Early this Summer, after holding public hearings which included several hours of sometimes very heated testimony, the three members of the Wasco County, Oregon Court sitting as its legislative body unanimously passed an ordinance outlawing discrimination on the basis of real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Two Republicans and One Democrat -- Unanimously!
This occurred in the heart of rural Eastern Oregon, within Oregon's 2nd Congressional District which Democrats have long ceded as "safe" Republican territory.
The religious right went ballistic almost immediately, and began beating the drums of fear and hatred. Recall petitions were taken out for circulation against the two Republican commissioners... apparently their sin was greater, since as Republicans, they should have known better.
That the measure passed, and unanimously, is astounding. What followed, even more so, as you can see after the fold.
The recall petitioners needed to obtain 1,373 signatures (15% of the number of votes cast within the County in the most recent gubernatorial election) to force a special election.
Hoping to avoid being painted as hatemongers, the petitioners, led by a former City Councilman of the County Seat, they framed the issue first as removal of politicians who they accused of demeaning the local voters. Ironically, a successful recall would create vacancies which would then be filled by appointment. They then employed a now familiar campaign model replete with misquotations, distortion of facts, and baseless accusations.
The usual rallying cries were included in letters to the editor and in calls to local talk radio: "Special Rights," "Encroachment on free exercise of religion," "endangering our children." And the list went on and on. I'm sure you already know all the riffs.
An opposition campaign was mounted with the clarion call of "Stop the Recall: Decline to Sign." Even during our most optimistic of moments, we fully expected to have to go to phase II, and a "Vote No" campaign once the signatures were filed, and a special election called.
After all, the bar is intentionally set very low for petitions in Oregon. They needed less than 1400 signatures, and almost that many people can be found on a Sunday morning at services in the churches where the petition drives were being heavily promoted (albeit unofficially -- wouldn't want to lose tax exempt status, after all).
And, this is rural America, where we are told not to expect much from the stetson wearin', pick-up drivin', country music listenin', psalm singin', Nascar and Rodeo lovin', values voters thrive and multiply faster than the greydiggers!
The deadline for signatures to be filed was 5 p.m. yesterday. The number of signatures turned in was exactly zero. The petitioners had not collected sufficient signatures to even try to get them certified. The voters of this very traditional, conservative, rural American county had soundly rejected the call of the religious right to punish their politicians for turning our town into a little (shudder) San Francisco.
The moral(s) of the story: Stereotype (and write off) rural America at your peril. There is no place in this country where we cannot or should not stand up against bigotry.
External links:
"No signatures appear on recall deadline," The Dalles Chronicle, October 24, 2007
Support Our Court (official website of the campaign which opposed the recall) [Disclosure: I designed the website]