# Maine and gay marriage - who cares? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 1, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maine-and-gay-marriage-who-cares/515907 "2009-11-01T02:14:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maine-and-gay-marriage-who-cares/515907/41 "2009-11-05T02:01:08Z")
> [@Laudenum](#): > > Referendum \> vote in a parliament. > > Obviously their elected officials voted incorrectly if their electorate had to correct them later. (Assuming you believe that they should represent their electorate). In that case I should expect the whole lot to be swept out of office in the next election. Otherwise “their” electorate, and the people who cared to show up for this issue yesterday, are not equal sets – which is very, very likely. And legislators are elected to deliberate on behalf of the people and make decisions in what they understand to be the people’s best interests; not to merely kowtow to public sentiment but to assume a lead role in a dialog between public officals and constituents. In this sense, these legislators have failed as leaders and communicators – if indeed public sentiment was so strong against all along they should have KNOWN this could happen, and a good leader does not march a weak force into overwhelming opposition on a suicide mission; and if it was not, and it looked plausible, then they had a duty to take the initiative in going out and making sure their side stayed strong, explaining what it was they did and why it was right for Maine. They failed. But if this is going to become the Republic of Referenda, we’re in trouble. Direct Democracy is a troublesome way to run a complex state, and voters have a bad habit of demanding the government magically fix all problems while refusing to pay one more cent for it. > [@Cort](#): > > Pretty soon the baby boomers are going to start to die off in droves, and that’s a good thing. I know a lot of them are our parents but we’ve got new shit to do that they won’t accept. Sorry mom, you’ve gotta go. We’re all tired of wrestling with you over shit like gay marriage and the war on drugs and a whole bunch of other shit that shouldn’t even be an issue. Don’t look now, but many on THAT side of the Boomer Horde had children and grandchildren that took _ **well** _ to being raised their way, y’know? It’s gonna take longer than many think. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maine-and-gay-marriage-who-cares/515907/42 "2009-11-05T05:04:18Z")
> [@Laudenum](#): > > You give them color storybooks about happy gay couples, and teach them that gay marriage is a good thing. Oh the horror! So our children might actually believe that families different from thier own are okay and aren’t scary, perverted, or evil just because they’re different? ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maine-and-gay-marriage-who-cares/515907/43 "2009-11-05T05:07:45Z")
> [@Laudenum](#): > > Referendum \> vote in a parliament. > > Obviously their elected officials voted incorrectly if their electorate had to correct them later. (Assuming you believe that they should represent their electorate). No actually. A democratic republic is not that simple. Sometimes the majority is wrong {as in this case} and our elected officlas have to develop leadership. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maine-and-gay-marriage-who-cares/515907/44 "2009-11-05T05:13:32Z")
> [@Laudenum](#): > > It’s the principle of the thing. > > In Ireland, people got very stroppy about being asked to vote again on Nice and on Lisbon, even though there were valid reasons for doing so. > A group of politicians can’t keep saying to the people “you made the wrong choice, vote again” over and over until they get the result they want. > It is insulting to the people, and they will resent it, even if they support gay marriage. It is indeed the principle of the thing. The actual citizens can bring it to a vote again in the same way the oppostion brought it to a vote this time. It will keep being raised as an issue until society grows up and overcomes thier irrational fears and prejudice. It has to happen because there are really no substantial reasonable arguments against it. Only emotional ones based in falsehoods. They can’t maintain themselves indefinately. ---
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maine-and-gay-marriage-who-cares/515907/45 "2009-11-05T13:22:29Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > Oh the horror! So our children might actually believe that families different from thier own are okay and aren’t scary, perverted, or evil just because they’re different? I was answering the question in the post I quoted. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maine-and-gay-marriage-who-cares/515907.md?page=2)