“If I don¹t get a lot of political demand, I¹m probably not going to have a hearing. [But] if suddenly the halls become filled with people who oppose it, I¹ll pull the bill and hold a [public] hearing.” Those words were spoken by at-large D.C. Councilman Phil Mendelson in an interview with me on April 27 less than a week before he and his colleagues gave final approval to legislation that requires District officials to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other jurisdictions.
The same week Mendelson uttered those words, a group of residents, including clergy, held a rally outside the John A. Wilson Building protesting the council¹s initial approval of the measure. Last Tuesday, as Mendelson and other lawmakers took their final vote, the halls outside the legislature’s chamber were packed with opponents.
But, Mendelson didn¹t pull the bill. I had my doubts about his pledge. I waited to see how much value he placed on his own words obviously very little.
The battle in the District over same-sex marriage has just begun. Some residents many, though not all, African-Americans won¹t ever support such a law; they cite religion and culture. Others agree, however, that members of the gay community deserve the same rights and protections as heterosexuals.
Interestingly, people in both groups proponents and opponents object to what the council did last week. They believe there should have been a public hearing, providing a full and proper airing of concerns before a vote was taken. They also worry about the
effect the council¹s action may have on efforts to win voting rights and legislative autonomy.
In an ideal world, where District residents aren¹t second-class citizens and have voting representatives in Congress, concerns about timing would be insignificant. But the city¹s political reality always has been the stuff of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel: The surrealism is breathtaking.
Which brings me back to Councilman Mendelson a man who for the past two years has chided the mayor about the lack of transparency; about his unwillingness to engage the electorate; about his doublespeak. The art of political calculation isn¹t exercised solely by the executive, however.
Though less skilled at the art, Mendelson appears to have calibrated his position on the same-sex marriage bill against potential votes and money for his re-election campaign. In 2006, the last time Mendelson faced the electorate, he won all eight wards. The animus toward A. Scott Bolden, his black opponent, proved greater than Mendelson¹s documented vulnerability. In other words, Mendelson was the stronger of two enfeebled candidates.
Conditions may not be so favorable in 2010. To overcome his continued weakness, Mendelson has to repeat his 2006 performance in Wards 1,2, 3 and 6; each has a sizable gay population.
There is one problem with that calculation, however. Gay marriage has the potential of galvanizing black voters in a way that Bolden, even in his wildest dreams, could never imagine.
Jonetta Rose Barras, host of WPFW-FM¹s “DC Politics with Jonetta,” can be
reached at [email protected].
