Comments on: Did Gay Marriage Decide the Election?

By: hatetheGOP

hatetheGOP — Wed, 24 Nov 2004 15:20:01 +0000

I think the main problem here is the insistence by "middle-America" that the government care at all about them. The fact that these red state losers, those states suckling at the teat of the REAL America (yes, the northeast and the land of the Hollywood Bablyon), can tweak an election with their hypocrisy and ridiculous moral arguments sickens me. Middle America is what is dragging down this country -- a bunch of under-educated, under-producing unsophisticated hicks that care more about two men kissing in public than they do about their children dying or their low to mid-tier jobs evaporating. Instead of boo-hooing the loss of a national election because of some inbred morons, it's time to re-think the borders and shape of "America." I for one am disgusted at the type of human being associated with the term "patriot." And the "American way," which is to say, bigotry and proto-fascism, needs to be destroyed entirely. This "experiement in liberty" is turning out poorly, and we need to go back to the drawing board -- a board that does not include those in the red states. Let Canada and Mexico have them, since their precious factory jobs they seem to not care about saving are going there anyway.

By: UnkaWinkie

UnkaWinkie — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 17:30:27 +0000

My guess is that having a gay-marriage initiative on the ballot was indeed instrumental in the election, and especially so on the ballots in Ohio and Michigan. The initiative brought people out in numbers to vote against gay-marriage who would not normally have voted had there been no such driving initiative. It's certainly been no secret that there are far more people against gay-marriage than there is people for it.

While there, they just went ahead and checked off Bush-Cheney on the ticket.

I also believe Florida's abortion privacy rights initiative had the same effect - bringing people who normally would have not voted to the polls to vote FOR requiring parental notification prior to abortions on minors. In both cases, for both initiatives, these same people would have voted overwhelmingly pro-Republican. Or anti-Democratic, whatever your bent.

By: McGehee

McGehee — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 17:04:47 +0000

What really decided the election was that Krispy Kreme changed the formula for the filling in their jelly doughnuts.

Makes about as much sense as any other "single factor."

By: PoliBlog

PoliBlog — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 03:12:24 +0000

The Gay Marriage Meme
James Joyner reacts to the popular thesis that gay marriage was the decisive issue in this election. I concur with his basic assessment:There were over 115 million votes cast for president and probably several things that influenced each of those vote...

By: Bryan

Bryan — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 01:53:35 +0000

I think the "parallel universe" theory is correct. I loathe the term "moral majority," as well, and I consider myself fairly socially and fiscally conservative. MM is prejorative, and just gives the left more ammunition to keep hatemongering over the next four years.

By: susan

susan — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 01:47:55 +0000

Media further proves its irrelevance and its cognitive dissonance. Morals or values issues certainly do not preclude the war on terror, particularly Bush's head-on approach to fighting it, and his reverence for the military. Conservatives--probably even many moderates & libertarians--tire not only of having pop culture shoved down their throats, but of the iconization of pop figures in that culture. Who cares what any of them "think"? They don't "think": they preach. We're not in their choir. Bush said many times during the campaign that it's about leadership; well,leadership is a moral value. Voters approved of his character and his qualities in a general sense, and were not banding together over any single "moral" issue. It's the whole, moral-to-his-core man--the whole package. Kerry, however, seemed to think values/morals/character could be pulled out of a package. Or a hat. I am glad to see bloggers addressing this "morals" idea the media thinks it has a clue on. Because, once again, it hasn't.

By: The Moderate Middle

The Moderate Middle — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 01:44:16 +0000

That last comment makes me want to get one of those bumper stickers that says: "The Moral Majority are neither."

And I voted for Bush.

By: Paul Burton

Paul Burton — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 01:05:49 +0000

With all due respect, you and so many others have missed the message of this election. The sleeping giant has come out of its slumber, and this giant is the MORAL MAJORITY. Yes gay marriage was a part of it but also there were other factors as well. Namely: a desire to return to Traditional Values, an intolerance for Hollywood trying to push their agenda on average Americans, and above all a knowledge that it comes down to GOD - FAMILY - PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. Wake up Democrates and realize that serving the vocal special interests is the furthest thing from middle America.