Posted on 05/09/2009 6:21:07 AM PDT by Colofornian
Six months ago, California voters passed Proposition 8, denying legal recognition to same gender marriages. Petitions are now being circulated to put the issue back to the voters in June 2010.
Before venturing into this thorny thicket again, the media should realize what a poor job it did in covering the fundraising for Prop 8.
The reporting blunders include gross inaccuracies and one where the media did not recognize a good story right before their eyes.
All the blunders could have been avoided had news organizations more fully understood the campaign finance reporting laws of California and/or been more diligent in examining the online campaign finance records filed with the California Secretary of State.
Blunder 1: The total amount contributed on both sides to Prop 8 was not $73 million but more than $103 million.
The campaign was widely reported to be the most expensive ballot measure of its kind, ever. But most of the media didn’t even report the correct amount spent, instead giving a figure 30% lower than the actual amount. How did this happen? The filing deadline for the last of six required financial statements was February 2, 2009, and all campaign committees met that deadline.
Every campaign committee was required to file a separate statement. The number of committees raising money for Prop 8 was four, and the number against was eight. The statements for Prop 8 totaled $41.3 million and those against totaled $61.6 million. Looking at a list of the separate amounts for each of the 12 committees, it becomes a mystery how anyone could come up with $73 million.
Blunder 2. Reporting that Mormon leaders “pulled out all the stops” to pass Prop 8.
Dozens of articles and blog comments on Prop 8 used the above phrase to describe the degree to which Mormon leadership contributed to the initiative’s passage. However campaign finance records available through the election showed that the number and amount of contributions coming from Utah and its surrounding Mormon-rich states was inconsequential -- somewhat more than $1 million, or roughly 3% of the total amount raised.
Statements filed later show that in the seven days before the election, donors from surrounding states did come up with another $3.5 million in response to an urgent plea for money made by Protectmarriage.com around October 23. That brought the percentage of out-of-state money coming from “Mormon states” to 11%.
Thus, a lion’s share of all money for Prop 8 came from Californians, contrary to wild reports that most of it came from out-of-state Mormons.
Only in California did the LDS Church designate in each congregation a fundraising person or committee or otherwise organize fundraising among its members. A letter from the highest authority within the Church, urging members to do all they can “by donating your means and time” to support Prop 8, was directed to be read to LDS congregations only in California. (California Mormons are only 12% of all LDS members in the United States.)
Finally, unlike in earlier years when the Mormon church supported efforts to preserve traditional marriage in other states, the church did not make any monetary contribution supporting Prop 8. Its in-kind contributions, required to be reported separately in California, were for $190,000, a pittance of the total raised.
By contrast, the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Knights of Columbus together contributed over a million dollars, as did James Dobson’s Focus on the Family. To understand a blunder like this, it helps to know that all ten of California’s largest newspapers editorially opposed Prop 8.
Blunder 3: Missing the big story that Protectmarriage.com, after raising $23 million in the 3rd quarter, raised only $2.6 million during the first 18 days of October, lost the fundraising lead by $7 million, and almost lost the election.
During the critical first 18 days in October, when contributions are usually at their peak, donations to oppose Prop 8 totaled $15.6 million, six times the amount raised by Protectmarriage.com (the campaign committee receiving 95% of all contributions for Yes) and the three other campaign committees for Yes.
The No committees received 1,450 contributions each day to the Yes committees’ 333. Those opposed to Prop 8 gained the lead, and the Yes side ran out of money for TV ads to counter the opposition’s planned TV blitz. Only by urgently pleading for, and receiving, last-minute millions did Protectmarriage.com receive enough in the last ten days to afford a TV finish of its own.
Where had Protectmarriage.com been in this crucial period? Was it resting on its laurels after out-raising its opponents during August and September? Did the media ever ask these questions? Why not?
Space dictates that I stop at three. There were many more blunders.
Here's someone who looked @ the figures -- and shows that $103 million was spent, not $73 million as the media reported. Certainly, Lds did more than their fair share -- both inside CA & outside CA. But it was less of the pie piece than what has been reported.
Interesting read.
The article makes this sound like a media “blunder” It was hardly a simple media oversight or bad reporting. The attack on the Mormon church for trying to “interfere” with the California election was a calculated campaign strategy. It is a common tactic for a campaign to identify its opponents out of state or least savory donors and try to turn them into a campaign issue. This just demonstrates that the media was totally in the bag with the homosexual lobby and was doing their bidding. Did individual Mormons outside of CA do more than their fair share? Yes. Did the LDS Church uses its resources and lay-clergy to help? Yes. But as the article mentions so did the Roman Catholic Church and Focus on the Family. The role of Black protestant preachers was also great and never mentioned.
So why pick on the Mormons? Calculated politcal gain. They are not well liked by many other denominations on the Christian Right. Divide and conquer. Perhaps a few fence sitting evangelicals will swing your way (no pun intended) if the Prop 8 effort is cast a “Mormon Effort”. The homosexual lobby and the media (one in the same in this case) knew they were going to get close to zero of the Mormon vote in CA. They might pick up much more (although still a minority) of the Catholic vote. They hoped to be able to count on the traditional liberal black turnout. So there was to be no mention of the role of the black church leaders fighting Prop 8. There was to little to no mention of the K of C and the Catholic Church’s role.
HHMMmmm...
From all of the, ahem, 'reporting' of this on FR, I had thought the MORMON's had given WAY over 66% of the total.
Who knew!?
KJV Luke 18:9-15
9. And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10. Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
I don’t think contributions were broken down by ACTUAL religion of the contributor so, there we are. I guess we will never know.
Roughly 2% of Americans are Mormon, and they reside overwhelmingly in the West. Two in three Utah residents are Mormon; Mormons settled Utah in the mid-19th century and the headquarters of the church is in Salt Lake City. The data suggest that one of every three Mormons in the United States lives in Utah. Idaho also has a rather large proportion of Mormons, as more than one in five Idahoans affiliate with that religion.
U.S. States With Most Mormons
|
State |
% Mormon |
|
|
|
|
Utah |
67 |
|
Idaho |
21 |
|
Wyoming |
9 |
|
Nevada |
9 |
|
Arizona |
5 |
|
Montana |
4 |
|
Washington |
4 |
|
New Mexico |
3 |
|
Oregon |
3 |
So?
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