Helter Skelter - The Liberal Defeat

Helter Skelter
The Liberal Defeat

By Colin Thomas
Writer

     Last week's election marked a triumphant liberal victory in both Congress and the White House; however, in the shadow of history being made, the liberals still lost.
     Proposition 8 was passed in California along with same-sex marriage bans in Florida and Arizona, bringing the total up to 30 states. A measure passed in Arkansas to hinder unmarried couples, which would include homosexual couples not yet allowed to marry, from adopting. The question then arrises: How could this have happened despite such an overwhelming liberal success? President-elect Barack Obama's victory marked a vast leap in civil rights progression, but where does the election leave the progress of sexual orientation?
     A possible reason for such a defeat could have arisen from avid campaigning aimed at minorities. The New York Times claims the bans in California, Florida and Arizona gained great momentum from a wide variety of ethnic churches.
     The Rev. Samuel Rodriquez of Sacramento, Calif. claims support for Proposition 8 began in white evangelical churches but spread to more than 1,130 Hispanic churches, ultimately deciding the fate of Proposition 8. Frank Schubert, the campaign manager for Protect Marriage, the group supporting bans on same-sex marriage, admitted it was the minority votes pushing their cause to victory and their strategy of collaborating with black pastors was successful.
     Many supporters of rights for same-sex couples fear they have hit a "cultural brick wall," as quoted by the New York Times. It appears pastors were able to strike fear into congregations by preaching the traditional family was at risk. I've already preached personal dismay for such an accusation in a previous article, but judging by the result of the election many voters would seem to agree with the church pastors. Such a threat could be a contributing force to the so-called "cultural brick wall."
     Both Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden, beloved by liberals, do not support same-sex marriage despite opposing any constitutional ban, according to CNN.com. What appears to me is a conflicting difference exists between baby-boomer and young-adult liberals regarding same-sex marriage, another possible component of the "cultural brick wall." Many baby-boomer liberals seem to embody Obama's view, leaving the younger generation of liberals as the only strong support for gay rights, generally speaking. Within another generation, perhaps liberals will be united in their support for the rights of same-sex couples.

~ The Bucknellian, Vol 142, No 10 (14 Nov 2008)