strategies

1 Group Just Decided to Wait Until 2012 to Repeal Prop 8. Another Just Decided 2010 Sounds Good

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As expected, Geoff Kors’ Equality California decided it’s going to wait until 2012 to mount a Prop 8 repeal, the organization just announced via conference call. Funny, because Rick Jacobs’ Courage Campaign just announced it’s moving forward with a 2010 effort.

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Why the difference in strategy? If you’ve been following along at home, you know these two groups don’t see eye-to-eye. Equality California’s Kors (pictured, right) says they’ve been listening to supporters on which call to make, but really it’s been a bunch of political strategists telling them what to do. (That’s not necessarily a bad thing.) They’ve also reached their decision in parallel with umbrella group Prepare To Prevail, made up of the gays of colors organizations API Equality-LA, HONOR PAC, Barbara Jordan / Bayard Rustin Coalition.

The Courage Campaign, meanwhile, appears to be taking a much more democratic approach, doing what its members (and their dollars) say.

With EC’s just-released “Winning Back Marriage” plan, they’ve outlined their wait-for-better timing approach. Massachusetts marriage import Marc Soloman lists some bullet points here about the decision, like how younger supporters will come out stronger in 2012 when there’s a presidential election, and how other civil liberties advocates say they need more time to build support, and how nobody wants to give money in 2010 and 2012.

But none of that is stopping the CC from mounting its effort. The org set tomorrow as a deadline to raise the rest of the $100k needed to see if 2010 was a viable option. They already succeeded. Writes Jacobs (pictured, right) in an email to supporters: “I am shocked and amazed to tell you that Courage Campaign members raised $77,905 yesterday, beating our deadline by two days. You read that right — $77,905 in just 24 hours, for a grand total of $135,998 that we will immediately invest in research, polling and focus groups to repeal Prop 8.” Pretty incredible stuff. But as critics will point out, that’s still just a fraction of what’s needed to actually launch and maintain a repeal effort.

And, as EC’s Kors unintentionally points out in his own email to supporters, just because it’s possible doesn’t mean it’s plausible: “Waiting indefinitely to return to the ballot is not an option, but we must be strategic in selecting the election that gives us the best opportunity to permanently secure the freedom to marry. For the first time in our state’s history, our community will determine the timing of an election for our equality instead of having to defend ourselves at an election chosen by our opponents.”

So as Prop 8 repeal advocates choose sides between the 2010 and 2012 strategy, all we can hear is the National Organization for Marriage and the Mormon Church, happy as shit they, too, don’t have to dip too far into their coffers to protect themselves in 2010.

(Photo: Rex Wockner)

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