Win an election, lose a campaign

It was with guarded optimism that I watched the returns from the 'election of our lifetime' the other night. I am ecstatic that Barack Obama won with such a large margin, and happy that the democratic standing in congress was impressively boosted. As the reality of this great moment became apparent, another more noteworthy loss was what stole the thunder for me and my community. Of course, as a gay man, I am speaking of the defeat of gay marriage initiatives in California, Arizona, and Florida. Unfortunately, hate and misunderstanding still exist to a large degree in this 'changed country'.

Prop 8 in California is probably the most noteworthy, since it is getting continuing coverage nationally, as protesters take to the streets and openly protest the Mormon church and others who voted yes on the proposal. I certainly understand the emotional outpouring of my fellow gay citizens in California, but I wonder if their protests could be better aimed at the real issue at hand.

With the enormous get out the vote campaign, which I proudly took part in here in Michigan, the gay community in California made strategic blunders in their reaching out to their faith-based communities. Religious beliefs and moralities are entrenched in people, usually from a very young age, and it is my opinion that the gay community is focusing all of their strength on what might be the wrong message. We continue to try to rewrite peoples beliefs instead of focusing on the human aspect and civil legality of the issue.

I do understand those who want to have gay marriage legalized, for this to many is the ultimate measure of gay equality. I also would like to take a look at another side of this issue. Is it really the word 'marriage' that we should be fighting for? I mean really, for me and my partner, this is about equality and civil rights of gay couples. The vast majority of religions preach from the bible, which has a predisposed prejudice against homosexual relationships. I personally don't believe that the bible is the ultimate word, as I believe that a lot of translation and personal opinion has been added to the bible through the years. But the question has to be, are the vast amount of supporters of gay marriage looking for the civil and legal equality equated with marriage, or are they looking for the faith-based community to accept and absolve them to make themselves feel better about their lives? One would wonder.

I believe this movement needs to take a look deep inside of itself and answer that question. There are groups out there who will simply continue to hate gays because of their deep religious beliefs. Are we better served to try to 'change' these peoples beliefs, or to educate those people that we are really no different except for our sexuality, and that we deserve rights, too? This fight over the word 'marriage' seems to me to be detrimental to the cause. We have a community rich with creative and intelligent individuals. Can't we come up with a different concept that we can make our own, and not try to become a part of those groups that hate us so? Ask yourselves, what are we really fighting for?

Partisan Animal

This election has firmly determined one overriding factor, that this great country, once strong due to its melting pot principles, has sunken into a deep and destructive emotional recession of real thought and value. The right wing hates those on the left, and the liberals hate those on the right. There is no longer any room in the middle for reasonable thinkers who might find parts of both political theories to be the best answer for America.

What happened to debate in this country. We have totally devolved into a society of haters. There is no room any longer for intelligent discussion and symbiotic relationships that allow the American dream to prevail in the end. It appears that there is no room for deliberation and negotiation to make certain that the greater good is realized.

Scott McClellan, former press secretary in the Bush White House, has stated that the art of politics in Washington has been reduced to a war of words. From both sides, it's Us against Them. While the party who gains power seems to think that they have the best answer for what ails the country, in putting forth their ideas, they fully ignore that the other half of the voting public disagrees with them. The partisan divide has become an ugly animal over the last 20 years, and I for one wish that the parties would quit 'feeding the beast.'

Take a look

This kind of says it all....

http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=Qq8Uc5BFogE

Tired

As a gay American, there are a lot of things that I can be fed up with. The fact that I am a democrat by nature multiplies that frustration by ten. It is always in the height of the presidential campaign where the hatred along partisan lines always seems to build, and quite frankly, I'm growing tired of it all. There is just soomething about the GOP that makes my blood boil.

In the 2000-2004 campaigns, they used gay Americans as a wedge issue to steal the White House. They promoted hatred and bigotry by pushing gay marriage amendments onto local and state ballots. In doing so, they somehow convinced people that the world as we know it would end if we were to allow gay marriage. They claim to speak for God by pulling a couple of lines out of their man made bible and showing how God hates gay people. They conveniently ignore all of the "abominations" that apply to them and their kind and read the text the way they want it read.

I am one to say hear and now that I am TIRED of being labeled as liberal, elite, unpatriotic, ungodly, and any of the other perversions that the radical right tends to espouse in these times. Enough is enough. We may see the world from different viewpoints, but in this world of gray, there is simply no room for black and white. The radical right DOES NOT own the correct opinion of the world, the simply have their opinion. Who is to say who is right or wrong?

The Debate

Well, we all watched the VP debate hoping to see a train wreck. We didn't get that, in fact both debaters handled themselves better than expectations of most. I was pleased to hear Senator Biden stand up for gay couples and say that we should have equal rights in terms of marriage, but I still believe he fell short by saying he didn't support gay marriage.

What did his comments really mean. Gays are currently able to seek out legal assistance in building a bridge to rights through contracts and other avenues. Is that really equality, though? I still believe that the dems fall short on allowing equality. Don't misunderstand me, I am extremely hopeful from what I have seen in terms of moving the envelope forward and approaching the marriage line, but I don't think that we're there just yet. Until we can fully say that a loving couple can marry and receive benefits that are equal, there is still work to be done.

Debate

Well, amid all of the turmoil surrounding the first debate of '08, John McCain decided he had made a political blunder in saying he wanted to postpone the first debate. I believe everyone, including repubs will see this for what it truly was, a political stunt. I believe David Letterman said it best when he emphasized that even if there were a crisis, you don't 'suspend' your campaign, rather you allow your VP running mate to handle the campaign in your absence. I guess he truly doesn't believe her to be as 'qualified' as he would have us believe.

Now about the debate. I have tried to look at this through a bipartisan lens. I'm willing to put aside my biased feelings for a moment and say what I saw to be true. Obama looked like a calm, familiar, intelligent leader. McCain looked like a man who DESPISES Barack Obama, and frankly the middle class. (Not one mention of the middle class from Mc in this debate). Did anyone notice that as the moderator kept pressing to have them speak to each other, McCain NEVER would look at Obama. Even after the debate, when pictures were snapped of the two shaking hands, he was not looking at Obama.

Mr. McCain seems like a man mired in the past. He holds relentlessly to the Iraq issue, regardless of American opinion. (Sound familiar) As we have seen over the last weeks, the trickle down economic theory does not work, and yet he holds to the idea that if we make the rich richer, it will help the economy. He clings to the Bush ideals of foreign policy, that we need to ignore our enemies instead of holding dialogue. It seems to me this is how our world standing has slipped over the Bush years. I don't profess to know if Obama is right on every issue, nor if he will make a great president. I do know, however, that this debate was supposed to be McCain's strongest area, and he and Obama showed equal poise under the pressure.

OIL

Alright Republicans, the Democrats in Congress have agreed to allow a 25 year ban on offshore drilling to lapse next week. So, the GOP, or Grand Oil Party as I like to call them, will get their wish. Now the claim has been for several months, even years, that this drilling in the United States will drive down the price of oil and, therefore, our energy costs at the pump. Personally, I don't see it happening. I think we will see these oil companies race to get to the oil, destruct our environment, and continue to post record profits as the middle-class continues to struggle.

If you listen to the science behind the actual offshore oil reserves, there is a tremendous amount there. The real question, though, is will putting up thousands of oil rigs really make a difference? Some say that it could take as long as seven to ten years before any of these rigs even produce a drop. Personally speaking, I hope it does make a difference, and that these companies environmentally are responsible in their drilling. On the contrary, I think we definitely need to expand our alternative fuel options and leave oil all together.

Sign me up for the Chevy VOLT!