The cultural/moral issues factor in this particular race, meaning the "marriage protection" amendments that passed in all 11 states on which it was on the ballot -- is really code for "gays pushed the envelope too far" for our increasingly fundamentalist population.
The first thing I thought as the pundits were explaining this "moral issues gap" is that the Democratic party will tell queer folks to sit down and shut up so they can find a way to win back the presidency. And sadly, I'm seeing it all over the blogosphere too...
THIS is what's to blame, not the homophobes? Get a backbone people.
Lo and behold, as I predicted, I surfed along at 2AM and came across a post at
Oliver Willis, by ricknro:
I think gay marriage torpedoed us, especially in Ohio. Now, I support a person marrying whomever they choose but America ain't ready for gay marriage. It's a wedge issue that made people who otherwise might not have voted come out to the polls in the 10 or 11 states where it was on the ballot. And why'll they were at it, those close minded conservatives figured that they might as well vote for the crackpot that supported a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage for president.
I think the gay marriage advocates are selfish, single issue voters who pushed an issue that America wasn't ready for. It took us down in Ohio, in my opinion, and gave us another four years of Bush. Gay marriage advocates need to go away for now. America isn't ready. We have to get progressives into power first before we take on such a divisive issue.
It's not the gay community at fault here. It's the Democrats' timid response to the Religious Right's infiltration of the White House and the GOP, which has resulted in open intolerance and bigotry, and the blurring of the line between church and state, courtesy of Rove and Co. Just because the majority of the voters are "not ready for" gay rights, it does not mean they are correct in attempting to restrict them outright with super-DOMAs. Hypocrisy abounds.
Democrats and tolerant people of faith, should never cease to stand up for those in the minority and for our core beliefs of inclusion. People in the faith community obviously struggled on both sides of the black civil rights movement, each side invoking their religious beliefs as justification for their position on integration.
I think the fact that most of the Dem candidates came off as queasy and slippery when addressing the gay marriage issue only emboldened Rove and Co to press it harder. It was clear that most Dems up for election in the red states felt gay rights was a "loser issue" -- they wanted our votes and our money, but were willing to cast gays and lesbians overboard in order to get elected (this was the case late in the game in NC for Bowles and Easley). At least the GOP was consistent in its beliefs and actions.
Maybe it's an abstract concept to some people, but the impact of religious fundamentalism on the GLBT community is already reality in Virginia (and now Ohio) because of their super-DOMA -- a gay couple cannot even enter into any legal agreements that approximate marriage, including one involving property rights, and employers cannot grant partner health benefits. Ohio's governor and business leaders realized their DOMA was too restrictive and didn't endorse it because of the potential effect it would have on attracting businesses to the state. The homophobes threw that logic out the window, voting their fears.
The moral values of Democrats are ones that need to be framed correctly for that audience of voters that feels the party has gone secular. The GOP has plenty of immorality to show for itself regarding the environment, a living wage, stem cell research, etc. And don't forget the unbelievable immorality of the situation this administration created in Iraq.
I suppose the solution for gays and lesbians, since we're causing so much trouble for the Democratic party, is to move to Canada -- where marriage is legal -- and wait for folks in the U.S. to grow up.
Pam's House Blend
Married in Vancouver, July 2004
Also: see another diary, Too Old and Too Gay to Stay by RNinNC.