Words fail me. I never understood Union workers like my dad who supported Reagan. I don’t understand poor, working-class voters who support Republicans. But what really fries my brain is trying to comprehend how a gay person could vote for George W. Bush. It makes no sense to had a bullet to someone who has you in their sights.
I know one gay man who said before the election that he might vote for Bush because he was afraid Kerry would institute a draft and his son is draft age. The logic made smoke come out of my ears as the gears ground to a halt. I tried to explain that it would take an act of Congress and it was such a third rail that there’s no way Kerry would propose such a thing. I don’t know if he was swayed.
Well, it is entirely possible that there are more than a few people who feel that their personal beliefs *just might not * make good public policy. There are any number of things I feel strongly about, while acknowledging that my views wouldn’t work on a nationwide basis. Maybe the gays who voted Republican thought the same way. Or they are willing to sacrifice a right they don’t want to get a public policy they do want. I find it hard to believe that 100% of gays in America support gay marriage without question. You can’t get that kind of agreement from any group!
Here in Oregon, there was a commercial put out by the anti-SSMers featuring a male gay couple. This couple of nine years argued against SSM, saying that it is unnecessary as there are other ways of getting the legal benifits associated with marriage.
I don’t know if they were legit - any other Oregon Dopers have the scoop?
It’s about more than marriage. Let us not forget that Bush has said Scalia is his favorite Supreme Court Justice. Scalia’s dissent in Lawrence is a frightening look at his mindset. Don’t forget that it was under Bush’s leadership in Texas that that case began. His Administration aruged in support of the Texas law. Bush supports the FMA which would ban even Civil Unions, not just marriage. Bush supports the ban on openly gay service members. The Bush Administration opposes equal benefits for the same-sex spouses of federal employees. Bush offered no opposition to the anti-gay planks in the GOP Platform. And on and on …
Then why would they vote for somebody who bases his policy on his personal beliefs?
Clearly you’re right. There are gay people who think that Bush’s anti-gay policies aren’t as important as something else. But I can’t imagine a rational gay voter coming up with the above as the reason for it.
Dunno if that’s a real gay couple or not, but their position is utter bullshit. There is NO other way to get most of the legal benefits of marriage. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Cannot be done. At all.
BUT IT HAPPENED. Some union people did vote for Reagan. Some poor, working-class people support Bush. So do some gays. If you don’t understand it, maybe - just maybe - that suggests to you that it’s not such a cut-and-dried issue.
It’s not like a vote for Kerry was really going to give them anything, either. He said he wanted to leave it up to the states. Well, that’s what happened this election and it wasn’t pretty. It’s going to take more than a waffly president to change things.
It gives us SAFETY. From a Federal government being led by a religious fanatic. From a Federal government being led by someone who is COMMITTED to dismembering the civil rights of gays.
Kerry considers us people. Kerry considers us Americans. George W. Bush is about two steps removed from wanting us rounded up and shot.
You mean he keeps bring up the fact that George W. Bush won the 2004 Presidential election?
Or is he harping on the sweeping Republican victories in the House Congressional races?
Don’t tell me that he keeps going on about the Republican gains in the Senate!
I can’t tell you how much it would piss me off if Bricker just kept talking about the incredible victory of the GOP! I mean, how often does one need to mention the Republican victories?
It’s not like if he said, ‘Hey, spectrum, did you hear that the Republicans kicked serious ass, with massive gains across the board, while the demmies were sent crying for their mommas’ that anything would change, right? It is just so crass for him to wave the GOP 2004 victories in your face like that!
The day you finally do the world the favor of dying should be made a national holiday. Scum like you are everything that is wrong with America: pure bigotry, pure selfishness, pure warmongering, pure greed, pure evil.
America IS wrong. Very wrong. Totally wrong. America is supporting bigotry, and that’s totally fucking wrong, no matter how big of a margin (Bush’s was small) you get. If 90% had voted for the GOP and their bash-the-gays strategy, they’d still be wrong, and they’d still be worthless fucking bigots.