House Panel Orders DOMA Intervention

By a 3-2 vote, the leaders of the U.S. House voted today to intervene in the DOMA cases presently in the courts.

In a party-line vote of 3-2, the five-member Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group composed of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Democrats House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.), gave the House general counsel the authority to retain outside counsel to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Speaker Boehner issued a statement after the vote.

"Today, after consultation with the Bipartisan Leadership Advisory Group, the House General Counsel has been directed to initiate a legal defense of this law," Boehner said in the statement. "This action by the House will ensure that this law's constitutionality is decided by the courts, rather than by the President unilaterally."

During the vote, Pelosi and Hoyer demanded to know where the money was coming from.

"Pelosi and Hoyer both pressed the General Counsel on what this case would cost the House of Representatives," according to the source. "General Counsel Kerry Kirchner would only say it would "not be inexpensive." Mr. Kirchner noted that there are currently at least 10 cases and he does not have the in-house resources to deal with that many cases as he has a staff of five with one lawyer currently on maternity leave." The intervention will take 18 months minimum, Kirchner informed the leaders. He noted, too, that previous Presidents, including Ronald Reagan, have opted not to defend laws in court.

The Human Rights Campaign reacts to the vote.

“Apparently, the Republicans’ jobs plan is a full employment project for right-wing lawyers bent on defending discrimination,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “With today’s vote, Speaker Boehner has made clear that an anti-equality agenda trumps helping American families in tough economic times, including loving and committed couples who are legally married in their states.”

Tweet Of The Day - Nancy Pelosi

Tony Perkins Rips Pelosi On DOMA

"Proving once again why she is former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the House Minority Leader wagged her finger at Republicans for 'standing up for a discriminatory law' and 'failing to focus on jobs and the economy.' 'This action,' she said, 'places Republicans squarely on the wrong side of history and progress. This is nothing more than a distraction from our most pressing challenges.'

"First of all, the foundation of civil society is not a 'distraction.' Secondly, conservatives didn't pick this fight--the President and his liberal allies did. Yet ours is the movement that's constantly criticized for bringing up wedge issues. If you ask me, the Left is the side obsessed with social change. Americans wouldn't even be discussing this if the White House had maintained the status quo. As for being on the 'wrong side of progress,' that's the same argument people used to push no-fault divorce 40 years ago. Unfortunately, the country found out too late that it wasn't 'progress' nfor children or society." - Family Research Council spokesbigot Tony Perkins, via press release.

Matt Baume: This Week In Prop 8

Today's episode: Pelosi vs. Boehner on DOMA.

SNL Spoofs John Boehner's Crying Jags

Pelosi Surrenders Gavel To John Boehner

Noting that the gavel he'd selected was "larger than most," Rep. Nancy Pelosi has handed over power to Speaker John Boehner. FSM help us all.

Thank You, Speaker Pelosi

On her final day as the first woman Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi says she has "no regrets."

Tweet Of The Day II - Nancy Pelosi

Quote Of The Day - Gary Bauer

"From the standpoint of the Democratic Party, she did a great job of ramming their agenda down the throats of the House of Representatives. But in so doing, she has alienated a good bit of the American people, including those independent voters. I thought it was rather humorous that for weeks and weeks, there was a big sign outside the Republican National Committee that said 'Fire Nancy Pelosi' -- followed a day or so after the election with a big sign that said 'Hire Nancy Pelosi.'" - American Values founder and former GOP presidential candidate Gary Bauer, saying that Republicans are delighted that Pelosi was retained as leader of the House Democrats. Bauer was president of the Family Research Council for the ten years before Tony Perkins took over.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi Re-Elected Leader Of House Democrats

But 43 Democrats voted against her.

Officials said that Ms. Pelosi defeated Representative Heath Shuler of North Carolina in an internal party vote, 150 to 43. Mr. Shuler acknowledged before the vote that he had no chance to win, but he wanted to give disgruntled Democrats a chance to register their opposition to Ms. Pelosi’s leadership just the same. Earlier on Wednesday, the House Democrats defeated a motion to delay the leadership election by a vote of 129 to 68. The 68 votes in favor of a delay showed the fractures in the caucus over Ms. Pelosi continuing as the party’s leader. Representative Peter DeFazio of Oregon, one of those pushing for a delay, said he believed the vote sent a substantial message.

Rep. Steny Hoyer (MD) is expected to become House Minority Whip.

Pelosi Wants Lame Duck ENDA Vote

According to Politico, outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated during a conference call today that she is planning for a vote on ENDA during the lame duck session. Politico's Ben Smith characterizes ENDA as an "easy lift" compared to other LGBT rights legislation. That's probably true in the House as a high percentage of Democrats have signed on as co-sponsors. (199 of the needed 216 for passage, according to the last count I recall seeing.)

ENDA has been introduced in nine of the last ten Congresses, but only the trans-exclusive 2007 version passed in the House (with a mostly partisan vote of 235-184), but not before a creating a huge rift among LGBT groups due to its lack of gender identity protections. (35 GOP reps voted yes, Blue Dog Democrats mostly did not.) The bill did not survive its Senate committee. And back in April of this year, when it last seemed like we were close to an ENDA vote, we still had 16 Senate Democrats unwilling to sign on as co-sponsors. It doesn't seem likely that much has changed there since then, but let's hope.

New York Times Says "No" To Rep. Nancy Pelosi As House Minority Leader

In an editorial published today, the New York Times says that House Democrats would be better served by a Minority Leader other than Nancy Pelosi.

Ms. Pelosi announced on Friday that she would seek the post of House minority leader. That job is not a good match for her abilities in maneuvering legislation and trading votes, since Democrats will no longer be passing bills in the House. What they need is what Ms. Pelosi has been unable to provide: a clear and convincing voice to help Americans understand that Democratic policies are not bankrupting the country, advancing socialism or destroying freedom.

If Ms. Pelosi had been a more persuasive communicator, she could have batted away the ludicrous caricature of her painted by Republicans across the country as some kind of fur-hatted commissar jamming her diktats down the public’s throat. Both Ms. Pelosi and Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, are inside players who seem to visibly shrink on camera when defending their policies, rarely connecting with the skeptical independent voters who raged so loudly on Tuesday. With President Obama proving to be a surprisingly diffident salesman of his own work, Congressional Democrats need a new champion to stand against a tightly disciplined Republican insurgency.

RELATED: Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT), one of the few Blue Dogs to survive Tuesday's bloodbath, says that he won't support Pelosi's bid for Minority Leader.

Tweet Of The Day - Rep. Nancy Pelosi

There was some question as to whether Pelosi would run for House Minority Leader and since Tuesday night a couple of House Democrats have gone as far as declaring they'd oppose her. Over on Twitter, teabaggers are claiming to be ecstatic over this news, so Pelosi can continue "dragging the Democrats down."

I Never Saw Nancy Pelosi Cry

Speaker Nancy Pelosi - It Gets Better

Teabagger John Dennis: Nancy Pelosi Is The Wicked Witch Of The West

John Dennis wants to abolish the Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Commerce. Because we can't let non-Christians brainwash our kids or let the federal government have any oversight of the food supply or business. He also wants to throw a bucket of water on Nancy Pelosi. Does he really want to be Dorothy in this scenario?

Speaker Pelosi Reacts

WASHINGTON: GetEQUAL Activists Arrested At the U.S. Capitol Rotunda

About 20 members of GetEQUAL staged an ENDA protest at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda this morning. An unknown number of the group was arrested. Via Kerry Eleveld at the Advocate:

“In March, GetEqual held a sit-in in Pelosi’s office asking her to bring ENDA to the floor for a vote. At that point, we said we keep coming back until it was voted on,” explained Heather Cronk, GetEqual spokesperson, who was participating in the protest. “So this is us making good on our promise, asking her to make good on her promise over the last few years on ENDA.”

The group of about 20 LGBT activists entered the Capitol as part of a routine tour through the Capitol. Upon reaching the rotunda, they sat down and pulled out signs reading, “Pass ENDA Now!” and “This Is Your Reminder.” Meanwhile, they began their signature chant, "I am ... somebody ... I deserve ... full equality." Eight to nine people were risking arrest in the action, according to Cronk, with the other half present to provide support including a couple legal observers.

The story is still developing. Following along at GetEQUAL's Twitter feed.

UPDATE: Metro Weekly's Chris Geidner reports that eight arrests were made and provides the below video of the protest.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Speaks About ENDA At Netroots Nation

Obviously referring to GetEQUAL's protests, Pelosi said, "I would target [politicians] in a positive way. This is America, show your appreciation to those that are with us." More about Pelosi's speech at LGBT POV.

(Video by Good As You's Jeremy Hooper.)

DADT House Debate Highlights

Since most of today's speeches were read from prepared statements, they often lacked the dramatic emotional punch of those delivered on our behalf during the New York Senate's debate on marriage equality. But here's a few of of the best.