Wednesday November 03, 2004

Hate-Based Initiative

Francis heaps some outrage on the electorate with the accurate observations that a) people voted against their own economic interest in order to inflict their moral beliefs on their fellow citizens, and b) the parts of the country that have never seen, and will never see, a terrorist attack are the ones who have ratified the continuation of Bush’s reckless and dangerous policies for the rest of us.

I have only this to add. The strategy behind Bush’s proposed amendment banning gay marriage seems to have worked like charm, despite the fact that — at the federal level — it’s a complete waste of time. All 11 states that had anti-gay marriage initiatives on the ballot passed them. Bush won in nine of them, including Ohio. Mind you, gay marriage was not even legal in any of these states at the time of the vote. Rather, conservative voters turned out in droves to ensure that the right to marry or enter civil unions will never be extended to gays and lesbians. Since exit polls show that morality was voters’ leading decision factor, we have to face the fact that this election was primarily determined by a concerted effort to prevent a group of people from gaining rights they might have otherwise been constitutionally granted. Until now, the history of the Constitution has been one of expanding rights, as rights have been steadily extended to blacks, women and citizens of draft age. This election, however, can only be seen as a mean-spirited leap backward.