A welcome development - and more momentum -- in the battle to defeat Amendment 1 in North Carolina. (The language of Amendment 1 reads “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.” So, it affects much more than same-sex marriage. No civil unions. No domestic partnerships.)
The President opposes the anti-gay amendment:
His campaign issued a statement saying the amendment was discriminatory.Okay, this could be very helpful for a number of reasons.
“While the president does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the record is clear that the President has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same sex couples,” said Cameron French, his North Carolina campaign spokesman.
“That’s what the North Carolina ballot initiative would do – it would single out and discriminate against committed gay and lesbian couples – and that’s why the President does not support it.”
First, North Carolina is a battleground state. The Obama campaign is building a massive organization in that state. A couple weeks ago, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told HRC's NC dinner that we should view the May 8th election as "great template" for November. That's goes both ways. Now, that the President is on board, his campaign operation should help defeat Amendment 1. It will good practice for them, too. And, if we know anything about the Obama campaign, they play to win. Also, the President and First Lady are going to spend a lot of time in North Carolina over the next couple months. Be great to hear the words "Vote Against Amendment 1 on May 8th" in their voices (especially Michelle.)
In 2008, Obama opposed Prop. 8. But, that inept campaign did nothing with it. I have a feeling the team running the campaign to defeat Amendment 1 will be much more sophisticated in how to use the President's opposition to Amendment 1.
And, hopefully, this will shake loose some of those big LGBT donors. They've all given to Obama. Now, they can give to the campaign to defeat Amendment 1. And, that goes for the DNC, too.
A win in North Carolina on May 8th will continue our progress and keep us on the right path for the rest of 2012.
UPDATE: Pam Spaulding, who lives in North Carolina, is on the front lines in the campaign to defeat Amendment 1. Read her post on this development here. She's also got some interesting backstory on her recent interaction with the Obama campaign in North Carolina concerning Amendment 1.
Another UPDATE: The statement from Protect All NC Families, which welcomed the news:
Protect All NC Families, the coalition effort to educate North Carolinians about the harms of Amendment One, praised the President’s statement against Amendment One. “We applaud the President’s opposition to Amendment One,” said Jeremy Kennedy, campaign manager for Protect All NC Families. “The President’s support is proof that Amendment One, which could take health care away from children, put domestic violence laws in jeopardy, in addition to hurting all unmarried couples in North Carolina, has far-reaching, negative consequences.
