Gay Marriage Backers Explain Why They Lost Proposition 8 (It Was The Values, Stupid! Alert)

Los Angeles Times ^ | 11/20/2008 | Shelby Grad

[goldstategop]

There's been a lot of outrage from the No on Proposition 8 camp since California voters approved a ban on gay marriage. But until now, there has been less soul searching about what went wrong. But Terry Leftgoff, founder of the Gay and Lesbian Business Assn. of Santa Barbara, has a thoughtful piece on WeHo News looking at how the opposition to Proposition 8 fell short. It did, he says, on several levels: A mixed message, failing to respond to attacks from Yes on 8 forces, little black and Latino outreach. A snippet:

The No on 8 campaign began by allowing the Yes on 8 proponents to define the debate and it was never able to recover. This violated the first rule of political campaigns, which is to never let your opponent define you first. After a near fatal slow start, every emotional attack ad from Yes on 8 received a tepid intellectual response from No on 8. This violated another rule of political campaigns, which is to quickly respond in equal kind to an attack so it is not allowed to penetrate the public mind. Instead of running a diverse multi-message campaign of persuasion, the media message was emotionless, monotone and uncompelling. In short, the media messages failed to move or even educate voters about the issue and instead appealed to a single abstract principle -- equality -- that was not sufficiently persuasive or connected to the content of the proposition.

[goldstategop]

They've blamed every one else but themselves for their defeat. Even now the queerly beloved are clueless about why they lost on Proposition 8. Let me spell it out for them: IT WAS THE VALUES, STUPID!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[STONEWALLS]

...yep it was values...but that doesn’t matter to the queer population....they’ll just keep going to court until the courts give in to make them go away.

[doc1019]

Simple. The majority of Californians citizens, although compassionate, are against the immoral marriage of same sex persons … as evidenced by the recent voting results.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Yep, the people were “uneducated” about homosexual marriage. They didn’t understand it. They didn’t understand the nuances of it.

So then it’s a good thing the gay activists have been taking to the streets since the election to educate us that we voted the wrong way.

[RobinOfKingston]

In short, the media messages failed to move or even educate voters about the issue ...

Truth be known, I think most folks have been "moved and educated" quite enough "about the issue."

[fwdude]

Actually, they must “re-educate” us. Camp la Farge right around the corner....

[John123]

which is to never let your opponent define you first.

Heh! Methinks they didn't need any help defining themselves... being obnoxious... against free speech...

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Its simple. Despite what the Libs may say, no one really wants to see things like this:

http://sportsbettingindex.net/images/sports_02/dennis.bmp

[pillut48]

They don’t get that it’s not a matter of ‘civil rights’ (puleeze) but a matter of FREEDOM OF RELIGION. 33 states in the Union understand that, why can’t these people get it in California??

[Jay777]

Video: Christine Cloud Beaten With Her Own Bible By Gay Activist Speaks Out!

[goldstategop]

California is the only state in the country with a significant homosexual minority. That's why its caused an uproar that we haven't seen elsewhere in the country where similar traditional marriage measures have been placed into state constitutions.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[RichInOC]

And the other side’s extremely poorly-hidden arrogance and contempt did them (and continues to do them) no favors, either.

“The door’s wide open now! It’s gonna happen! Whether ya like it or not!”

[TruthHound]

Our voices are saying “values,” but their ears only hear “hate”. Righteousness and debauchery will never be compatible.

[utahagen]

You are right. But what scares the devil out of me is that, every time the vote is taken on the gay marriage issue, the margin by which the good guys win, is narrower.

[mockingbyrd]

They lost because words mean things. And marriage still means something to the people in this country. (The census bureau shows that if a man and a woman get married today, and it is the first marriage for each, they have a better than 70% chance of staying together. The whole 50% failure rate comes from many of the same people who marry multiple times)

[doc1019]

MSM propaganda … the old frog in the boiling water thing. Preach it long enough and people will begin to believe it.

[GOP Poet]

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[gidget7]

Instead of running a diverse multi-message campaign of persuasion, the media message was emotionless, monotone and uncompelling. In short, the media messages failed to move or even educate voters about the issue and instead appealed to a single abstract principle -- equality -- that was not sufficiently persuasive or connected to the content of the proposition.

Uhhhhhhhhhh so it was the media's job to sway with emotion, in favor of homosexuals? That's rich, since they always are to the point of being disturbingly offensive. Seems the media can't do enough to please the disturbed. The values, faith, clear right versus wrong. That's why you lost, no other reason.

[gidget7]

LOL Robin, you got that right, rational people know far more than they ever wanted to, thanks to the perversity crowd.