Anti-Prop 8/Pro-Gay Marriage Summit Deemed "a Disaster"

[question everything]

Anti-Prop 8/Pro-Gay Marriage Summit Deemed "a Disaster"
Monday, Jul. 27 2009 @ 1:32PM
By Matt Coker in A Clockwork Orange
OC Weekly

​Chris Prevatt of TheLiberalOC blogged and tweeted from a LGBT Leadership Summit in San Bernardino aimed at repealing Prop 8 and restoring marriage equality for all Californians. The gathering revealed a schism within the movement between activists who want to get a Prop 8 counter measure on the 2010 ballot and a leadership that, staring down the political realities, sees 2012 as a more likely year such a measure would pass.

The meeting itself was a disaster. The agenda was not distributed in advance and the 2010 activists in particular wanted the agenda to include a decision regarding whether the repeal of Prop 8 should be sought in 2010 or 2012. They were not at all interested in hearing about the results of the "Get Engaged" tours or the opinions of experts. They simply wanted an up or down vote, since they focused considerable effort on turning out supporters of 2010 to the summit.


At several points during the meeting the assembly could not agree to process for discussion of the process to be used to repeal Prop 8. There was discussion at one point as to whether or not to allow online participants to vote in the process discussion. The difference in the vote on allowing votes from online participants to be considered was 8 votes, resulting in online participants votes not considered.


A impromptu straw poll later revealed there was 2 to 1 support at the summit for plowing ahead with a 2010 measure--despite serious questions raised about funding and the likelihood of another defeat at the popular polls, Prevatt reported. So from here we have those who want to move forward with 2010 pretty much driving the Titanic yelling at the top of their lungs; "Damn the Icebergs, full speed ahead." For my part, I am now trying to figure out where the nearest lifeboats are and wondering how I can support the repeal of Prop 8, without going down with the ship.

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/a-clockwork-orange/gay-marriage-prop-8-summit/

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[Taverner]

2. WTF is up with the organization with this shit????

They've been proven to be inadequate!

They need a change up somewhere...

[question everything]

16. I like the first comment to this story

in the same link:

I am so greatful for Ted Olson, and David Boies. They are challenging proposition 8 at the federal level. The case is Perry vs. Schwarzenegger. I'm so not interested in kissing ass, and asking absolute strangers for permission, via a vote, to get married.

[Starry Messenger]

3. I hope they stick to 2010.

I don't know what the rationale is for 2012. That will be the Presidential election year and that will rule the media and suck up donations.

[question everything]

4. Or, a presidential election draws more voters

which can work either way, I suppose.

[Starry Messenger]

7. Well, we'll have the gubernatorial race...

that should draw some more votes. Though that can work either way, like you say.

[Hydra]

5. They need to go for 2010

And then 2012 if they have to. The LDS church kicked a lot of money into supporting Prop 8, and took some PR damage from doing so. Will they do that again? And again? And again?

The numbers are close enough that a persistent push would do it. Screw "Political Realities"- the realities on the ground are quite a bit better for progressive ideas than anyone wants to admit.

[Still Sensible]

6. For controversial referenda, the best chance

to beat the "no" vote is typically in a large turnout general election. The problem is that people who don't want to something to happen will turn out more reliably to vote against it than those in favor. That is one reason the Prop 8 vote was a surprise to me, but that result says that if the question had been on an off year ballot, the numbers probably would have been even worse.

[Bluenorthwest]

11. It was not a surprise to me, I knew it would go as it did

and I say 2010, because of the same apathy and short memories of California's Democratic straights. The time to strike is while they remember Prop 8. 2010, then if they must 2012.
Also, I think it proves my points that you are calling 2010 an 'off year' although it is the year of the most important Governor's race in California history, an election in which the Democrats of CA will not be able to vote yet again for the Republican Arnold, and will be forced to look at Democrats to vote for.
I find the OP's blathering about 'political realities' to be hilarious. He's a Californian, so his view of reality has lead to nothing but defeat and Republican policies for years on end now. Those who claim to define future 'realities' for others are usually just people who lack imagination and conviction to do anything but capitulate. To them, 'reality' means giving up. Like they did with Prop 8.

[readmoreoften]

8. Oh good lord, this working within the system shit has really gotten us nowhere.

The only real political respect we've ever managed to grub has been after a "rebellion" in 1969, through ACT-UP's visibility tactics, standing our "percentage ground" in bars during the 50s and 60s, and the support of the Bolsheviks and the German SPD from the late 1800s to the 1920s. This "going through the US electoral system" thing proves how bankrupt the electoral system is for emancipatory politics. I don't remember any other group winning rights at the ballot. Cesar Chavez, MLK, the Loving Case, etc.

I'm sick of this crap. Sign me up for the national LGBT rights march in October.

[Bluenorthwest]

13. I'm with you! And I have returned to my old ACT-UP style of things

just to upset people here and I had forgotten how well it works! They freak out! They are so used to being coddled, that any voicing of truth and fact makes them pretend great offense and they clutch their pearls, just as they did all those years ago, all those hundreds of thousands of deaths ago. They think their feelings are important! They want to hear nice things. Only nice things. So by saying things which are not so nice, the complacent wake up, unmoved by death and bigotry, they will motivate if their hipness and perfection is challenged. Plus it is fun to ruffle their smug feathers, I'd forgotten how fun it is!
I'm ready to get dragged away by the heterosexual community's police force again! Show them for what they are again!

[dickthegrouch]

9. What's all this "They need to" ?

We need to get on board with a decent strategy.
Mine would be
2010: Changing the law to eliminate all out of state interference in our Constitutional determination (financial and 'rhetorical').
2012: Return the State to a condition of equal rights for same sex marriage.

[4lbs]

10. The 2012 vs 2010 is probably because the political reality that people more likely to support gay

marriage would also be voting to re-elect President Obama in 2012.

If one looks at the midterm election years of 2002, 2006, and soon 2010, you'll find that a fewer percentage of registered voters vote in those years than 2000, 2004, 2008, and likely 2012. Especially Democrats, which would likely be the vast majority of gay marriage supporters.

So, getting people that support gay marriage to vote next year will be more difficult than in 2012.

[Bluenorthwest]

12. If that is the case during CA's election for Governor

then as Democrats we have to face that as a huge problem. In CA, 2010 is as important as it gets. If the Democrats stay home, far more than marriage equality could be lost. Another GOP Governor?

[4lbs]

15. Well, we Californians recalled a Democratic governor and put in a Republican one.

We loonies here in CA want the $26 billion budget gap fixed pronto, don't want state government services (like police, fire department, emergency medical, state parks, beaches, DMV, etc.) cut, and don't want to pay higher taxes to help pay for all of it. It's just magically supposed to happen.

So, what does that tell you?

I voted to raise taxes, because right now, without a $30 billion bailout from the federal government, that's the only way to pay for everything we Californians want. Yet, I was in the minority.

I vote every year, and voted NO on Prop 8 last year.

However, I know several registered Democrats who only vote in the Presidential election. They don't even vote for Governor unless it coincides with a Presidential election. As much as I chide them, they continue to do such.

[TheWraith]

14. My personal thinking is the sooner the better.

Capitalize on the public reaction and backlash over Prop 8 passing in the first place.