Losing parties are known for getting in circular firing squads, as the GOP is doing now. But winning parties can find themselves involved in internecine warfare as well. And right now, I'm afraid that two groups very important to the Democratic coalition are increasingly undermining each other, which is troubling to me as I have a lot of love for both groups (though I am part of neither).
My evidence is simple, straightforward, and hard to dispute. Join me below the fold to see it:
(1) Blacks voted overwhelmingly for Prop 8 in California, and Dan Savage is royally pissed.
(2) Gays and lesbians were the only group whose support for the Democratic presidential candidate declined significantly from 2004 to 2008. Even gun owners and veterans liked Obama better than Kerry, as did everyone from weekly churchgoers and evangelical Christians to those with no religion at all. People making more than $200K switched from Bush to Obama in huge numbers (one of the most important and least reported shifts). But support among gays and lesbians dropped off by 10%.
Times are good for our party in general right now, but this is nevertheless an issue that should not be ignored. I'd love to hear people's ideas as to what can be done to heal this rift. I think we need to take it head on, with publicity campaigns, workshops, outreach, etc. It strikes me that President-elect (love being able to say that) Obama could be instrumental here. If he takes a strong, vocal, visible position, I can't imagine it wouldn't have an effect. By the same token, leaders of the GLBT community need to take strong anti-racist stands on the other side (and I'm not sure Savage has effectively done so here, despite some lip service in that direction).
Thoughts?