Democrats See Republican Hand In Gay Marriage Stumbles
Image via Wikipedia Gay marriage advocates hope to regain their momentum in Albany this week after a series of hard knocks, but some of their allies have begun to wonder whether the string of bad news was more than just coincidence. They are looking for signs of a coordinated effort behind their recent setbacks, which have seemingly trimmed the chances that any Republican senators might break ranks and join with Democrats to pass a same-sex marriage bill before the session ends June 20. Mark Grisanti and Andrew Lanza — Republican senators considered potential swing votes — said last week they remain opposed. Brooklyn GOP Senator Marty Golden introduced an anti- gay-marriage bill just two days after his ally, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, trekked to Albany to lobby for Republican support for marriage. And Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long said opposing gay marriage will be a litmus test for the party’s endorsement in 2012. “This is not a coincidence. This is the Senate Republican