Gay marriage and the election
10 states voted for bans on gay marriage. Both parties have essentially the same position on this issue, anyone who says otherwise is a Democrat trying to justify why Democrats are better on gay marriage. As Les says, gays have a lot of work to do. I say that as someone who supports gay marriage.
November 3rd, 2004 at 10:45 am
i think bush’s stragey is clear now.
He created a threat that gay marrage would become leagal for the nation, there by causing the states to act.
I belive it is a states issue, which I am glad that it is turning out that way.
November 3rd, 2004 at 1:19 pm
I make that 11 out of 11 now – and in most cases by 2-1 margins.
I voted against this amendment defining marriage (in Michigan). Not that I feel strongly one way or the other about gay marriage, but I don’t think marriage is any of the government’s business. Marriage is either:
1) A religious rite – and the state shouldn’t be involved at all in religious matters.
2) A contract between two people – but when the state starts defining that contract, it also claims the right to change it without the agreement of the parties to the contract…
November 4th, 2004 at 9:04 am
Bush and the GOP may have pushed the gay marraige amendment as a way to get eveangelical voters to the polls, but given the average voter’s extremely short attention span, I wouldn’t be so sure.
On the state level, of the states that had gay marriage ballot initiatives, only three were ever considered battleground states (Oregon, Ohio, and Michigan) and Bush only won one of those.
And if anyone deserves credit/blame for putting this issue out front, it should be the Mass. Supreme Court and SF mayor Gavin Newsom.