I think the editorial in today's Washington Post captures what happened in Maryland. We got screwed over by Delegates who claimed to be on our side -- and who let hate and bigotry dictate:
The bill’s passage in the Senate aroused the passions of a formidable coalition of the unwilling — Republicans, churchgoing African Americans and the Catholic Church — for whom any marriage not between a man and a woman remains anathema. Their ardent stance struck fear into the hearts of fence-sitters in the House, including, incredibly, some lawmakers who had signed on as sponsors of the gay-marriage bill — perhaps not expecting they’d ever have to cast a vote for it.The pace is frustrating, but the trendline is moving in our direction (even Obama said to me, "The one thing I will say today is I think it’s pretty clear where the trendlines are going." ) We're going to win and the haters know it.
In the end, a few votes shy of a majority, advocates of the bill tabled it rather than risk more defections — and a defeat on the House floor that might prove a damaging precedent for the legislation’s prospects in Maryland and elsewhere.
It’s probably a pipe dream to hope for stiff-spined legislators who take principled stands on issues and stick to them, even at peril to their reelection prospects. Advocates now seem to believe that the better strategy is to cultivate grass-roots support, perhaps by means of a more aggressive and better-targeted PR campaign than they have conducted so far. They say they’ll try again for legislation in Annapolis next year. Here’s hoping they prevail.
The trend in public opinion continues in favor of equal rights for gays in general and same-sex marriage in particular. Those in favor are younger and better-educated Americans; those opposed skew heavily older and less-educated. Political independents, who were heavily opposed just two years ago, have swung sharply toward acceptance. The direction of the debate seems clear enough; the pace is frustrating.
In Maryland, the expectation was that our friends would stick with us. That didn't happen. Our side was playing by the rules and doing what they were supposed to do. But, we're up against opponents who hate us, play dirty and are willing to get really ugly. It sure felt like they ("Republicans, churchgoing African Americans and the Catholic Church") created an anti-gay hysteria in the State House. Some will claim it was just anti-marriage, but it was decidedly homophobic. Delegates like Sam Arora enabled the homophobia. He and the other weak Delegates should be ashamed. David Mixner put it best, as he usually does:
In Montgomery county a young first term Democratic State Assemblyman Sam Arora who was elected with our money and a firm pledge to vote for marriage equality, totally betrayed us. If there is any justice, the LGBT community in the DC metro area should do everything in its power to defeat this spineless, unprincipled liar in the next election.Yep.
The trendline is moving quickly in our direction -- and the next time these Delegates are on the ballot, in 2014, are numbers will be even stronger. We've got to defeat those who vote against us and especially those screwed us over.
