SOUNDBITES — “They don’t want us to venture from a proscribed game plan that mostly originates out of a Washington-based political strategy to gain our freedom. They live in fear that we will move too quickly, make someone uncomfortable and put our political friends in a tough spot. Afraid to risk defeat, they believe we have to make everyone like us and be on our side. Most amazingly they seek the approval of others instead of insisting that others have to liberate themselves from their own long held myths in order to receive this marvelous gift that our community brings.” —Activist David Mixner on the silly strategy of Prepare to Prevail supporters, who want to wait until 2012 to try repealing Prop 8
david mixner
‘They live in fear that we will move too quickly, make someone uncomfortable and put our political friends in a tough spot’
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Andrew
Bravo, David. Bravo.
Bill Perdue
David Mixner may be the wrong guy to be criticizing others for being too entrenched in the parties of our political enemies.
He was a Clinton advisor. All his insider connections, his advice and his purported friendship were worthless when it came to stopping Clinton from signing DADT and championing DOMA and boasting about it to get the cracker vote. Although he’s right about the timidity of these groups.
Timidity, or in this case cowardice and gross negligence certainly played a role as No on 8, HRC and EQCA sat around with their thumbs firmly embedded in their nether regions as the right wing Yes on 8 picked up on Obama’s anti-GLBT war cry “gawd’s in the mix”. In the last few days before November 4th we watched freeze as our polling numbers suddenly inverted.
They sat around like a bunch of deer in the headlights of the Obamabus, unable to react.
They didn’t criticize Obama (and McCain) for their uncalled for bigotry but instead criticized the right for accurately quoting Obamas bigoted message. They didn’t organize a leafleting blitz in minority communities, on campuses or at plant gates. Instead they told people to report to Obama HQ for last minute assignments. They didn’t win, they lost. Rather, we lost.
The reason for their timidity is that those groups and others are not so much part of the GLBT communities as they’re front groups for the Democrats in our communities. Their first allegiance is not to us but to the Democrats. That’s why they don’t regular organize mass demonstrations for the original ENDA, for repeal of Clintons DADT and DOMA and for tough hate crimes laws. That’s why they didn’t organize a mass demonstration at the Inaugural to drown out Warren. That’s why they don’t have daily picket lines around the White House and Congress.
It would upset their masters. Things would get out of hand. They’d have to cancel lobbying lunches and staff retreats, and really, we all know that the best strategizing happens after the third Long Island Iced Tea sitting around a resort pool. They might actually be asked to pick up a picket sign, get their coifs mussed. They might find themselves in the awkward position of having to talk to real GLBT folks instead of political hustlers. Some of the folks on the picket line might even suggest that they take a cut in pay until they actually produce something.
Quelle horreur!
Kurt
And then we have gay Congressman Jared Polis, who has joined with the GOP to “slow down” national health care out of fear his gay millionaire friends might have to pay a dime more in taxes.
That is what I love about gay hyper-activists — immediate action on strong, radical demands for themselves; moderate, go-slow, cautious, ‘maybe now is not the right time’ for everyone else.
right now, national health care is my number one issue. everything else can wait.
Landon Bryce
No, David.
Some of us remember that right wing forces want us to put all of our energy into the marriage fight, especially the word marriage, because it is the only civil right battle gays are not yet winning overwhelmingly. We were goaded into a suicidal strategy.
Those of us who think it is stupid to try a Prop 8 rematch in 2010 are against a narrowly focused allocation of resources. We have a sympathetic Congress and White House. Until DADT and DOMA are repealed and ENDA enacted, gay Californians have more important things to worry about. If my fellow Californians want to focus on grassroots issues, they can focus on making sure that budget cuts do not decimate services to LGBT people. Or they can support fights in Maine and elsewhere.
We’re not afraid of picking up a fucking picket sign. We’re afraid that people are going to let their emotions cause them to throw a fortune into a hole again. If the millions that were spent fighting Prop 8 had been spent lobbying Washington on DOMA, DADT, and ENDA, things would not be any worse for gay Californians.
Burl
Gosh, without all the “insider information” from the gay intelligentsia, it was a damn good quote.
Brian
They want to wait BECAUSE IT IS THEIR INCOME that matters more than equality. Plus, there will NEVER be a “political” win for equality UNLESS you change their “beliefs” about homosexuality.
The HONEST truth about gays obtaining equality is that RELIGION has had 2,000 years to make us WRONG and if we don’t counter that belief it will be another 50-60 years before we can prevail politically.
Gay people need to wake up and stop lobbying politicians and wasting millions of dollars – in the last 10 years 7 politicians have changed their votes – this may be about $20 million per vote. Even worse is that no politician has actually changed their “mind” gay is till wrong.
100% of US Senators are “religious.”
99% of US Representatives are “religious.”
98% of US Governors are “religious.
and 80% of the US voting population is “religious.”
The good news is that 50% of voters under 30 years old are “non-religious,” and that fastest growing group. So, Religion is going out of business. Non-religious will be the new majority by 2060 – 50 years from now. At that time gays will be able to defeat religious influence in democracy, but this won’t create “equality,” which is more important than equal rights. Unless we end the wrong of being gay, the stigma associated with gay – then we will never be “equal.”
We should begin a program to “end the WRONG of homosexuality” as soon as possible. We muse re-define “homosexuality” BEFORE religion goes out of business.
galefan2004
@Brian: What you fail to realize is two very important things:
1) Being religious doesn’t necessarily mean that you believe that gay is wrong.
2) Not every religion (even the christian sects) believe that being gay is wrong.
You are trying to paint all religious people with a very broad brush and that is just not acceptable.
I’ve identified as religious the vast majority of my life (until about 1-2 years ago when I finally came out) and in that entire time I never bothered to go to church on a regular basis and I never considered gay to be wrong. You need to examine the churches in the whole. The vast majority of them are turning pro-love everyone and leaving their god hates (fill in the blank) just so that they can keep and attract members. The churches that were anti-gay are eroding (and the process has gone full steam). People everywhere are starting to realize that life is short, love is love, and they don’t want anyone judging their life so they better stop judging everyone else.
Jaroslaw
Brian, #6 good points, but I would say we don’t need to make people like us, we need to make them FEAR us like Blacks did in the civil rights era; have a few good riots.
I doubt that will ever happen, so I’ll say we don’t need to make people “like us” or “agree” with us, but we do have to try to make them respect us. AND make people follow the Constitution. Freedom of religion also means Freedom FROM religion. IE – I respect your right to practice your religion but you can’t force it on me by voting for things like Prop 8.
Equal protection under the law is such an easy concept – it should not be as complicated as these lawyers and justices are making it. OOps silly me, some folks are making tons of money off this, nothing new with legal matters right?
Ricky
That is why God created movies.
Burl
Jaroslaw
you’re so Bruno
SM
Repealing Prop 8 needs to be on the ballet in every election until you win it back. No skipping if you want people to take your issue seriously.
2010 and 2012 again if necessary.
Jaroslaw
#10 what do you mean I’m like Bruno?
Vanhattan
@SM: Amen
boarderthom
Its all about rights and responsibilities. Economic issues matter and marriage is an economic issue. Studies show that married people are slightly healthier (less costs) and wealthier (pay more taxes) than their single counterparts and this is true for gay people as well. Therefore, it is in the state’s best economic interest to grant marriage equality. This is because there are thousands of rights and responsibilities that come with the legal contract of marriage (yes, marriage is a legal contract and gay people deserve these contract rights).
Douglas Gibson Jr
I agree with David and SM. For some people, it will never be the right time. It is always the right time to make sure that all are treated equally. That means fight until you have it right.
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Cam
@SM: I absolutly agree with you on that one.
schlukitz
@Cam:
Ditto.