Obama avoids same-sex marriage fight

By JEFFREY RESSNER | 11/2/08 12:02 PM EST

As the contest between Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain tightens in its last days, another political battle is rivaling the presidential race for a nail-biting finish: the fight in California over Proposition 8, an initiative that would ban same-sex marriage.

And with the voting only two days away, some gay and lesbian activists wish Obama would do more to urge voters to kill the initiative.

While Obama does not support gay marriage, he opposes both proposition 8 and any constitutional ban.
If passed, Proposition 8 would amend the state constitution to define marriage as valid only between a man and woman — essentially overturning a ruling by the Supreme Court in May that legalized same-sex marriages.

Obama's biggest backers in California — including Steven Spielberg, Brad Pitt and many more Hollywood heavyweights — oppose Proposition 8, as do many top state educators, newspaper editorial boards and leading Silicon Valley executives. But gay marriage is still such a highly radioactive issue that one of Proposition 8's most vocal opponents, TV host Ellen DeGeneres, did not ask the Democratic candidate about the measure when she interviewed him on her talk show last month.

Some Obama supporters wish the Democratic presidential hopeful would speak out more forcefully against the initiative and perhaps even issue a statement before Election Day. Immediately after the measure qualified for the ballot in June, the Illinois senator wrote a wide-ranging letter to San Francisco's Alice B. Toklas Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Democratic Club in which he said he opposed "the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California constitution" and similar moves in other states.

Since then, however, Obama has not made any bold pronouncements or urged supporters to specifically vote no on 8. "It's been frustrating," says one gay Obama supporter and fundraiser.

Some attribute this to simple electoral politics: the Democratic nominee needn't concentrate on California because it's not a battleground state — the Field Poll has him ahead in the Golden State by as much as 22 points. And, Obama and his advisers are mindful of the 2004 presidential race, when same-sex marriage bills on 11 state ballots were credited with galvanizing the Republican base and helping George W. Bush win reelection over his Democratic challenger. "Gay marriage was an overwhelming factor in the defeat of John Kerry," former President Bill Clinton told an audience a week after the last election.

The silence has emboldened supporters of Proposition 8 to send a mailer with a picture of Obama with an accurate quote in which he states his opposition to gay marriage to inaccurately suggest that he favors the proposed ban on it.

Once Proposition 8 got on the ballot in June, LGBT activists met and brainstormed to oppose it, but no one stepped up to lead the effort. Precious weeks, if not months, were wasted, say some activists. Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean reportedly offered to go on a media/fundraising tour but never heard back from organizers.

In August, the DNC donated $25,000 — one-quarter of what Spielberg and Pitt each forked over. Officials with "No on 8" — an anti-Proposition 8 group — reportedly asked the DNC for a half-million more but were told that all funds, including a fresh $10 million line of credit, were being earmarked for close House and Senate races. The state Democratic Party is also getting its share of criticism, even after it says it kicked in $150,000 to the "No on 8" coffers.

As the contest between Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain tightens in its last days, another political battle is rivaling the presidential race for a nail-biting finish: the fight in California over Proposition 8, an initiative that would ban same-sex marriage.

And with the voting only two days away, some gay and lesbian activists wish Obama would do more to urge voters to kill the initiative.

While Obama does not support gay marriage, he opposes both proposition 8 and any constitutional ban.
If passed, Proposition 8 would amend the state constitution to define marriage as valid only between a man and woman — essentially overturning a ruling by the Supreme Court in May that legalized same-sex marriages.

Obama's biggest backers in California — including Steven Spielberg, Brad Pitt and many more Hollywood heavyweights — oppose Proposition 8, as do many top state educators, newspaper editorial boards and leading Silicon Valley executives. But gay marriage is still such a highly radioactive issue that one of Proposition 8's most vocal opponents, TV host Ellen DeGeneres, did not ask the Democratic candidate about the measure when she interviewed him on her talk show last month.

Some Obama supporters wish the Democratic presidential hopeful would speak out more forcefully against the initiative and perhaps even issue a statement before Election Day. Immediately after the measure qualified for the ballot in June, the Illinois senator wrote a wide-ranging letter to San Francisco's Alice B. Toklas Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Democratic Club in which he said he opposed "the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California constitution" and similar moves in other states.

Since then, however, Obama has not made any bold pronouncements or urged supporters to specifically vote no on 8. "It's been frustrating," says one gay Obama supporter and fundraiser.

Some attribute this to simple electoral politics: the Democratic nominee needn't concentrate on California because it's not a battleground state — the Field Poll has him ahead in the Golden State by as much as 22 points. And, Obama and his advisers are mindful of the 2004 presidential race, when same-sex marriage bills on 11 state ballots were credited with galvanizing the Republican base and helping George W. Bush win reelection over his Democratic challenger. "Gay marriage was an overwhelming factor in the defeat of John Kerry," former President Bill Clinton told an audience a week after the last election.

The silence has emboldened supporters of Proposition 8 to send a mailer with a picture of Obama with an accurate quote in which he states his opposition to gay marriage to inaccurately suggest that he favors the proposed ban on it.

Once Proposition 8 got on the ballot in June, LGBT activists met and brainstormed to oppose it, but no one stepped up to lead the effort. Precious weeks, if not months, were wasted, say some activists. Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean reportedly offered to go on a media/fundraising tour but never heard back from organizers.

In August, the DNC donated $25,000 — one-quarter of what Spielberg and Pitt each forked over. Officials with "No on 8" — an anti-Proposition 8 group — reportedly asked the DNC for a half-million more but were told that all funds, including a fresh $10 million line of credit, were being earmarked for close House and Senate races. The state Democratic Party is also getting its share of criticism, even after it says it kicked in $150,000 to the "No on 8" coffers.

As the contest between Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain tightens in its last days, another political battle is rivaling the presidential race for a nail-biting finish: the fight in California over Proposition 8, an initiative that would ban same-sex marriage.

And with the voting only two days away, some gay and lesbian activists wish Obama would do more to urge voters to kill the initiative.

While Obama does not support gay marriage, he opposes both proposition 8 and any constitutional ban.
If passed, Proposition 8 would amend the state constitution to define marriage as valid only between a man and woman — essentially overturning a ruling by the Supreme Court in May that legalized same-sex marriages.

Obama's biggest backers in California — including Steven Spielberg, Brad Pitt and many more Hollywood heavyweights — oppose Proposition 8, as do many top state educators, newspaper editorial boards and leading Silicon Valley executives. But gay marriage is still such a highly radioactive issue that one of Proposition 8's most vocal opponents, TV host Ellen DeGeneres, did not ask the Democratic candidate about the measure when she interviewed him on her talk show last month.

Some Obama supporters wish the Democratic presidential hopeful would speak out more forcefully against the initiative and perhaps even issue a statement before Election Day. Immediately after the measure qualified for the ballot in June, the Illinois senator wrote a wide-ranging letter to San Francisco's Alice B. Toklas Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Democratic Club in which he said he opposed "the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California constitution" and similar moves in other states.

Since then, however, Obama has not made any bold pronouncements or urged supporters to specifically vote no on 8. "It's been frustrating," says one gay Obama supporter and fundraiser.

Some attribute this to simple electoral politics: the Democratic nominee needn't concentrate on California because it's not a battleground state — the Field Poll has him ahead in the Golden State by as much as 22 points. And, Obama and his advisers are mindful of the 2004 presidential race, when same-sex marriage bills on 11 state ballots were credited with galvanizing the Republican base and helping George W. Bush win reelection over his Democratic challenger. "Gay marriage was an overwhelming factor in the defeat of John Kerry," former President Bill Clinton told an audience a week after the last election.

The silence has emboldened supporters of Proposition 8 to send a mailer with a picture of Obama with an accurate quote in which he states his opposition to gay marriage to inaccurately suggest that he favors the proposed ban on it.

Once Proposition 8 got on the ballot in June, LGBT activists met and brainstormed to oppose it, but no one stepped up to lead the effort. Precious weeks, if not months, were wasted, say some activists. Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean reportedly offered to go on a media/fundraising tour but never heard back from organizers.

In August, the DNC donated $25,000 — one-quarter of what Spielberg and Pitt each forked over. Officials with "No on 8" — an anti-Proposition 8 group — reportedly asked the DNC for a half-million more but were told that all funds, including a fresh $10 million line of credit, were being earmarked for close House and Senate races. The state Democratic Party is also getting its share of criticism, even after it says it kicked in $150,000 to the "No on 8" coffers.

As poll numbers narrow, tempers are flaring and finger-pointing continues in the gay and lesbian community. Veteran LGBT activist Lorri Jean told Politico how the DNC and Obama's California fundraisers haven't been as active as she might like. But others, such as liberal activist Rick Jacobs, founder of the Courage Campaign progressive network, insist Obama's team has indeed been helpful, frequently passing along donor suggestions and other back-channel strategizing.

Steve Smith, a senior strategist with "No on 8," told Politico that Obama and his staff have given more than might be expected. "Presidential candidates very rarely get involved in statewide ballot measures," said Smith. "So we're incredibly pleased to have Sen. Obama's support."

Not everyone is "incredibly pleased," however. "Obama will not say a mumbling word on Proposition 8, proving what has been noted before," 365Gay Agenda blogger James Withers wrote shortly after the candidate's "Ellen" appearance. "He is no better, or worse, than your standard Democratic pol willing to put gay issues on the back burner."

Obama's running mate, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, has probably been the most emphatic in his opposition to the initiative, stating in a separate appearance on the DeGeneres show, "If I lived in California, I would clearly vote against Prop. 8."

McCain previously denounced similar amendments in 2004 and 2006 as "antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans." In an e-mail interview with gay D.C. website WashBlade.com, McCain said of Proposition 8, "As I did in my home state of Arizona, I support the effort in California to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. However, the people of California will ultimately decide this issue, and I'll of course respect the decision of the voters."

The controversial new initiative has pitted A-list Hollywood types, Jewish leaders, future California gubernatorial hopefuls and top state educators against evangelical Christians, the Knights of Columbus and the Mormon Church, with the latter group encouraging followers to contribute millions to "Yes on 8" factions — and accounting for somewhere between 40 percent and 70 percent of the entire total raised to fight the measure.

The largest show of financial support for "No on 8" came about at a fundraising party held at the Beverly Hills estate of Ron Burkle. Attended by Barbra Streisand, Rob Reiner, David Hyde Pierce and featuring entertainment by Melissa Etheridge and Mary J. Blige, the soldout bash brought in around $4 million. Other monetary support has come from Apple Computer Inc., Google's two co-founders, Levi Strauss & Co. and other companies.

Recent polls have shown it's going to be a tight contest, with margins of error and the numbers of undecided voters making it too close to call. According to the last statewide Field Poll before the election, 49 percent of Californians plan to vote against Prop 8 and 44 percent plan to vote for it, with 7 percent undecided. Combined with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percent, that means as many as 10 percent of voters could still be undecided. (The poll of 966 likely voters was conducted from Oct. 18 to Oct. 28, and released Friday.)

Poll director Mark DiCamillo told the San Jose Mercury News that Obama "turnout has to appear for the No side to prevail . ... They are starting out Election Day behind." Conservative Christians (and Mormons) could arrive at polling stations in droves specifically to vote for Proposition 8, and pundits have also wondered if socially conservative blacks and Latinos voting for Obama may conversely vote against same-sex marriage by supporting Proposition 8.

Ads against Proposition 8 have steered clear of mentioning the words "homosexual" or "gay", instead relaying the message that "no matter how you feel about marriage, it's wrong to eliminate fundamental rights."