Prop 8, The Musical

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Thanks for the Tip, Ch'ien.

Proposition 8

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Same Sex Marriage Banned

Arizona and Florida voted to ban same sex marriage. In California, the proposition to ban same sex marriage is ahead 52% to 49% with about 90% of the votes counted. Three million or so absentee ballots remain uncounted.

Mormons Back Proposition 8

Alan Greenblatt notes that the LDS and Knights of Columbus are two of the biggest backers of California's Proposition 8. He is puzzled by the massive involvement of the Mormon church since the battles to ban same sex marriage in other states were largely evangelical affairs. Greenblatt thinks that one of the reasons for the involvement is the outreach by San Fransisco's Catholic Archbishop.

In 1999, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined other churches in California to promote Proposition 22, which also prohibited gay marriage. Mormons canvassed their neighborhoods and completed other assignments in support of the initiative, which passed. The California Supreme Court overturned it in May, however, and the move to up the ante with a constitutional amendment took hold.

At that time, Catholic Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco wrote LDS President Thomas S. Monson enlisting LDS support for the amendment. Niederauer had a good relationship with LDS leaders developed during his 11 years as bishop of Salt Lake City, and Latter-day Saints enthusiastically jumped on board.

Down Ballot Briefs

The American Prospect profiles a young, progressive, and mostly unheralded candidate Josh Segall, who is fighting to unseat the Republican incumbent in Alabama's conservative 3rd district.

Will Democrats take over the Texas House of Representatives?

Anti-gay marriage forces hope that second time is a charm in Arizona.

Third party candidate is hurting Al Franken in Minnesota.

Rep. David Scott is surprisingly vulnerable in Georgia's 13th district.

The Voters Have Spoken

Baney Frank (D-MA) blows a hole through his Republican opponent's arguments about same sex marriage.

...As far as putting the issue to a vote, Frank noted that in both the 2004 and 2006 Massachusetts statewide elections, gay marriage was a central issue on which every candidate was asked to take a side. And, Frank said, Bay State voters elected a legislature "that voted by about 77 percent in favor of same-sex marriage."

"I believe the voters do know what they are doing and I believe the voters showed their choice," he said.

Proposition 8

Proposition 8 attracts large amounts of money from supporters and opponents of same sex marriage.

At least 64,000 people from all 50 states and more than 20 other countries have given money to support or oppose a ban on same-sex marriage in California, reflecting broad interest in a race that some consider second in national importance only to the presidential election.

I Heart Apple and Levi's

Boston Globe:

Apple Inc. has joined the short list of publicly traded companies to oppose a ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriage in California.

The Cupertino-based computer and iPod maker said on its Web site Friday it made a $100,000 pledge to defeat Proposition 8.

...Jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co. gave $25,000 last month to fight the initiative.

An Inconsistent Truth

Remember when Palin said that she wanted Roe v. Wade overturned so that states could have a say in what abortion laws applied to their own state? Well, the federalist Sarah Palin is not so federalist when it comes to same sex marriage. She'd like a Federal Marriage Ammendment.



Then again, this is from the woman who couldn't name a single Supreme Court decision other than Roe v. Wade.

Same Sex Marriage in Connecticut

From GLAD, "In an historic decision, Connecticut’s Supreme Court ruled today that gay and lesbian couples in the Constitution State deserve marriage. Not domestic partnerships or civil unions, but full and equal marriage and the respect and security that only marriage provides."

From the NYT, "Connecticut's Supreme Court ruled Friday that same-sex couples have the right to marry, making the state the third behind Massachusetts and California to legalize such unions."