down Doma

     Yesterday's anti voter decision by the Roberts' Court was a disappointing step back in voting rights. The reasoning was fairly specious-'VRA worked so well that now it's unnecessary and in fact it discriminates against Southern states'-the trouble with the conservative court is that it values equality between states over equality between Americans. Voters in low population state actually get more votes than those from bigger states.

    http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2013/06/infamy-at-john-roberts-supreme-court.html

    http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2013/06/scotus-rolls-back-voting-rights.html

    Today, however, we got some very good news. First of all Ed Markey has taken John Kerry' former seat so the ghost of Scott Brown is now conclusively laid to rest. With both Massachusetts Senate seats back in Democratic hands we can again feel that all is right in the world or getting righter anyway.

     http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/ap-markey-wins-massachusetts-senate-seat.php?ref=fpb

    In all seriousness, the victory of Markey is less about the ghost of Brown than that of Mitch McConnell, of slowing down his machine of filibuster and obstruction. If anything. the SCOTUS decision against Section 4 of the VRA underscores how we simply need a Democrat majority in the House and a filibuster proof majority in the Senate: how else is Section 4 ever brought back?

     On the other hand the SJC got something right today: finally we have an end to DOMA. Not a moment too soon.

     "What’s particularly striking, in light of the decades of struggle that have unfolded since the early 1970s — the long dark period in the closet, the underground gay clubs that were subsequently padlocked amid the AIDS crisis, the shameful refusal of public officials to acknowledge that crisis — is the ringing language of equality in the SCOTUS decision."

     "It is unequivocal in declaring DOMA (which denies federal benefits to same sex couples legally married in states) in violation of the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection and due process, and in striking down DOMA as a deliberate effort to impose inequality on a selected class of American citizens."

      "What happened today is that a whole new legal framework has been created within which state level battles over marriage equality will now unfold. It’s not an overstatement to say that the language in today’s decision may help put state laws banning gay marriage on the path to extinction around the country."

     http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/06/26/a-whole-new-era-for-gay-rights-and-human-decency/

     John Boehner for his part hopes the states will choose to define marriage as between 'one man and one woman.'

     http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/boehner-hopes-states-will-define-marriage-as-between

       Nancy Pelos probably gave the best answer of the day when asked what she makes of Michelle Bachman's latest absurdity after the verdict: who cares what Michelle Bachman thinks? It's a good question with her a lame duck to boot. We can't miss her till she's gone. 

       http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/pelosi-on-bachmanns-reaction-to-doma-ruling-who