The Democratic Party and California’s Proposition 8
On Nov. 4, millions of liberal voters celebrated the election of Barack Obama as America’s 44th president. However, the jubilation was, for many, dampened by the passage of Proposition 8 in California. This ballot measure defined marriage as strictly between a man and a woman, overturning the California Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of same-sex marriage earlier this year.
In the aftermath of Election Day, pundits have speculated on how Barack Obama won California with sixty one percent of the vote while Proposition 8 passed by four percentage points. Theories abound about the impact of socially conservative black voters who turned out for Obama and voted against same-sex marriage, as well as the influence of outside groups such as the Mormon Church. Whatever the explanation, the passage of Proposition 8 is unlikely to undermine social liberalism or displace the LGBT community from its position within the party.
Democrats and the LGBT Community
According to Democratic strategist Elaine Kamarck, the passage of Proposition 8 does not have serious long term implications for the LGBT community’s future within the Democratic Party. “The support for gay issues of all sorts is strongly correlated to age,” she explained in an interview with the HPR. “If you look at longitudinal polling, this is the fastest-changing social issue ever; it is all about generational change.” As today’s young people make up a larger share of the electorate, same-sex marriage will begin to become less controversial as a political issue.
Others have expressed concern over whether Proposition 8 indicates a changing view toward social issues within the Democratic Party, worrying that the party may attempt to hold onto the financially motivated voters it brought on board in November by moderating or abandoning its traditional progressive social agenda. Kamarck believes social liberals have nothing to worry about. We are unlikely to see any real change on “culture war” issues by the Democrats, she noted, because those issues were not a major driver behind the success of Proposition 8. “Prop 8 passed in California due to huge turnout, but the people who were voting were not there to vote on this issue, rather they were there because of economic issues,” she remarked.
Despite inevitable disappointment with the outcome of the Proposition 8 vote, the LGBT community appears not to be overly discouraged and may use this defeat as a chance to modify its strategies going forward. In an interview with the HPR, Tim McCarthy, a Harvard Kennedy School lecturer and member of Obama’s LGBT council, cautioned against making too much of Proposition 8 and encouraged progressives to consider the broader significance of Obama’s victory for civil rights. “I find myself not getting very angry because we as a progressive group of people just had a stunning victory,” he remarked. “One of the things that’s been wrong with the left is that we don’t spend enough time celebrating our triumphs. I’m very optimistic about Obama, despite his stated opposition to gay marriage, particularly on the other issues important to LGBT people.”
Beyond Gay Marriage
Indeed, McCarthy views the singular focus of the LGBT community on marriage as a factor that undermines the public perception of its movement. “Marriage has become the signature issue of the leaders of the LGBT movement, and I think that’s overstating it,” he commented. “[Is] there a larger set of issues we need to be focusing on?” McCarthy believes the gay community has been too focused on marriage, and that other important issues of same-sex rights, such as adoption (which was recently banned for same-sex couples in Arkansas), visitation, inheritance law and non-discrimination legislation, have received too little attention and political effort.
While Proposition 8 represents a temporary setback in the push for expanded rights for LGBT individuals, it is important not to overplay its significance. It seems unlikely to have long-term ramifications for the progress of same-sex rights and does not foreshadow significant changes in the LGBT community’s place in the Democratic Party. Given the demographic reality of evolving attitudes toward gay issues, it appears that progress on LGBT rights is inevitable. As the Republican Party engages in serious soul-searching following the 2008 Democratic Party landslide, perhaps it will take note of these changing trends and begin to participate in a bipartisan coalition for expanded gay rights. Otherwise, it may find itself on the opposite side of an issue that gradually becomes social reality.
On Nov. 4, millions of liberal voters celebrated the election of Barack Obama as America’s 44th president. However, the jubilation was, for many, dampened by the passage of Proposition 8 in California. This ballot measure defined marriage as strictly between a man and a woman, overturning the California Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of same-sex marriage earlier this year.
In the aftermath of Election Day, pundits have speculated on how Barack Obama won California with sixty one percent of the vote while Proposition 8 passed by four percentage points. Theories abound about the impact of socially conservative black voters who turned out for Obama and voted against same-sex marriage, as well as the influence of outside groups such as the Mormon Church. Whatever the explanation, the passage of Proposition 8 is unlikely to undermine social liberalism or displace the LGBT community from its position within the party.
Democrats and the LGBT Community
According to Democratic strategist Elaine Kamarck, the passage of Proposition 8 does not have serious long term implications for the LGBT community’s future within the Democratic Party. “The support for gay issues of all sorts is strongly correlated to age,” she explained in an interview with the HPR. “If you look at longitudinal polling, this is the fastest-changing social issue ever; it is all about generational change.” As today’s young people make up a larger share of the electorate, same-sex marriage will begin to become less controversial as a political issue.
Others have expressed concern over whether Proposition 8 indicates a changing view toward social issues within the Democratic Party, worrying that the party may attempt to hold onto the financially motivated voters it brought on board in November by moderating or abandoning its traditional progressive social agenda. Kamarck believes social liberals have nothing to worry about. We are unlikely to see any real change on “culture war” issues by the Democrats, she noted, because those issues were not a major driver behind the success of Proposition 8. “Prop 8 passed in California due to huge turnout, but the people who were voting were not there to vote on this issue, rather they were there because of economic issues,” she remarked.
Despite inevitable disappointment with the outcome of the Proposition 8 vote, the LGBT community appears not to be overly discouraged and may use this defeat as a chance to modify its strategies going forward. In an interview with the HPR, Tim McCarthy, a Harvard Kennedy School lecturer and member of Obama’s LGBT council, cautioned against making too much of Proposition 8 and encouraged progressives to consider the broader significance of Obama’s victory for civil rights. “I find myself not getting very angry because we as a progressive group of people just had a stunning victory,” he remarked. “One of the things that’s been wrong with the left is that we don’t spend enough time celebrating our triumphs. I’m very optimistic about Obama, despite his stated opposition to gay marriage, particularly on the other issues important to LGBT people.”
Beyond Gay Marriage
Indeed, McCarthy views the singular focus of the LGBT community on marriage as a factor that undermines the public perception of its movement. “Marriage has become the signature issue of the leaders of the LGBT movement, and I think that’s overstating it,” he commented. “[Is] there a larger set of issues we need to be focusing on?” McCarthy believes the gay community has been too focused on marriage, and that other important issues of same-sex rights, such as adoption (which was recently banned for same-sex couples in Arkansas), visitation, inheritance law and non-discrimination legislation, have received too little attention and political effort.
While Proposition 8 represents a temporary setback in the push for expanded rights for LGBT individuals, it is important not to overplay its significance. It seems unlikely to have long-term ramifications for the progress of same-sex rights and does not foreshadow significant changes in the LGBT community’s place in the Democratic Party. Given the demographic reality of evolving attitudes toward gay issues, it appears that progress on LGBT rights is inevitable. As the Republican Party engages in serious soul-searching following the 2008 Democratic Party landslide, perhaps it will take note of these changing trends and begin to participate in a bipartisan coalition for expanded gay rights. Otherwise, it may find itself on the opposite side of an issue that gradually becomes social reality.
