Deja vu all over again

In Washington state Referendum 74 has now qualified for the ballot.  This referendum asks voters to approve or reject a recent law that permits gay marriage.  This may sound familiar because in 2009 voters were presented with Referendum 71 in which the civil unions created by law in 2007 were upgraded to "marriage in everything but name" status.  Despite howls of outrage from people who think that the lives and rights of gay people meaning nothing, that ballot measure won 53% to 47%, the first general election victory for gay civil unions in the country.  Now Washington voters are being asked to remove the preposterous and phony distinction between civil marriage and civil union.  The most recent poll has 54% of Washington state voters agreeing with the new law.

This referendum is one of four watershed ballot measures in November.  Maryland will vote on keeping its new gay marriage law; Maine will vote to restore a gay marriage law that was rejected by voters in 2009; Minnesota will vote on a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man-one woman thus outlawing gay marriage.  Given the sea change in opinion that has occurred since 2009 and the great change in support among black voters since Barack Obama's announcement of support for gay marriage, all four ballot measures can be won.  Current polling in each state indicates that the pro-gay voters outnumber the anti-gay voters.

I'd say that the anti-gay demagogues have made the fundamental error that all demagogues make:  they believe that they can whip up mob hate time after time whenever and wherever the situation demands. They never consider the inescapable truth that sooner or later the mob tires of its hates and dwindles away.  True believers never understand that only they are 100% committed; everybody else is usually along for the ride while it's fun but will jump off the train when some new entertainment beckons.  There's a world of difference between demagoguery and dedication.  The gay haters are demagogues; gays are dedicated to their rights and equality before the law. The demagogues have run their course.  Nobody's listening to them now.  Their lies are hollow.  They've foretold doom and gloom too often.  Nobody believes them.  They convince nobody.  Mostly now only fossilized prejudice keeps the anti-gays in business.  There's no passion, no conviction, no confidence on their side any more.  Even they know that their cause is lost.  In November the whole world will see their ruin.  I can't wait!