Posted on 06/22/2008 5:42:13 AM PDT by kellynla
Major U.S. newspapers express misgivings about California Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision
An analysis of major newspaper editorials published in response to the California Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a ban on same-sex marriages shows that a majority of the editorials opposed the ruling.
The analysis, provided by the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy (iMAPP) of Manassas, Virginia, examined 20 of the highest-circulation newspapers in the United States. Twelve of the 20 published editorial reactions to the California court’s decision. Of the twelve editorials, seven were opposed to the decision while only four were in favor. One major paper published both favorable and opposed views, focusing on the Florida marriage amendment.
“Given that major newspapers are located in metropolitan areas and are historically liberal, this response is striking,” iMAPP said in a statement. The editorials opposed to the decision often voiced fears that “the undemocratic imposition of same-sex marriage will spark a ‘culture war’ similar to that sparked by Roe v. Wade’s overturning of abortion laws, and that the gay rights movement would be better served by trusting the democratic process and the rapid change in opinions among their fellow citizens,” according to iMAPP.
Joshua K. Baker, legal analyst for iMAPP, told CNA that the opposition editorials were unexpected. “I think [it] is significant and somewhat surprising,” he said. “It suggests that much of the nation is still looking for a compromise, and isn't willing to have a handful of judges making social policy for the nation."
When asked why some predominately liberal papers printed negative editorials regarding the ruling, Baker replied that, in addition to igniting a culture war, “several papers expressed concern about a voter backlash, suggesting that the court ruling might actually defeat its own purposes by lending new energy to supporters of the constitutional amendment effort already under way in California."
The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Boston Globe supported the California Supreme Court’s decision. Editorials in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Dallas Morning News and The Cleveland Plain Dealer opposed the decision.
This is the key. They're only concerned about the issue hurting the obamessiah in the Fall. If this weren't a Presidential election year, they'd be all a-twitter about the victory for gay marriage.
One flaw in this article is the assumption that culture wars start as a result of activist court rulings. In fact, the rulings themselves are major assaults in the culture war. Rulings such as Roe and the California same-sex "marriage" decision aren't objective legal decisions. They're circumstances where leftist judges deliberately misinterpreted the Constitution to advance a culturally leftist cause they believe in. The rulings themselves are major bombs dropped in the culture war by participants in that war. They aren't innocent occurrences which caused others to launch such a war.
The reason this is important is that Orwellian liberal groupthink dictates that conservatives are to blame for the culture wars. Therefore, we're always told that conservatives started the culture wars. Thus, when a school system starts handing out condoms, that isn't seen as the start of a culture war. Instead, the conservative parents who object are the ones accused of "starting a culture war in response to the new school policy."
The California ruling isn't causing opponents of same-sex "marriage" to start a culture war. The ruling itself is a major assault in a culture war started by same-sex "marriage" proponents.
When has any Leftist political pressure group ever trusted the democratic process? Their whole attitude is that the public is too dumb to know what is in their best interest, so a judge needs to impose it on them.
Thank you!
“NEWSPAPER AD REVENUE PLUNGES, SPREADING FEAR IN INDUSTRY... DEVELOPING... “ Fear will do that/
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