Flashback to the Democrats Who Voted for DOMA

With huge joy, in the midst of great celebrating: Screw you, Bill Clinton. Victory shouldn't whitewash the unnecessary and unconstitutional 17-year burden that brought us here, yet once again the former president can't quite recall the facts of DOMA. (Here and here.) Today he and Hillary had the temerity to release this statement that fails to acknowledge he's the one who signed it into law:

"By overturning the Defense of Marriage Act, the court recognized that discrimination towards any group holds us all back in our efforts to form a more perfect union. We are also encouraged that marriage equality may soon return to California. We applaud the hard work of the advocates who have fought so relentlessly for this day, and congratulate Edie Windsor on her historic victory."

Similarly, he omitted DOMA in his 1,052-page memoir. The index entry for "gay rights" lists two pages.

Apologists yammer on about the veto-proof majority, but Clinton's early support for DOMA gave the senators cover and helped to create that landslide. His Dept of Justice, headed by Janet Reno, delivered a memo to Congress stating the DOJ determined DOMA was constitutional. After that, these many Democrats were among the 85 senators who voted for DOMA in 1996:

Max Baucus (D-MT), Joe Biden (D-DE), Bingaman (D-NM), Bill Bradley (D-NJ), Breaux (D-LA), Bryan (D-NV) Bumpers (D-AR) Robert Byrd (D-WV), Conrad (D-ND), Tom Daschle (D-SD), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Dorgan (D-ND) Exon (D-NE) Faircloth, Ford (D-KY), John Glenn (D-OH), Graham (D-FL), Harkin (D-IA), Heflin (D-AL), Hollings (D-SC), Johnston (D-LA), Kohl (D-WI), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Levin (D-MI), Joe Lieberman (D-CT), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Murray (D-WA), Sam Nunn (D-GA), Harry Reid (D-NV), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), and Paul Wellstone (D-MN).

Read the full roll call.

Major kudos to the mere fourteen senators who voted against DOMA: Akaka (D-HI), Boxer (D-CA), Feingold (D-WI), Feinstein (D-CA), Inouye (D-HI), Kennedy (D-MA), Kerrey (D-NE), Kerry (D-MA), Moseley-Braun (D-IL), Moynihan (D-NY), Pell (D-RI), Robb (D-VA), Simon (D-IL), and Wyden (D-OR).

In the House, 118 Democrats joined 224 Republicans in voting for the bill, while 65 dems and one gay Republican voted against it. List here.

In the spirit of healing, wouldn't it be healthy for Janet Reno to apologize now?

Elsewhere, the Onion profiles a more nefarious crew: Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, Alito Suddenly Realize They Will Be Villains In Oscar-Winning Movie One Day.