With the most recent diversionary attempt by the Republicans to distract their base and the political discussion away from any kind of focus on their lack of leadership or their endemic corruption, I think it is important to develop strategies that remove these tools from their arsenal. On of the things I learned as a kid was that when a dog bites you, pulling your arm away is the worst thing to do, and is exactly what the dog is prepared for. Ramming your arm down its throat on the other hand . . .
So, really, the strategy is relatively simple, although we have to be willing to engage in a bit of "chicken". I propose that every time the Republicans introduce any kind of gay marriage ban or "protect the marriage" legislation, whether it be in a State legislature or the Federal houses, that one or more Democrats IMMEDIATELY and REPEATEDLY attempt to attach an amendment to the legislation outlawing Divorce. This gives the Democrats several useful lines of attack regardless of whether the amendments are successful or not.
1. if successful, it will definitely be a poison pill for the legislation and ensure defeat, and gives the Dems a chance to point to Republicans who voted the law down as being big hypocrites for matters that their 'base' cares about. Let the Republicans get into the minutiae with their base about why they voted against it, that'll kill 'em. They've spent years telling their constituency that things are black and white.
2. if not successful, it allows the Democrats to point to the defeat of the anti-divorce amendment to show that the Republicans could care less about marriage and are just bigots (we all know this, but it is nice to have overt evidence) and it forces the Republicans to justify a vote FOR divorce on an piece of legislation ostensibly designed to "protect marriage". Hilarious.
3. It diverts attention away from the issue of gay marriage and onto marriage itself, which, I guarantee you is not something a lot of these Republican legislators want, since it would make their ridiculously self-serving vote all that much more apparent as their multiple divorces are laid out for all to see, which then would ALSO make people wonder WHY they got divorced. They will work hard to quash this discussion.
4. If by some insane quirk the anti-divorce legislation DOES pass, the immediate effects will be an instaneous halt to nearly all pending marriages, vociferous public outcry to have it removed, and the Democrats could say, "well, we voted AGAINST it (even though they might have introduced the anti-divorce provision)" and they can have a bill over-turning the previous law ready to go and take credit for introducing the new piece of legislation as an effort "to abide by the will of the people, unlike those Republican scaliwags".
What do ya think?