title: The rise of repeal: policy entrepreneurship and Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
abstract: We report on policy entrepreneurship by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) and how its legislative strategies used mini-windows of opportunity to shift Capitol Hill perspectives of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) from political plutonium to an emerging issue requiring a second look. Four phases in the legislative history of DADT are identified: radioactive, contested, emerging, and viable. In all, this article argues that SLDN's entrepreneurship focused on contesting congressional sensibilities to wait or defer on repeal, maintained that every discharge was damaging and transitioned toward a post-repeal mind set. Finally, we illustrate the importance of these transitions by comparing SLDN's 2004 estimated vote count for the introduction of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act with the final 2010 voting results on the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act.
authors: Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Christopher.neff@sydney.edu.au
authors: Christopher L
authors: CL
authors: Neff
authors: Luke R
authors: LR
authors: Edgell
mesh_terms: D016520:Entrepreneurship; D005260:Female; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000266:history* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology; D011057:Politics; D011640:Public Policy; D063508:Social Discrimination / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States