Morning-after thoughts

Well, it's over. I feel today -- and I heard several people echo this sentiment last night and this morning -- similar to how I felt on November 3, 2004, when John Kerry lost the presidential election. In addition to a sense of sadness and frustration, there's also sheer disbelief that so many people have a worldview that is so radically different from my own.

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Just got back from the No On 1 morning-after press conference. A morose scene, despite the let's-persevere messaging. Faces were long, eyes were damp, and many of the 100 or so attendees were wearing black. EqualityMaine's Betsy Smith's voice cracked with emotion when she pointed to the people around her and said: "Mainers are not ready to treat these people fairly." But she, GLAD's Mary Bonauto, the MCLU's Shenna Bellows, and other speakers were clear about their intent to build on the 47 percent of Mainers who are ready to do so. This community is used to setbacks, said Bonauto, a longtime veteran of same-sex marriage battles in New England and beyond. And how do they respond? "We pick ourselves up and stay the course." To that end, Bellows pointed out two specific strategies that worked, this time around -- the Family Ambassador Project, which had same-sex parents talk in their communities about how gay marriage affects children; and the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry, which addressed how gay marriage fits in the spiritual life. In the background, one supporter held a sign that read: "Love the Sinner; Hate the Sin; Forgive the Catholic Church."

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Here are two fucking outrageous things I've read today.

From Time Magazine: " 'What's the hurry [for gay marriage]?' asked [Scott] Fish, whose group began seeking a so-called 'people's veto' almost immediately after Maine's Democratic (and Catholic) Gov. John Baldacci signed the gay marriage bill in May."

He can't be serious with this. What's the hurry, dude? Oh, I don't know -- generations of second-class citizenship, decades of discrimination, 20 or more years of committment, in some cases? It's not like you're talking to hundreds of same-sex couples who want to run off and elope in Vegas. "What's the hurry." Unbelievable.  

From the Portland Press Herald: “It’s been the little guy against the big guy in terms of resources, financial resources,” said [Marc] Mutty.

You know, he's so right. I've often thought of the Roman Catholic Church and the conservative political machine that passed Prop 8 as "the little guys."

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What a couple others are saying:

• Nate Silver dissects what happened, with this sad bit of analysis: "But this may not be an issue where the campaign itself matters very much; people have pretty strong feelings about the gay marriage issue and are not typically open to persuasion."
• AsMaineGoes gloating, morning-after fear-mongering, etc.
• A really smart friend of mine: who cares if i get married?
    jesus
    why does it bug so many people

Also, there's this: