# Predictions: Will the DADT repeal pass the Senate?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [December 16, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405 "2010-12-16T19:28:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Camus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Camus)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405/41 "2010-12-20T14:59:28Z")
> [@What\_the](#):
>
> OTOH, those tax cuts were something that many voters and politicians favored while DADT was a policy that Clinton’s admin devised (I think). Seems like DADT was something that should be more associated with a particular president than the tax cuts that happened to go thru during the Bush admin.
By that logic, Clinton should get the blame for DADT existing and credit for its ending, since the current DADT-free framework was his original plan. Clinton isn’t blamed so much for DADT because, again, his original idea was for homosexuals to be allowed to serve openly, and because DADT was seen as seen as the lesser of two evils next to the previous outright ban on homosexuals serving, openly or secretly.
In comparison, Bush (or actually, the Bush administration) authored both the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 that collectively created all the tax cuts attributed to Bush. Using your logic, whether others supported it or not is irrelevant, since voters (at the time) and other politicians supported DADT also.
---
### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405/42 "2010-12-20T16:11:27Z")
**appleciders** , **Cubsfan** is Navy, IIRC.
> [@What\_the](#):
>
> OTOH, those tax cuts were something that many voters and politicians favored while DADT was a policy that Clinton’s admin devised (I think). Seems like DADT was something that should be more associated with a particular president than the tax cuts that happened to go thru during the Bush admin.
DADT was devised as the lesser of two evils. At the time, it was either that or homosexuals couldn’t serve _at all_ (the previous policy).
---
### Author:  [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405/43 "2010-12-20T16:23:08Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> **appleciders** , **Cubsfan** is Navy, IIRC.
>
> DADT was devised as the lesser of two evils. At the time, it was either that or homosexuals couldn’t serve _at all_ (the previous policy).
It was a _crime_ for them to serve. At all.
---
### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405/44 "2010-12-20T16:36:12Z")
Technically, it was a crime for them to engage in homosexual conduct. It was okay for them to _be_ homosexual. Distinction without difference, of course.
---
### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405/45 "2010-12-20T17:08:18Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> Technically, it was a crime for them to engage in homosexual conduct. It was okay for them to _be_ homosexual. Distinction without difference, of course.
Well, anyone can be celibate, and that’s always the safest course for a soldier, straight or gay, isn’t it?
---
### Author:  [@Algorithm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algorithm)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405/46 "2010-12-20T17:17:26Z")
> [@What\_the](#):
>
> Why wasn’t DADT referred to as Clinton’s DADT the same way as the Bush Tax Cuts?
Because “Tax Cuts” is ambiguous - you need additional information to be able to tell _which_ tax cuts the speaker is referring to. “Bush” tax cuts is a clear and concise way to specify.
DADT is not ambiguous, and needs no further clarification for the reader.
---
### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405/47 "2010-12-20T17:32:46Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#):
>
> Well, anyone can be celibate, and that’s always the safest course for a soldier, straight or gay, isn’t it?
Well, that depends. Are they in a horror movie?
---
### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405/48 "2010-12-20T17:33:28Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> Technically, it was a crime for them to engage in homosexual conduct. It was okay for them to _be_ homosexual. Distinction without difference, of course.
Not really. It wasn’t a “crime” per se. And, the Military has often had rules against engaging in _heterosexual conduct_- for example, enlisted with officers and with any other members during basic training. As **MEBuckner** sez, “sodomy” is a crime hetero- \*or \*homo-sexual. Likely that will go away, too.
---
### Author:  [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405/49 "2010-12-20T19:18:19Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> Technically, it was a crime for them to engage in homosexual conduct. It was okay for them to _be_ homosexual. Distinction without difference, of course.
That’s a technicality only though, and one not always observed. Some were discharged due to third person evidence that they were gay which had nothing to do with sexual behavior. [Bleu Copas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleu_Copas)was discharged because of an investigation launched by anonymous accusations that he had homosexual affairs off-duty while in service; he never “told” but he was most definitely asked.
---
### Author:  [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405/50 "2010-12-20T23:55:04Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> **appleciders** , **Cubsfan** is Navy, IIRC.
WHOA WHOA WHOA…this isn’t the Pit.
USAF. 😉
---
### Author:  [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2010, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405/51 "2010-12-21T01:09:44Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#):
>
> WHOA WHOA WHOA…this isn’t the Pit.
>
> USAF. 😉
Pity. The Navy has a [long tradition](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InBXu-iY7cw) of open mindedness on gay issues.
---
### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405/52 "2010-12-21T15:40:31Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#):
>
> WHOA WHOA WHOA…this isn’t the Pit.
>
> USAF. 😉
Oops. :smack:
---
### Author:  [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405/53 "2010-12-24T13:43:57Z")
> [@Algorithm](#):
>
> Because “Tax Cuts” is ambiguous - you need additional information to be able to tell _which_ tax cuts the speaker is referring to. “Bush” tax cuts is a clear and concise way to specify.
>
> DADT is not ambiguous, and needs no further clarification for the reader.
Good point… I trust you (and others) don’t have any problem with “Obamacare”.
“Health care” is too ambiguous … unless of course someone want to suggest that the Democrats voted to give it to us and the Republicans don’t want us to have it.
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-will-the-dadt-repeal-pass-the-senate/564405.md?page=2)