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The Attacks Start At the Last Minute


With only a week left until ballots mail out in Washington state, Protect Marriage Washington has started airing their first ad in what is doubtless to be a series of ads to run threw the election on Nov 6.  as the Seattle times says about this time in the election cycle "for a ballot measure that isn't up on the air now is missing a big opportunity. Ballots mail out next week"  and it appears that even though they are late to the race compared to the Approve campaign that has had ads running for months between Washington United for marriage and an ad run by Seattle Pride during the summer Olympics  they seem to be coming out of the gate swinging using some of the same old tactics that have proven so effective in the past in scaring the public into voting their way.  although this time they seem to have thrown in another tool to their approach and that is trying to reassure the people that they are scaring that voting to take away the rights of the gay citizens of Washington dose not mean that they are anti gay.  Which seems to speak to who some of the voters they are trying to scare into voting their way are and those are voters that support gay rights!! You can see  the ad for your self right after the jump. 


It is clear that now is an important time for both campaigns and especially the approve campaign even though we have a lead in the polls it is important that we don't make the same mistake of assuming that we are going to win that played a factor in the loss of the same sex marriage supporters in CA with Prop 8.  Now is the time that as a campaign we need to not only step up our visibility threw an increased number of ads on TV, It is no scientific measure of things Friday night I saw Protect Marriage's add twice withing one hour while I only saw one of our ads during the same period. We also start focusing not only on running ads to try to keep wining over the harts and minds of those on the fence by talking to them about why the gay community wants marriage equality even if is just threw straight people talking about why it is important and why they support it.  It is also the time to start to run ads that will help to counter and even calm any fears that the Protect Marriage campaign instills in the public.  Like that religious freedoms and liberties are at risk, like for example running that ad that is already out there with clergy from many different denominations talking about not only why they support marriage equality but also about the fact that religious protections are written into the law. 


In my opinion now is also the time that we need to start running ads that counter the scare tactics that they bringing into play that people that don't agree with the law will be sued, and we need to aggressively counter that fear as it is one that has the power to say many people that are on the fence and even those that have just barely come over the fence to our side.  It is also time to get out there and point out that there are gay families in the state and that if marriage is about the next generation as Protect Marriage claims that it is, then it should be about all families including gay families.   It is also time to be preemptive and show that as they are sure to use religious charities will not be required to shut down or change the way in which they operate when marriage equality is passed. In my opinion not only could the quote parts of a Seattle PI report written from an Interview of someone that was intimately involved with the "shut down of Boston's catholic charities" heck they could even take out print ads in local papers across the state with excerpts from the interview, like the fact that "Catholic Charities placed 13 kids with gay couples even BEFORE the Massachusetts Supreme Court legalized same sex marriage" This goes to show just how distorted the "facts" that are being touted by those against same sex marriage are.

They could also point out that "the orders came from above"... "'in 2005, tragically the out of the blue, the Vatican ordered our diocese to stop using the the singe criteria of 'best interest of the children' writes Meade 'they ordered us to stop facilitating adoptions to qualified gay and lesbian households'"  If on reads the interview it became very clear that the reason that Boston Catholic Charities shut down was not due to gay marriage  as they had been adopting to gay couples, and it was not because the directors of the charities board agreed with the Vatican's decision as they did not, it was because the hierarchy of the church chose to shut them down, not because of any damage done by gay marriage. This information should be a devastating blow to one of the biggest fear tactics of those opposed to marriage equality.    

It dose seem strange though how late in the game Protect Marriage has decided to start it is almost as if NOM and others have written of winning in the state or that they are overly confident or just that their funds are just about as limited as their financial releases would have one believe and they simply could not afford to put up their end of the fight early, Or if it is a combination of both.  One also has to wounder if they literally are using the same play book that they have used in other states and forgot or discounted the fact that Washington is an entirely vote by mail state, with ballots mailing out in just a week, which means that in affect voters can start casing their ballots in a week.  It is also important to remember that many Washingtonians vote well before the Nov. 6 deadline, meaning that waiting till the last minute to start running ones ads is a very risky proposition.  This information seems to be something on the bright side that Washington United For Marriage took on bored in planing their campaign and putting so much effort in focus in trying to get voters to make up their mind in support of same sex marriage well before the election.  It is also surprising that I nor anyone in my family has received any campaign calls from Protect Marriage while we/I have received several calls from WUFM with the goal of getting us to vote in favor and to insure that we do vote and mail our ballot in. 

While we can never be overly confident and there is always the very real risk that we could lose this race in the very last minutes there is also very much reason to feel that things our going good for our side and to be hopeful that we can hold onto the lead that we have in public opinion polls when it comes time for voter to go to metaphorical polls in this state.  I know that, this is my hope.

Until next time dear readers.

PS for my readers in Washington state remember to vote APPROVE on Ref 74 and to mail in your ballot before the deadline even if it is the only item on the ballot that you vote on!  Every vote matters and we need every one that we can get! 

Comments

  1. I didnt know that Washington is a mail only voting state. Why arent all states doing that? Would end the trying to get to the polls before they close.

    Ive been watching the rather lack luster works of the anti gay marriage groups there. They seem to be asleep at the wheel. I wonder if they feel the cause is already lost? Each poll i read about how americans feel about gay marriage, each poll seems to climb up quite a bit from the one before in favor of gay marriage.

    The state by state battle is nearly at an end I think. The supremes will rule on it, and the anti gay laws will fall like a house of wet cards.

    You are so right about the lies these groups spew out to make people believe they are being attacked by the evil gays and their nasty agenda.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One hopes that this election cycle will turn the tide and have the first gay marriage laws passed at the ballot box making history. It also would not hurt to have something like that happen before the Supreme Court takes up a case.

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  2. I agree, it would be completely fantastic to have a state vote for same sex marriage before the supremes get to it. Its nearing twilight for the anti lgbt groups, the bigotry will continue to be sure, but we wont have to hear ourselves constantly under attack. As happy as that thought makes me, i wonder what group is up next for the hater machine to swing into action against? My money is on women. I'm thinking this is just the beginning of some really ugly times of the GOP and their fight against womens right to birth control and abortion, equal pay, etc.

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