The same forces responsible for Proposition 8 in California in 2008 have made their way into the very depths of Vactionland and are now trying to repeal the rights of homosexual unions by way of referendum. I'll make my call up front. The bright spot that was Prop 8 in 2008 is going to be eclipsed in 2009 and its highly likely that the backlash starts in Maine.
For one thing, anti-gay forces have used the same consulting firm, and the same message they did in California - which explicitly cites "the homosexual agenda already being taught in Massachusetts."
For obvious reasons, that plays differently in CA than it will in ME because I'm betting these west coast foreigners don't realize how tightly knit New England is. I suspect they also don't know how vicious the gay community is going to be over what they saw as a sandbagging in California, and if you don't think money won't pour in from all over the country think again.
Homosexuals have often been refered to as D.I.N.K.s - Double Income, No Kids. They stereotypically are big city liberals with at least one member of the house hold occupying a 6 figure income. This is now being presented in direct competition with heartland values, and more pointedly heartland paychecks. The chances that Maine will overturn their vote are growing increasingly slimmer. The Media likes to use the term “galvanized” for what Prop 8 did to the LGBT community, but that’s a “safe for television, objective” word, and what’s closer to the truth is they’ve furious for the past 11 months that they are being devalued as humans and Americans.
So what else doesn’t Schubert Flint Public Affairs, the firm representing the anti-gay proposition, understand about where they are doing battle? Politics.
California might be an exposed state, on camera, high profile, exciting. But Maine is, as Mark Steyn always refers to them, crotchety (he would, he’s a NH resident). They vote for who they want, and what they want, and they very much don’t like outsiders sticking their nose in its business. Just to give you an idea of who Mainers are; Lower 3 plates (Ma, Ri, and Ct) are routinely pulled over, the locals find us arrogant, mean, and we’re within 1 border. They also use the term “from away” to refer to anyone who’s ever had residency outside of the State. Meaning if you weren’t born there, you’re “from away” and no length of time repeals that idea. Maine also refers to some of their own as “Down Easters” (not sure if it’s one word) to denote where the rich folks of the state live.
They are, for the most part, highly resistant to outside influence. And unlike in MA (correct me if I’m wrong), in Maine Gay Marriage was a bill presented to the state legislature. It was signed by an elected Governor. There was no unilateral move to “force” gay marriage on the people of Maine. If its going to be repealed they want that to be up to them and I can put hard money on the fact that these outsiders are going to been shown to be the same crop from California, and that’s going to go horribly wrong for the anti-gay forces out there.
As it stands, I believe only 1 New England state does not allow Gay Marriage to happen, and that’s Rhode Island. The walls are coming down fairly consistently for a couple of reasons.
For one thing, Big City conservatives tend to be fiscal conservatives with more of a libertarian streak than a social/compassionate conservative bent. They don’t feel “saving” marriage is a big issue, and as die-hard free market people, the monetary output of legal gay marriage is both lucrative and befitting their deregulatory philosophies.
Secondly, all sides are on board now. This seems like a Liberal issue, but the reality is, on this one at least, Liberals are holding fast to Constitutional precedents, and how this mess began was Big Government Republicans attempting to regulate Morality.
It doesn’t fit Reagan-ites to use the government to regulate things like morals, and you know damned well the democrats didn’t do this.
The fight is going to be filthy. I don’t think, even if I’ve presented it that way, that it’s going to be a cake walk. But the homosexual community is more than likely seething, prepped for battle against the exact same group who made them second class citizens in, of all places, California.
Best of Luck to my Yankee brothers up in North Country. We always did know how to throw a revolution, I hope and expect that won't change now.
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