Obama Wrote a Letter Opposing Prop 8. Why Wasn't It Used?

Take a deep breath and try not to pull your hair out as you read this.  It seems the highly overpaid consultant who worked with the Vote No “leadership” in charge of pissing our constitutional rights down the drain felt it was a good idea not to publish - and generally campaign around - a letter, from then-Presidential candidate Barack Obama, in support of the VOTE NO position on Prop 8. 

Yes, it seems the consultant – and the “leadership” that was paying the consultant – felt that in the midst of the Vote Yes crowd’s all out (and successful) efforts to reach into the African American community in order to get Yes votes that it was not a good idea to counter that move with a letter of strong support for Voting No and for same-sex rights written by the AFRICAN AMERICAN CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT.

Wow.  That’s some solid thinking! 

While the Vote No folks sat there and watched one African American church leader after another take the Vote Yes bait and come out in favor of Prop 8, the Vote No folks had perhaps the greatest weapon that they could ever want in their back pockets: a letter from the man that ended up winning over 95% of a massive and historically large African American vote.  And they did NOTING WITH IT!

Now don’t misread this.  I am in no way, shape, or form jumping on that ridiculous and already de-bunked myth that African Americans “cost” gay Californians their right to marry.  What I am saying is if the Vote No campaign had actually done ANYTHING to counter the totally aggressive and in-plain-sight fear-based campaigning the Vote Yes crowd was doing in African American communities with something like, oh, I don’t know, a letter of endorsement from BARACK OBAMA, then perhaps that community’s vote would have gone different.  In fact, I’d bet on it.  And not just in terms of changing the votes of those African Americans who did vote on Prop 8, but in terms of bringing more African American “NO” voters out to vote NO ON PROP 8.

This, my friends, is campaigning 101.  And the "leadership" of Vote No got a failing grade.  This is only the latest – and yes, most egregious – example of shear and unequaled political malpractice committed by those “running” the Vote No campaign. 

Jeez, who would have thought all those Hollywood fundraisers and celebrity endorsements and self-congratulatory efforts to reach out to white gay men wouldn’t be enough to get Prop 8 defeated?  Who would have thought that a letter of endorsement from the most popular African American ever to run for President might have been helpful when trying to reach the African American community? 

Clearly, the Vote No group didn’t, as that might have required some extra effort, and could have interfered with a cocktail party in WeHo.  Can’t have that!

Comments

[DJ Mora]

It's not just about being African American. Barack Obama was the VERY POPULAR Democratic nominee for president and won by a LANDSLIDE in California. Not just in the African American communities of California, but in ALL non-Republican communities. The man won the election in California with 61% of the vote! That's more than his national average of 53%.

You are totally correct that the "leadership" of the No on 8 campaign definitely mismanaged this campaign. But not just because they didnt try to win the African American vote. They should have been riding the extremely popular Democratic nominee's coattails to a certain victory across the board with that endorsement from THE MAN HIMSELF!

[Magnus]

We really need to give this sh!t a rest. There is no point on blaming others for PROP 8 passage. Our enemies are the individuals who voted for PROP 8. We need to stop blaming the Mormon Church, Catholic Church or other religious organizations. They did not point guns to their heads and threatened them if they don't vote for PROP 8. We also need to stop blaming the gay leaders or the various gay organizations. I certainly believe that a letter would have not made any difference because Obama truly does not support gay marriage. Let's stop the blame game and move forward to a more positive and productive agenda.

One thing I do want to mention that I was very disappointed when the anti Prop 8 counsels did not rebut what Starr said to the Justices. Mr. Starr said that under the California system, the fairness of an initiative is not the most important issue. “The people are sovereign — and can do unwise things,” he said. Same-sex couples, he argued, would still have substantial legal protections. The word "substantial" is really bothersome for me. It sounds like Starr want us to do exactly what the Blacks did in the early days when they were allowed to ride the bus but were only allowed to sit at the back of the bus. Second-class citizen type of treatment comes to mind.

The thought saddens me that we need to go back to the "ballot" and beg the majority to give us equal rights. What is wrong with our country? :(

[Joe Moag]

Magnus: It is precisely the sad prospect of having to go back to the polls (as you point out) to re-do this whole thing that is the reason why it is important to know exactly what the "leaders" did and did not do on Prop 8 last time, so that their piss-poor job is not repeated with exactly the same miserable results.

These were highly paid people and they had a responsibility to do good and common sense work, and on level after level we see that they failed miserably.

I don't believe in repeating the mistakes of the past. Therefore, to not do so, one has to know what those mistakes were, in detail, in full.

[Lux_Dreaming]

Every day this man is in office is another day that makes me wonder WHY I voted for him...It it starting to look like a wolf in sheep's clothing from where I stand...I am genuinely freaked out by the sheer LACK of experience he and his cabinet seem to have...and that sucks because he's really fucking eloquent when he speaks...did we all just get the wool pulled over our eyes...cause it feels a LOT like Clinton '93 and '96, i.e. Don't Ask, and DOMA

[Lux_Dreaming]

P.S. Magnus...do not EVER BEG for EQUAL RIGHTS!!!!!!PERIOD!!!!! I pay more in taxes each year than these religious nut jobs EARN in a year...so let's not BEG...rather DEMAND equality!!!PERIOD!!!

[jason]

don't count on it...the black community proved to me with their overwhelming support of prop 8 and amendment 2 in florida that they could have cared less about what obama stood for, they only voted for him because he was black. i guess the fight for equal rights only applies to your own race. i was never racist towards blacks until this past election (yeah, i know...harsh statement)...but screw the people who screwed me, this includes every other bigot who voted for these piece of shit amendments. i hope they remember this subject when they need my vote to keep their precious affimative action alive. Think about that for a minute.

[MattyMatt]

Hey, don't forget to name names! It was Steve Smith who failed to use an endorsement from the most popular politician of our time.

I wonder if he'll be working on the Prop 8 repeal in 2010.

[Dr. Paul S. Martin]

Like HELL the Mormon Church shouldn't be blamed. I mean I only spent 25 years in the Mormon Church before I decided my sexual orientation and my happiness meant more than being in a bigoted, fear-based, stuck-up, snobby organization that may CALL ITSELF a church, but it is REALLY a "Corporation" (and attests to the same in every publication it puts out). And, coupled with the fact that the Mormon Church has their so-called "Temples" (which 90% of its members are, in the eyes of its leadership, not good enough to go into) in Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Diego, they DO have a reach that greatly influences governmental decisions in California.

The Catholic Church, I know nothing about, with regards to how they handle their internal choices of what they will, and will not support, other than to know that Benedict XVI was the head of the counsel for the defense of the faith in the catholic church, prior to being elevated to being the current pontiff of the Catholic Faith.

The fact that Barack Obama, from what I read here (and someone correct me if I am wrong) basically was AGAINST prop 8, lets me know where his heart is, and it clearly isn't in support of the LGBT community.

That's my 2 cents' worth. I will climb down off my milk crate now.

Dr. Paul S. Martin

[Joe Moag]

Dr. Martin: Obama was AGAINST Prop 8 - that means he was FOR same-sex marriage.

The Mormons were FOR Prop 8 - that means that they were AGAINST same-sex marriage.

So you have confused the hell out of Obama's position. He was - and is - pro LGBT in regards to Prop 8.

[JT]

Even now, the proposition's wording remains confusing to some. That alone should be reason enough to repeal it. Let people vote again, on a clearly worded ballot, and we might not have the same debates.

That said, I maintain that inalienable rights are just that -- inalienable. Human rights, civil rights, are never to be subject to the whim and will of the People. Each citizen maintains sovereignty, and the State can have no greater, more compelling cause which would override the right of the individual to marry whomever he pleases. This SHOULD be self-evident.

[JT]

"All laws which are repugnant to the Constitution are null and void."
--Marbury vs. Madison

[John Bisceglia]

So Why The F*CK Do PEOPLE LIKE YOU Get To Vote To Take Away The Rights Of PEOPLE LIKE ME?" --

One day some very angry gay will ask this question as he holds the trigger.

AMERICA is doing psychological damage to its Queer Citizens, and it's only a matter of time before one person with LESS mental stability will CCCcccccCCCCrack! This is just realistic speculation folks.

ANTI SAME-SEX MARRIAGE AMENDMENTS SPARK PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG GLBT ADULTS AND THEIR FAMILIES, ACCORDING TO NEW RESEARCH

Creates Harmful Environment That May Affect Health, Well-Being

http://www.apa.org/releases/glbt-stress-1108....

Why beg for what you can TAKE?
EQUALITY IS YOURS; YOU ARE ALREADY EQUAL.

It's not my fault Americans haven't caught up with common decency, JUSTICE, and morality.

Let the EXALTED HETEROSEXUALS fund their own Goddamn Theocracy with their taxes!

EQUALITY TAX REVOLT

[ben242]

Jason: March 11th post.

Stop blaming black people for prop 8. Not all black people voted for prop 8 as I am sure that not all white people voted for prop 8. I am a man of color and I didn’t vote for prop 8.

My sister and brothers didn’t vote for prop 8 in fact my sister tried talking to all of her coworkers many of which are white, Asian and Latino and they were all for prop 8.

Blacks are by far the minority whom are even out numbered by the Latino population.

If you want to place blame, look to your self possibly and to your friends and the gay community it self. I can’t tell you how many people I talked to on gay.com who said they didn’t care about marriage and that it was for straight couples and their values. I also talk to homosexuals who said monogamy was un-natural and they weren’t going to vote on prop 8 and some said they were going to vote yes. I talked with some homosexuals who said that homosexuals shouldn’t get married, they agreed with prop 8.

Others to blame:

1: Homosexuals that have sex with men who say that are (ha ha ha ha) “Straight” These so called Heterosexuals loath themselves for being gay and so they pretend to be straight. The funny thing is, they get their dicks suck by gays in the evening and then they wake up the next morning stripping gays of their rights.

2: Everyone who was not out their talking to people about prop 8 BEFORE THE VOTE.

3. Everyone who is not showing support and showing up at the rally’s. I only see 4 to 5 hundred people…. Where are the TEN’s of THOUSANDS of us that you force themselves out to each and every rally no matter what you are doing. (This is for our rights)

Everyone has to do their part not Look to others to do it for them.

So Jason lets be honest, there isn’t enough black people to override the white vote or the Latino vote, never mind both white and Latino.

I don’t hate you, so please don’t hate me.

[Jon H]

The rights of a minority should never be voted on by the majority in the first place. It would have taken years longer to end segregation in southern states if they left it up the voters to decide. It's ridiculous that you're doing it now.

[Poor little liberals]

Lux_Dreaming Maybe you should listen and investigate more thoroughly when another presidential candidate is up for election. The Germans in the 20th century listened to a charismatic, eloquent statesman too, and look where it got them. "It's starting to look like a wolf in sheep's clothing from where I stand...I am genuinely freaked out by the sheer LACK of experience he and his cabinet seem to have..." LMAO of course he has no experience it was obvious to about half the country... Five of his appointees are tax-dodgers including the Sec. of Treasury. There is just something fundamentally wrong with that. Don't you agree? The plan to close the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba is one of the Obama decisions that reflect a "law enforcement" as opposed to a "wartime" view of terrorism. So you're right he's kinda like Clinton. Great job in electing a Neo-Marxist!!

[Liberal Sista]

I found the results of Prop 8 to be morbidly disgusting! Although I am a Black heterosexual female, nevertheless I have always supported gay marriages, same-sex adoptions, as well as upholding the Supreme Court decision of Roe V Wade. Unfortunately, Christianity has a played a vital role in many Black communities. Many African Americans are physically liberal, but socially conservative. What went wrong with Prop 8 and the Black vote? A.S.S.U.M.P.T.I.O.N and BAD MARKETING! There is a smaller percentage of Blacks living in California than any other ethnicity group. There are more faith-based televised sermons advertised on BET, than MTV or VH1. There were no grassroots campaign pushing the opposition agenda of Prop 8 in Black and Hispanic urban/suburban areas. Kanye West, a rapper who has openly expressed his support for gay marriages would have been a great spokesperson for the Black community. Politics is a game of chess, and Prop 8 is just one of the 16 pieces! The Mormans understood their religious constituents. If you want to forward a faith based agenda among minorities, then target the Black churches. President Bush did this during his Presidential campaign. Trying to push Prop 8 right after the Presidential victory of President Obama {without gaining a favorable amount of attention to this subject from Blacks and Hispanics} was infantile. You want Prop 8 eradicated? Then reach out to the Black community. It's NEVER too late! I still support same sex marriages.

[Liberal Sista]

Here is a great chess move. According to DADI, 69% of births among Black women were to unwed mothers. Black women are the least likely to be married (more than any other women of any different ethnicity). Call the Black churches out on their hypocrisy. The older pre-Civil Rights generation do not believe that Gay-Marriage is a civil rights issue, so don't make it one! It's a losing battle! Instead create this argument, "Why are so many African-Americans concerned about respecting the institution of marriage, when so many children in Black communities are being born out of wedlock?" This would be a great debate to take on with Black pastors. A widely publicized debate on BET with pastors {like Creflo A. Dollar and TD Jakes}, would push the issue among many young voters in HBCUs (historically Black Colleges and Universities). Target the Black Gay Elite in Atlanta, Georgia to pull further resources. They are well connected to many other Black organizations and learning institutions. I hate to admit this, but the failure of Prop 8 did not lie with the Mormans or religious Blacks. The failure lied with the upper-middle class gay elite who refused to form allies with the Black and Hispanic communities. The Morman churches CAME PREPARED!

[Liberal Sista]

I found the results of Prop 8 to be morbidly disgusting! Although I am a Black heterosexual female, nevertheless I have always supported gay marriages, same-sex adoptions, as well as upholding the Supreme Court decision of Roe V Wade. Unfortunately, Christianity has a played a vital role in many Black communities. Many African Americans are physically liberal, but socially conservative. What went wrong with Prop 8 and the Black vote? A.S.S.U.M.P.T.I.O.N and BAD MARKETING! There is a smaller percentage of Blacks living in California than any other ethnicity group. There are more faith-based televised sermons advertised on BET, than MTV or VH1. There were no grassroots campaign pushing the opposition agenda of Prop 8 in Black and Hispanic urban/suburban areas. Kanye West, a rapper who has openly expressed his support for gay marriages would have been a great spokesperson for the Black community. Politics is a game of chess, and Prop 8 is just one of the 16 pieces! The Mormans understood their religious constituents. If you want to forward a faith based agenda among minorities, then target the Black churches. President Bush did this during his Presidential campaign. Trying to push Prop 8 right after the Presidential victory of President Obama {without gaining a favorable amount of attention to this subject from Blacks and Hispanics} was infantile. You want Prop 8 eradicated? Then reach out to the Black community. It's NEVER too late! I still support same sex marriages.