Out-of-state money floods to (California) Prop. 8 (gay marriage ban)

[Tesha]

Source: SF Chronicle

Out-of-state money floods to Prop. 8

When Bruce Bastian of Utah stood up Saturday night at a San
Francisco dinner and wrote a $1 million check for the campaign
against Proposition 8, he made it clearer than ever that
November's ballot fight over a ban on same-sex marriage
won't be a California-only affair.

Supporters of the effort to ban same-sex marriage already
have taken in more than $1.2 million from out-of-state
contributors for the fall campaign. And even before Bastian,
a co-founder of the WordPerfect software company, opened
his checkbook, gay and lesbian rights groups and their
supporters from around the country had put more than
$1.3 million into the fight against the ballot initiative.

"This is a campaign that's important to the entire country,
not just California," said Brad Luna, a spokesman for the
Human Rights Campaign, sponsor of the fundraising dinner
that brought more than 750 people to the St. Francis Hotel
on Saturday. "The result will have effects across the United
States."

<snip>

The outside money is arriving in supersized chunks. Focus
on the Family, a Colorado Springs group headed by James
Dobson, has given more than $400,000 to the Prop. 8 campaign.
The American Family Association, out of Tupelo, Miss., has
contributed $500,000. The Knights of Columbus, a national
Catholic men's organization headquartered in New Haven,
Conn., has put $250,000 into the campaign.

<more>



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/27/BA7E12038R.DTL

[dysfunctional press]

1. don't be surprised if californis turns red, and mcain wins...

hate can be a BIG motivator.

[Tesha]

3. Yeah -- how dare those uppity gays demand their rights *THIS YEAR*?

Don't they know we have an election to win? And any
actual Democratic stances taken by any of our alleged
Democrats could, gasp!, cost us the election!!

Just so I'm clear on this: Which year do you suppose
it would be okay with you for gays to demand equal
rights?

Tesha

[dysfunctional press]

5. ummm...isn't this more about people trying to squash gay rights...?

i thought that prop 8 was about a gay marriage BAN, not about gays trying to demand rights...my mistake?

[Tesha]

10. I think it's unlikely that California will turn red.

And yes, Prop 8 is a reaction to the courts overturning
the last proposition that made gay marriage illegal.
This time the conservatives are going after the state
constitution to wrest the issue out of the hands of
the courts.

Tesha

[dysfunctional press]

12. like i said- HATE is a BIG motivator...and that's what that proposition is all about.

just the prospect of gay-marriage as an issue worked well in other states in 2000, but in california, they waited until it was made actually made legal- to increase the anger and shock-value among the blunt-skulls. they're giving california their best shot...if that doesn't work this time- then by 2012 they'll be pushing the allotment of electoral votes by congressional district even harder.

[David__77]

8. Obama will win California comfortably.

And this proposition will be close.

[dysfunctional press]

13. they're hoping the presidential contest will be as close as the prop 8 vote

it worked well for them in other states in 2000, iirc.

[David__77]

18. Kerry outperformed Gore in Oregon and in Ohio.

This, despite gay marriage bans on the ballot four years ago, and the fact that Bush did better in 2004 nationally than he did in 2000. There's no clear evidence that this issue served Bush in 2004.

[melody]

21. Never, ever, ever, ever going to happen n/t

[Parche]

2. Why Is It Always So Called 'Family' Groups

The gay family is more loving then these prejudiced people.....:grr: :grr::hi:

[Tesha]

4. It's the "framing"; they're much better at it than we are. (NT)

[flvegan]

6. Props to Mr. Bastion!

$1 million bucks. Take THAT Dobson, you fucker.

[sui generis]

7. well the knights of columbus fuckers are all like, a thousand years old

they are so old they've given up worrying about their own peckers and started worrying about everyone elses.

Gotta not worry about it too much. What matters is that we rely on our own to fight on the ground. Here's the deal: no matter how much we'd like to believe otherwise, there will ALWAYS be more money against us than for us. Logic says, don't fight that battle on the same turf.

We will never get people as wound FOR something as they will get people to HATE the idea of something. In fact if we suddenly had a surge in money to fight it, or at least a vast public surge, they would always manage to raise one dollar more, and probably would be just fine accepting money from Ahmedinajad in Iran and not blink twice.

We don't need to ask anyone's permission to be married - although, legalizing our marriages would be nice. They've already lost. The worst thing we can do to them is demoralize them. No matter how much money they dump into California, and no matter which way it goes, it won't matter one tiny bit. It will be annoying in the short run yes, but SO WHAT.

Finally, I'm more than perfectly willing to start a hate group and collect their money, then turn around and spend it on our defense. THANKYA, and have a nice day. In fact I'll go one further: maybe we're already doing it. I've heard a rumor. Probably one in three dollars these idiots send against us is actually going to help us.

Does anyone remember from the last gay agenda pamphlet last week --- this was all part of the plan. Get the hatin' fools to donate money so we'd get their credit card and checking account numbers and then we were going to use the cash to go shopping for lace thongs and buttless chaps, and then sell their information to liberal identity thieves.

:P

[jody]

9. Can Prop 8 have any significant effect on the Obama v. McCain match-up? IMO Obama owns CA and should

win easily.

[David__77]

11. Obama will win.

This won't appreciably help McCain, in my opinion. California is not Ohio, or anything of the sort. Proposition 8 will mobilize lots of rightwingers, but I know it will also mobilize lots of new gay and young voters as well who are against this measure. I know plenty who will be first time voters just to oppose this.

[KamaAina]

14. So much for the tech industry being liberal

And even before Bastian,a co-founder of the WordPerfect software company, opened
his checkbook,

He sold out to Corel years ago, so there's no point in boycotting -- but jeez! I thought the tech industry as a whole was in the lead in terms ofoffering domestic partner benefits, etc. :eyes:

[Sabriel]

16. I think you misread it, KamaAina

Which I did at first, also. He gave the million to help stop the ban.

Bastian is a long-time dem contributor, including donations to the two "out" members of Congress:

http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?city=Orem&st=UT&last=bastian&first=bruce

[bertman]

20. Thanks for clarifying that Sabriel. I misunderinterperetated it too.

[Tesha]

17. He's on *OUR* side of the question!

Don't give him grief, please!

[CatholicEdHead]

15. This is a major reason I am not in the K of C

They have been in the GOP's pocket for most of the past couple decades. The AFA I expect but the K of C is better than this.

[David__77]

19. How are they better than this?

All I hear is how they campaign to eliminate abortion rights and oppose gay rights.

[CatholicEdHead]

23. If the K of C follows all of Catholic Social Teachings

They would be diverse in union rallies, taking care of the poor, etc... yet they were some of the first to fall into the early decade GOP outreach efforts, that and all the new bishops and Rome now (did not use to) gut Social Justice to nothing but abortion and anti-gay marriage. It will take a generation or two to get this sexual "Theology of the Body" crap through the system.

[Tesha]

25. It's funny how that works, isn't it?

Don't you wish the American Catholic hierarchy were
half as concerned about who had food to eat, a roof
over their heads, or health care as they are about
what non-priests are having sex with whom?

Tesha

[melody]

22. These morons are so big on states rights, right?

Why is it suddenly people in a sovereign state don't have the right to make our own policy?

So much for not shoving their narrow-minded agenda on all of us.

[slackmaster]

26. They know that California recognizing same-sex marriage would probably lead to a change in US law

It is a big deal, for everyone.

[TrogL]

24. So how many food banks in Utah need funds?

(to clarify my point)

Social service agencies?

Homeless shelters?

Addiction half-way houses?

Wouldn't all this money getting thrown around by both sides be better spent on them?

[Blue_Tires]

27. ttt