Boehner: House GOPers will decide this week whether to defend DOMA

[MNBrewer]

<http://gay.americablog.com/2011/02/boehner-house-gopers-will-decide-this.html>

“We’ve been researching all the options that are available to us. We’ll be talking to the members in the next few days about that and I expect we’ll have a decision by the end of the week.”

[Zoeisright]

1. Fuck you, Boner, you disgusting piece of shit.

You have no power. Way to dance for your masters, orange boy.

[emulatorloo]

Jobs????????????????

I thought the Republicans were supposed to be all about jobs.

At least that's what they said,

Instead they seem to be all about abortion and gays.

[emulatorloo]

2. Self delete DU double posting thing,

[MiniMe]

3. Meanwhile, the government is about to shut down with workers unpaid

[ShadowLiberal]

4. Is there any legal precedent to this?

[TheWraith]

5. Definitely not recently.

It's possible there may be some in the long past. However traditionally the reason for the DOJ's "duty to defend" is that they are the only party which defends federal law. As opposed to, say, the system in California, where if the AG and Governor opt out, a random interested party can come in and pursue the case. It's because the DOJ is the sole defendants that they're under a burden to protect the law without regard to the interests of the current administration. So that, for instance, a Republican administration 8 years down the road couldn't suddenly decide not to defend healthcare reform, or Roe vs. Wade, or something like that. Of course the Obama admin bent that rule a bit here, but letting Congress decide to opt in is their ticket out.

[TheWraith]

6. Of COURSE they will.

Anything to the contrary is simple showmanship. If they failed to defend DOMA, they'd alienate the far right base, and that's something that's simply not done in Republican-land, even if it means looking like a drooling psychotic. Hell, they defended DADT practically to the death, and it was far, far more unpopular than DOMA could hope to be within the next five years.