When asked why he intends to run for re-election after voting for same-sex marriage and losing the endorsement of the NY Conservative Party as a result, Sen. Jim Alesi responds: "I have to run as a Republican because I have to be able to say 'you can vote for marriage equality as a Republican and you can survive."
Say to who? His constituents? Or the out-of-state millionaires who paid him off for his vote?
The New York Post vents its frustration at the un-democratic process to choose a replacement for disgraced ex-Senator Kruger -- Albany politics as usual, where the people don't have a real say:
Carl Kruger’s political corpse isn’t even cold yet, and already the fix is in as to who’ll get the best shot to replace him.
Kruger, a Brooklyn Democrat, pleaded guilty to corruption charges last week and resigned from the state Senate, leaving his seat up for grabs.
Party bosses swooped in like vultures.
... Fact is, New York has some of the nation’s most restrictive ballot-access laws, which enable party pooh-bahs to run a Friends & Family appointment system — while blocking challengers from ever getting their names before voters’ eyes.
... Let’s face it: Letting party bigwigs wield supreme nominating power serves no one but them. This time, notably, instead of Crowley, it’ll be Assemblyman Vito Lopez and the Brooklyn machine he runs that bless Fidler for the Dems.
... Outsiders need not apply.
Why should they? They’d have to overcome insurmountable petition-signature requirements and arcane legalistic rules meant precisely to keep them off the ballot.
No wonder Kruger-style corruption pervades New York politics: “Elected” officials owe their jobs more to the power brokers who install them than to actual voters.
Tom Farr is the director of the Religious Freedom Project at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs at Georgetown University. He writes with Tim Shah in the New York Times:
In 2010, the U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker invalidated a California ballot initiative for which millions of religiously motivated blacks and Latinos, among others, had voted on the same day they cast ballots for Barack Obama. The measure was Proposition 8, defining marriage as between a man and a woman. The presence of religious arguments in the campaign led Judge Walker to assert that the "moral and religious views" underpinning the vote were not “rational,” rendering the measure unconstitutional.
Walker's ruling, like Obama's assertion, represents a results-oriented effort to expel religious arguments from democratic deliberation. This has been a tempting device for partisans of all stripes. To silence religiously motivated civil rights advocates like Martin Luther King Jr., Jerry Falwell once asserted that “Preachers are not called to be politicians, but soul winners.” Whatever its source, any effort to confine religious people and their ideas to an innocuous spirituality or a merely ceremonial role in public life is a threat to religious liberty and to American democracy.
As we enjoy time with friends and family this week we shouldn't forget the active battles being waged right now to protect marriage....
Our efforts --which have paid off big-time-- with all major GOP candidates except Ron Paul supporting NOM's Marriage Pledge.
A vote to restore marriage in New Hampshire soon, our ongoing efforts to restore marriage in New York, push for marriage amendments in Minnesota and North Carolina, and defeat efforts to redefine marriage in Maryland and other states.
On top of all this, our fight to protect religious liberty, the Defense of Marriage Act, Proposition 8, and the rights of pro-marriage Americans through our Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance.
... all of these are good reasons to visit NOMMarriageChallenge.com to see how you can help us get ready for more victories in 2012!
Dear Marriage Supporter,
There are only 96 hours left...
...to take advantage of this wonderful and most timely blessing:
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NOM has never been able to financially match the tens of millions of dollars raised by interest groups who want to tear apart traditional values and attack people like you and me who defend the sanctity of marriage.
But we don't have to.
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If we can take full advantage of this Year-End Million Dollar Match, we will enter 2012 ready to go toe-to-toe with the anti-marriage bullies all over America, fighting them in the courts, over the airwaves, in the halls of power, and at the ballot box, and WIN.
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Thank you for everything in advance.
Sincerely,
Brian S. Brown
President
National Organization for Marriage
P.S. Friend, in case you were waiting until we were fully in to the 2012 Election Year to make another gift to the National Organization for Marriage, please do not wait one more day! Your gift right now will be instantly matched by an equal amount from an anonymous donor. We have come so far, and we truly cannot stop now.
So every dollar you send today to fund our pro-marriage 2012 campaign will pay for twice the amount of hard-hitting direct mail pieces, twice the number of radio and TV ads, and twice the number of Get-Out-The-Vote phone calls—all designed to produce a landslide of voters to SAVE marriage from being destroyed.
Please don't delay. This matching gift offer EXPIRES as soon as 2012 begins. We only have 96 hours left!
When thinking about how much you can afford to stop same-sex marriage from being imposed on your state in 2012, consider that your gift will be immediately matched for maximum impact.
So please be as generous as you possibly can right now. Thank you so much, and God bless you!
APP's executive director Andresen Blom and policy adviser James Bell take on the libertarian case for gay marriage in The Washington Times:
Proponents of same-sex marriage typically ask a rhetorical question that serves as a simple leftist argument: “Why should people of the same sex who love each other be banned from getting married?” Conservatives at times have struggled to find a simple and cogent answer. But the true answer is simple: “Society cannot afford the culture war that would come with a new same-sex marriage entitlement.”
It is time for conservatives to expose the four underlying false assumptions buried in the leftist argument. The first false assumption is that the institution of marriage is designed for the benefit of adults rather than children and society. The second is that forcing the government to legally recognize same-sex marriage as a public good whose partners are entitled to benefits constitutes an exercise in liberty rather than a claim of entitlement. The third is that the government has the theological expertise necessary to certify who loves each other and who does not. The fourth is that government recognition of same-sex marriage would end the dispute.
The Washington Blade (a gay newspaper):
In a little noticed development, D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) introduced a bill in October that would allow same-sex couples who marry in D.C. but live in states that don’t recognize their marriage to return to the District to get a divorce.
Supporters say the bill, the Civil Marriage Dissolution Equality Amendment Act of 2011, is needed because states that don’t recognize same-sex marriage have no legal mechanism to issue a divorce to gay or lesbian couples who wish to dissolve their D.C. marriage through a divorce.
Under the city’s existing marriage law, which allows same-sex couples to marry, one or both parties to a same-sex marriage performed in D.C. would have to become a city resident for six months before the city would grant the couple a divorce.
Governor Mark Dayton uses the accusation that Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch's had an extra-marital affair as an opportunity to push "the sanctity" of gay marriage on Minnesota Public Radio:
“I think it underscores that sanctity of marriage is important to most Minnesotans and people who are in same-sex relationships believe in that sanctity also and want a chance to participate in the sanctity in the same way as heterosexual couples,” Dayton told MPR’s All Things Considered, before suggesting that Republicans would be hypocritical in pursuing the measure [to define marriage as between one man and one woman]." -- Think Progress
Fred Karger typifies the extremist gay marriage activist who pushes for gay marriage by demonizing and attacking pro-marriage supporters (including NOM and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). His most recent stunt, launching a website targeting Mormons for hate, is earning him condemnation from op-ed writers across the country, as it should.
Karin Klein of the Los Angeles Times Opinion Staff:
Funny that Fred Karger, gay rights advocate, founded the group Californians Against Hate, since his most recent campaign seems to be about spreading bigotry.
Negative campaigns and ugly smears might be the stuff of politics these days, but within this category, Karger gets a special space all his own after launching an attack website against Mormonism that purportedly reveals the 10 "craziest beliefs" of Mormons, lest voters consider voting for Mormon candidate Mitt Romney. The site doesn't actually have such a list; it's more a place where anyone can anonymously post any sort of canard about Mormonism. Perhaps rational people could also try inserting some truths, if those are actually allowed.
The blogger "Piranhamous" for the Fishbowl DC political blog:
Karger’s hatred of Mormons seems to stem from his “organization Californians Against Hate (now Rights Equal Rights) to investigate the LDS Church and the National Organization for Marriage in their campaigns against marriage equality in California and Maine.” So it’s not political, it’s personal.
Unfortunately for Fred, his Facebook announcement of his new website seems to have cost him quite a few potential voters, and it didn’t have any to spare.
All comments, with one exception, were negative with the most common word used being “shame.” One poster wrote, “Run on your platform and stop slamming the Mormons.” But then again, when you create a website like Fred did, slamming Mormons seems to be his platform.
File this under “stupid” and try to forget you ever heard the name Fred Karger. It shouldn’t be too hard to do.
Popular political pundit Dick Morris sees Santorum surging:
All along, the Tea Party voters have yet to unite behind a single candidate. They still aren’t united, but in Iowa, there is evidence that Rick Santorum may be surging ahead.
... on the ground in Iowa, where it counts, Gingrich has gone through a gauntlet of $10 million of negative TV ads sponsored by Romney, Paul, and the others. Without funds to defend himself, he has seen his vote share drop. Ron Paul’s has risen, Bachmann’s has fallen, and Santorum has increased quickly.
... The former Pennsylvania Senator has been the also ran in the field, the Rodney (I get no respect) Dangerfield of the Republican primaries. But with the lack of poll numbers has come a lack of scrutiny. These days the spotlight can get too hot very quickly. Santorum, whose conservative record is as solid as they come, is benefiting from the fall of Gingrich in a way Bachmann seems unable to do.
Mike Huckabee thinks Iowa will go to Mitt Romney or Ron Paul, depending on the weather, but can also see Santorum over-performing:
If the weather is nice on Jan. 3 in Iowa, expect Mitt Romney to be the victor in the Republican presidential caucuses, but if the weather's lousy, Ron Paul's the man.
That's the prediction from 2008 Iowa GOP presidential caucuses victor Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and Fox News host who also predicted that Rick Santorum is the sleeper candidate in the first-in-the-nation nominating contest.
... while Iowa voters "are going to vote maybe their pocketbooks, they are not going to step over their pocket and vote against their core principles when it comes to the issue of life and marriage and others. And that's why some of these endorsements that Santorum has are pretty significant," Huckabee said.
This is a testament to the success of our (and your!) efforts to encourage the GOP Presidential candidates to be marriage champions.
On Newt Gingrich's campaign website, he proposes a Presidential Commission on Religious Freedom which, among other things, would investigate:
#2 -- The extent to which schools from primary to university level are discriminating against religious viewpoints, restricting religious expression, or forcing students to violate their conscience by forcibly imposing beliefs about sexual orientation, gender, same sex “marriage” and abortion, to which students have constitutionally protected religious objections.
#6 -- The extent to which individuals have been harassed or threatened for exercising key civil rights to organize, to speak, to donate or to vote for marriage and to propose new protections, if needed.
#8 -- The impact on religious freedom of same-sex “marriage” and non-discrimination laws, including the rights of individuals, businesses and religious institutions that have a conscientious objection to providing or engaging in services that support values they oppose.
Obviously the need for these proposals will be clear to our loyal supporters, and especially our regular NOM blog readers!
Ross Levi, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, said gay-rights advocates would be working hard to get the four senators re-elected. He said their re-election would be important to the effort to legalize same-sex marriage in other states.
"As New Yorkers have seen loving same-sex couples getting married — and far from the world coming to an end and instead happy and stronger families — this becomes far less potent of a political issue," Levi said.
The senators received an influx of campaign cash from same-sex marriage supporters following the vote, and they have been feted at gay-rights events.
A former son of Illinois (and former State Senator) says a heartfelt public goodbye to the State of Illinois over corruption, population loss (due to poor job creation), and high taxes (which he says go hand-in-hand).
Notice any other similarities between, say, New York and Illinois? Corrupt legislatures pass same-sex marriage/civil unions while claiming it is good for the economy:
Good Bye And Good Luck
As we leave Illinois for good, I wanted to say goodbye to my friends and wish all of you well. I am a lifelong son of the heartland and proud of it. After 60 years, I leave Illinois with a heavy heart. BUT enough is enough! The leaders of Illinois refuse to see we can’t continue going in the direction we are and expect people who have options to stay here. I remember when Illinois had 25 congressmen. In 2012 we will have 18. Compared to the rest of the country we have lost 1/4th of our population. Don’t blame the weather, because I love 4 seasons.
Illinois just sold still more bonds and our credit rating is so bad we pay higher interest rates than junk bonds! Junk Bonds! -- Godfather Politics
Cross-posted from New Hampshire for Marriage:
61 Percent of NH Republicans Favor 2009 Same Sex Marriage Rollback
Concord, NH — A recent poll shows a clear majority of New Hampshire Republican voters in the upcoming, first-in-the-nation primary support a legislative definition of marriage as the union between a man and a woman, along with a provision returning to civil unions.
The poll of 500 registered primary voters, conducted last month by the polling company, inc./WomanTrend, shows 61 percent of registered Republican primary voters favor legislation that restores traditional marriage, while allowing for civil unions. Only 33 percent oppose such legislation.
“With more than 3 out of 5 New Hampshire Primary voters favoring the restoration of marriage, the verdict is in: Republicans are united in the fight against the national agenda of wealthy, gay marriage lobbyists,” said Jason Rose of the July Fourth Forum PAC.
Rose said the poll affirms the will of New Hampshire voters, who in 2010 overwhelmingly voted against legislators that supported gay marriage after heavy lobbying by wealthy, out-of-state lobbyists and social activists, and instead ushered in a new majority in Concord favoring the restoration of traditional marriage.
Continue reading at NHforMarriage.com.
George W. Dent, Professor of Law, Case Western Reserve University Law School writes at-length in the Federalist Society's Engage publication on the legal status of Prop 8 and concludes:
The Constitution confers no right to legal validation of same-sex marriage. As Judge Richard Posner has said, “If there is such a right, it will have to be manufactured by the justices out of whole cloth.” For the Supreme Court to do so would gravely damage its legitimacy and invite efforts to change the composition of the Court. However justified the public anger at the obliteration of traditional marriage, such moves would create a dangerous precedent. It is hoped that the Court will not provoke such action.
