2004 with their wedge issue gay rights

Surveys showed a decisive majority of New Yorkers in favor. On Sunday, Michele Bachmann said that New York had the right to legalize gay marriage under the 10 th amendment, even as she promised to push for a constitutional amendment to trump such state laws.

After coming out as gay last year, Mehlman expressed his regret at his silent complicity in anti-gay politics. John Kerry • Does not favor gay marriage but he opposes constitutional amendment on. If he were to come out for gay marriage, a position that most of his supporters assume he agrees with anyway, he would thrill them while dividing his opponents.

Many true believers did just that. Michelle Goldberg. Published Jun. The leader of the nation's largest gay and lesbian political organization called Bush's support for such an amendment a desperate attempt to help his re-election bid and accused him of wanting to.

The arc of history may always bend towards justice, but rarely do we have the chance to see it happen so very quickly. Democratic leaders, impressed by the purported success of GOP-backed ballot initiatives to ban same sex marriage in the election are pushing their own wedge initiatives to increase the minimum wage.

And afterit would be especially gratifying to see gay marriage used as a Democratic wedge issue. Ina nationwide campaign against gay marriage proved crucial to returning George W. Bush to the White House. Nationwide, recent polls reveal that, for the first time, a slim majority of Americans back gay marriage.

All 11 state amendments passed. Gay marriage proved to be the ultimate wedge issue. Eleven states had constitutional amendments on the ballot banning gay marriage and, in some cases, domestic partnerships as well. One of the ironies of the campaign is that although wedge issues won’t determine the outcome of a race dominated by national security and the economy, the victor can have a more direct.

39 Was Rove Right

Among the GOP base, though, opposition to gay rights remains overwhelming. Got a tip? But are such ballot measures really as potent as claimed?. ON THE ISSUES Gay Rights George W. Bush • Opposes gay marriage; Is supporting a constitutional amendment specifically defining marriage as the union between a man and a woman.

But the conservative grassroots remain strongly opposed to gay marriage. Now, it could be again, but in a way no one imagined seven years ago. You might be very cynical about that. Besides firing up the base, these initiatives gave evangelical pastors an ostensibly non-partisan issue to mobilize around, allowing them to mount sophisticated get-out-the-vote operations without violating IRS law governing church politicking.

“Swing voters have a lot more on their minds than wedge issues.” And Republicans, she suggested, may be out of touch with Americans’ tolerance on gay rights. Obama, of course, can hardly point out the absurd contradiction there, because his own position is similarly incoherent.

All over the country that year, Republican mailers and robocalls warned of the dread specter of same-sex families. • Has continued President Clinton's policy allowing gays to serve in military but only if they are not open about their sexuality. I'm trying to do the right thing.

Send it to The Daily Beast here. You might not like that. Well, fuck it, I don't care what you think.