This Week’s Senate Battles Pit Lynch against Buckley
April 27, 2009 by Patrick
Filed under State House
New Hampshire Senators will tackle two controversial pieces of legislation this week; a measure to legalize gay marriage and another that would grant special rights to “transgendered” individuals, which has been dubbed the “bathroom bill” because it would permit male cross-dressers to enter a woman’s bathroom at will.
The outcomes will help to illuminate who controls the Democratic leadership in the Senate, Gov. John Lynch or Democratic State Chairman Ray Buckley.
Despite his circumspection, Lynch barely disguises his lack of enthusiasm for legislative measures geared toward social engineering. Democrats close to the governor privately tell NowHampshire.com that Gov. Lynch hopes the Senate kills both bills so that they never cross his desk.
Chairman Buckley on the other hand is a forceful advocate for liberal social issue. Despite his staff’s recent protestations than Buckley plays no role in legislative matters, NowHampshire.com has learned that Buckley actually attends the Senate Democrats caucus meetings. And a recent e-mail from Buckley to homosexual lobby groups unearthed by Kevin Landrigan of the Nashua Telegraph underscores how heavy Buckley’s hand is on gay marriage and the “bathroom bill.”
Recent polls have shown Lynch to be widely popular throughout the state, so one might assume he has the upper hand in the internecine battle. But Buckley is thought to control the purse strings of powerful, out-of-state gay rights groups and has an army of out-of-state activists to draw from, mostly from the same gay rights groups. Many of these resources helped elect some of the Senators on the hot seat this week.
What’s more, hardcore Democratic activists have grown impatient with Lynch in recent weeks. Liberal bloggers have called him “spineless” and one member of the House of Representatives said he was “no profile in courage” during the gay marriage debate in that chamber.
The fact that a key Senate committee last week voted to recommend killing both measures has only added to the uproar.
