Question...

[bluflamingo]

1. Start off with the actual important thing: when don't ask don't tell was repealed, was the vote televised (I'm thinking like in The West Wing when they often watched an important vote on TV)? If it was, does anyone know who cast the deciding vote - like, the one where it became clear it was going to pass? If it wasn't, does anyone remember seeing it reported on the news, and what was said (or by which station)?

Yes, for a story, but original, not fanfic. Any help *very* gratefully received.

Comments

[spillingvelvet]

Truthfully, I heard about it from various places on the internet. Everyone was tweeting it and I think my mom even posted on her facebook triumphantly before I heard it was official.

The buildup had been so long that it really was inevitable. I wasn't on tenterhooks- I had every confidence that it would be repealed.

So, yeah. That's this American - I'm sure other people were more present. :)

[(Anonymous)]

The vote was definitely televised, the channel broadcasting the votes is CSPAN. Well, CSPAN-2; they cover the senate while CSPAN covers the house of representatives. Most people following this were probably following through their usual news channel with ABC, CNN, or Fox being the most probable source. I know people were covering it on twitter and on blogs and whatnot. I wasn't really paying much attention while the voting was happening mostly because I prefer to avoid the "in progress" stuff.

That said, I don't know who cast the deciding vote, but I've found the voting records a few layers into the senate site. If it helps.

Yeas (63) : Akaka, Baucus, Bayh, Begich, Bennet, Bingaman, Boxer, Brown (MA), Brown (OH), Cantwell, Cardin, Carper, Casey, Collins, Conrad, Coons, Dodd, Dorgan, Durbin, Feingold, Feinstein, Franken, Gillibrand, Hagan, Harkin, Inouye, Johnson, Kerry, Kirk, Klobuchar, Kohl, Landrieu, Lautenberg, Leahy, Levin, Lieberman, Lincoln, McCaskill, Menendez, Merkley, Mikulski, Murkowski, Murray, Nelson (NE), Nelson (FL), Pryor, Reed, Reid, Rockefeller, Sanders, Schumer, Shaheen, Snowe, Specter, Stabenow, Tester, Udall (CO), Udall (NM), Voinovich, Warner, Webb, Whitehouse, Wyden

Nays (33) : Alexander, Barrasso, Bennett, Bond, Brownback, Burr, Chambliss, Coburn, Cochran, Corker, Cornyn, Crapo, DeMint, Ensign, Enzi, Graham, Grassley, Hutchison, Inhofe, Isakson, Johanns, Kyl, LeMieux, Lugar, McCain, McConnell, Risch, Roberts, Sessions, Shelby, Thune, Vitter, Wicker

Not voting (4) : Bunning, Gregg, Hatch, Manchin