Lou Chiabbaro of the Washington Blade has the scoop on why a hate crimes bill that would add gays to the list of protected groups is stalled:
One congressional source familiar with the hate crimes bill said a number of GOP lawmakers believe Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) did not want to bring the hate crimes bill to a vote because doing so would help the re-election chances of moderate Republican senators who support the bill. Among them are Sens. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), who face strong election challenges by Democrats in November.
Back in September, Senate Democrats declared "Democrats Have Made the Fighting of Hate Crimes a Priority." Except, apparently, when "fighting hate crimes" gets in the way of defeating pro-gay Republicans. As long as gay voters allow the Democratic Party to take their support for granted -- giving them gobs of money and expecting nothing in return -- then they shouldn't be surprised by news like this.
--James Kirchick