As Gay Marriage Roils the States, The Right May Gain - WSJ

Republicans Hope Big Turnout From Local Ban Initiatives Will Help in November

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In Washington, the push for a federal constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage is on the back burner amid turmoil in Iraq and election-year wrangling. But outside the Beltway, the issue is shaping up to be a major factor in this year's elections for president, Congress and state legislatures -- and one that could help Republicans more than Democrats.

There have already been skirmishes in state capitols from Atlanta to Des Moines after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court kicked off the debate with its controversial November decision permitting gay marriage. By the end of the year, 30 states will have considered constitutional prohibitions on same-sex marriage, estimates Stateline.org, a nonprofit news organization funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

In at least seven swing states in the presidential race -- Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio, Oregon, Missouri, Michigan and Minnesota -- a vote on gay marriage may be included on November ballots, a move that could prompt a large turnout among socially conservative voters. High turnout inspired by the issue could also help Republicans win houses or senates in eight state legislatures where control is up for grabs. They include Indiana, North Carolina, and, again, Minnesota.

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The right sees gay marriage as a low point in three decades of judicial interference in politics symbolized by Roe v. Wade and the legalization of abortion. Opinion polls suggest that a majority of Americans oppose legalizing gay marriage and as a result many Democrats are finding themselves uncomfortably aligned with their Republican rivals pushing state constitutional amendments.

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Write to Jacob M. Schlesinger at jacob.schlesinger@wsj.com

URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108370472082201807,00.html

before now... It's quite an education.

The whackos are depending on bigotry initiatives to win for their guy, Simpleton W. Bush. The panic on the right is rising, and it's beautiful to see.

Here's what we found out in Oregon, when Lon Mabon and his Oregon Citizens' Alliance put measures on the ballot to enshrine discrimination in the state constitution and statutes. The first one, the infamous Measure 9 of 1992, so mobilized the gay community and its allies that progressive forces joined up and held sway in Oregon for the next election cycle.

In 1994, the equally infamous Measure 13 (son of 9) went on the ballot with a kinder, gentler bigotry. In spite of the low voter turnout that year which led to the Republican "landslide" and the advent of Newt Gingrich, Oregon voters again rejected the idea of making prejudice the law of the state.

If one of these electoral abominations is on the ballot in your state or locality, join up now and work to defeat it. Generate some synergy with other campaigns for other progressive ideas and candidates. The party in November will be memorable!

And progressives still murmur "Thank you, Lon" from time to time when fresh faces show up to help with the struggle.