Republicans Against 8's new ad -"It's Backwards"

I really like that advert...

and having it come from the Republicans is a massive bonus!

____________________________________
Cuius testiculos habes, habeas cardia et cerebellum.

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by: tavdy79 @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 13:03:24 PM CDT

I like it.

Anyone know if it's playing anywheres besides a their website?

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by: Karen in Kalifornia @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 13:24:35 PM CDT

I'm with you karen....

I like it a heck of a lot better than the garbage the last $30,000,000 EQ CA has spent.

I want to see what Mayor Villagairosa puts out! ..and other Spanish ones... And they are supposed to be coming out with direct repubuttal ones too.

I really like proudtobedads too, but others are right...that is just too shocking for some, and we do not have time for people to 'adjust' their thinking.  

Just harp on the EQUALITY is forwards and anything else BACKWARDS...and it works so well visually.   I like the COLOREDs and Japanese signs too.  Did notice there is no M/M couple but... hey get the votes then there will be a lot more happy M/M's for everyone to see and get used to. 

It's the Hammer of JUSTICE,
It's the Bell of FREEDOM,
It's the Song about LOVE between,
my Brothers and my Sisters
...All over this Land.

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by: Orion45 @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 14:56:02 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Love it!

I had the same question as Karen - is it getting any real air time?

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 13:36:37 PM CDT

The only way it could have been better...

is if they had included an interacial couple at the end.  

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by: Edie @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 13:44:52 PM CDT

No male couples - again

I'm totally demoralized.

The No on 8 campaign has decided that gay men aren't fit to be seen in public. They think that straight people just find us too disgusting.

Fuck you No on 8!

I will not go back into the closet. This campaign has set us back 30 fucking years!

Images like this are NOT disgusting:

Straight people must be conditioned to accept this as normal and beautiful. The only way to do that is to show images of gay couples over and over again.

What is the point of showing two straight couples in this ad? Voters know this isn't about straight marriages. They aren't stupid.

If they show gay couples, some people will be shocked and perhaps disgusted at first. But, they'll think about it and deal with their prejudices. That's how it works.

I had a straight male friend who I met through his wife. He used to come over to visit my boyfriend and I frequently. He told me that at first he was uncomfortable seeing us hold hands and kiss in front of him. But, over time he got used to it and later it seemed perfectly natural to him. After a couple of years, he'd give us both a peck on the cheek when he'd greet us.

I have been out all my life. I won't be treated like something to hide -- especially by other LGBT people. Perhaps when Prop. 8 passes, the young people running this campaign will wake up and realize that old guys like me know something they don't.  

When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will.

- Abraham Lincoln.

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by: Fritz @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 13:53:31 PM CDT

Whoops.

My comment was meant as a reply to this. Ah well.

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by: Bachalon @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 14:06:39 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

"FU" ??

the press has done a great job showing married male couples.  i think No on Prop 8 is smart to depict heterosexuals in their ads, since these are the people undecided voters will most likely identify with.  the point of the campaign isn't to get everyone comfortable with gay people, the point of the campaign is to get people to see the unfairness of the proposition.  i can't believe that you would actually say "fuck you" to the campaign.  don't forget that the campaign consists largely of volunteers like me.  after putting in endless hours and taking abuse from heterosupremecists, i really don't appreciate you undermining the campaign and sending us volunteers a FU.

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 14:12:38 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Set us back 30 years!

Anyone who participated in this campaign needs to work very hard in the upcoming years to undo the damage they have done.

The ads for the No on 8 campaign are more offensive and more damaging than a Fred Phelps rally. That is because invisibility and shame are being promoted by LGBT people.

This whole "careful, we don't want to offend anyone" strategy is something that I've seen growing from within organizations like HRC and GLAAD for years. They want us to shut up while big gay business does our talking for us.

The "corporatization" of gay rights activism has taken the power away from people like me and other ordinary average LGBT people.

I'm never going to give another dime to these kinds of organizations. They haven't accomplished anything over the last 10 years. All of the gains we've made since the '70s were due to efforts of small, grassroots activist groups.

I'm not going to sit back and watch these groups waste time and our money on idiotic focus groups and failed campaigns when we know what works -- community activism and visibility.

The talking points that were given to you during your volunteer efforts were misguided and dishonest. That dishonesty is apparent to everyone you tried to sway away from voting for Prop. 8. To its supporters, Prop. 8 is about ending gay marriage -- specifically marriage between two people with penises. That's the big flaming elephant in the room. Not addressing that issue was a big waste of time.

That's why the ads about children being taught that two MEN can get married are so effective. And No on 8 has done nothing to let people know that two men getting married and raising children is a beautiful thing. They just shove those people in the closet and pretend that the issue is "fairness" and "equality for all." These generic arguments don't work.  

When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will.

- Abraham Lincoln.

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by: Fritz @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 14:48:12 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

if you're looking for validation

from a political campaign, you're looking in the wrong place.

The talking points that were given to you during your volunteer efforts were misguided and dishonest. That dishonesty is apparent to everyone you tried to sway away from voting for Prop. 8.

so you're telling me that you've been listening in on all the conversations i've had with undecided voters?  yeah, right.  if you had really been listening in, you would have heard from their responses that the script works very well indeed.

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 15:06:22 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

No I'm looking for honesty and competence

so you're telling me that you've been listening in on all the conversations i've had with undecided voters?

Perhaps you've been going off script. I don't know. But, I've seen your talking points. They don't address the issue that is the real concern of California voters -- men getting married.

I've worked in advertising and marketing for most of my life. I've seen countless failed ad campaigns. The No on 8 campaign was doomed from the start.

Their focus groups told them that people have a negative reaction to male couples. So, instead of realizing that countering these fears and educating the public was their main objectives, they swept the issue under the rug. That did't work.

Campaigning for No on 8 can be compared to advertising a damaged brand. Let's say an airline suffers and series of crashes and the public is concerned about safety. The only way to handle this is to address their concerns directly. Running ads featuring people enjoying their Hawaiian vacations doesn't resolve the fears that people have about flying on that airline. In fact, all people are going think about is flying over the Pacific Ocean on an unsafe plane.

When No on 8 found that they were dealing with a damaged brand -- marriage specific to male couples -- they needed to address voters' concerns. Instead, they showed the equivalent of the Hawaiian vacation commercial, using straight couples and a couple of token lesbians.

This approach did nothing to show voters that gay men getting married is nothing to be afraid of. Instead, it did just the opposite. By deliberately omitting gay men from their ads, the No on 8 campaign gave the Yes on 8 people a HUGE advantage. They were able to play up on the fears people have about gay men (specifically children being taught we exist). No on 8 should have anticipated this. But, they were so obsessed with not causing any controversy, they blew it big time.

The next time you're involved in a campaign that pretends gay men don't exist, think about what you're doing.

When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will.

- Abraham Lincoln.

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by: Fritz @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 15:42:12 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

well, thanks for helping defeat our chances of winning.

we have the campaign that we have.  you can either do all you can to make it succeed, or you can piss on everyone and feel superior.  your comments are destructive.  please stop.

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 16:47:39 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

No the campaign is destructive

It is an embarrassment to LGBT everywhere.

People need to learn a lesson from this.

Saying that I feel "superior" and that I am "pissing" on anyone is ironic.

I am the one who has been tossed in the closet and told to keep quiet so that my straight oppressors will have mercy on me and grant me my civil rights. I am the one who has been told that I am inferior to lesbian couples and nice straight couples. I am the one who has been pissed on.

This is a time to be outspoken and angry.

I will NOT stop. You cannot silence me!

I tried to help months ago. I was told that my ideas are outmoded and no longer relevant.

Now, it is time for me and other gay men who have been marginalized by the No on 8 campaign to speak up. We have to or this kind of thing will get worse. I will not disappear.

When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will.

- Abraham Lincoln.

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by: Fritz @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 17:07:16 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

absolutely do not disappear.

but rather, stop attacking the campaign and start attacking homophobia.  if you want to work to normalize gay couples in the eyes of heteros, i'm completely with you.  but it is not necessary to attack the no on 8 campaign to do that.  you're angry - i get that.  but you need to face the reality that, as i said, we have the no on 8 campaign that we have.  

by the way, you totally ignored another reality: that i said how well voters who are uncomfortable with ssm have responded to the no on 8 script.  you don't seem to want to believe it, but the campaign is effective.  i will certainly agree that it could be more effective, but what campaign couldn't?  we have the resources we have, and that's it.

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 17:21:42 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

script mentioned

What is this script?  I know it's something used with the phone calls.  I looked on the VOTE NO website couldn't find something like this.

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by: Karen in Kalifornia @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 18:24:57 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

yep, the phone script.

it isn't publicly available on the website.  this is, undoubtedly, to prevent the opposition from having ready access to it.  however, if you go volunteer as to a phone bank or sign up to phone bank from home, you of course will be able to see the script.  as i said above, i find it to be excellent and very effective, and i've done lots of phone banking in my time.

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 18:38:19 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

HOW?

The phone script says nothing about gays and lesbians, it merely talks about rating someone according to their support for same sex marriage or lack thereof. I got bitched at when I asked about going off script and asking someone WHY they didn't support same-sex marriage. As a paralegal, I can speak intelligently about the complete lack of threat that civil marriage poses to people's churches, but all I got was, "No no no, if you go off script, you'll lose the person!" Screw that. If No on 8 wants to have phone bankers rate support levels, they can hire a polling firm. I'm here to convince undecideds and swayables like my parents that straight religious people have nothing to fear by ensuring civil rights.

I'd like to add to what Fritz says and throw in my bitch about all the lesbians that this campaign has shown are all Portia DeRossi look-alikes: gorgeous femme women that you couldn't pick out as a lesbian if you tried. I realize that no one wants to advertise a "damaged" product such as a butch woman or a pair of middle-aged men (het sex sells, after all), but come ON. We are not talking about stock in a perfume company here, we are talking about people's LIVES. Want to get people to empathize with marriage? Have Ellen and Portia sign over one of their wedding photos to No on 8 for an ad. Have them use their wedding montage video (on the Ellen show's website) as an ad.

Next time we have to fight this fight, get a different marketing firm. The current one sucks big time.

God save ornery old queens! - kevinchi

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by: Keori @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 20:48:05 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

perhaps

you got bitched at because the point isn't to convince people to support ssm or find out why they don't, the point is to get them to vote against the prop regardless of how they feel about ssm.  that said, it's hard for me to comment much on what happened to you since i didn't hear how you were trained or how you handled the call.  but i am really sorry to hear that you had a bad experience.  i hope you will consider giving it another try, or maybe doing something else for the campaign that gives you more of the freedom you want.  i know they are thrilled when volunteers take the initiative and organize door knocking campaigns in their areas.  that would give you the opportunity to have to sort of conversations that you think are most important.  also, every campaign does get out the vote stuff like calls and visibilities.  interested?

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 21:06:38 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

exactly. field work = fundraising, voter ID, and GOTV.

voter ID phonebanking is an investigation, not an argument.  

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by: chiefscribe @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 01:27:06 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

i might add,

on a semi-unrelated note, that i had wondered why we didn't hear more directly from the no on 8 people here at Pam's and on other blogs.  now that i've spent time volunteering for the campaign full time, i think i understand why.  besides message control, which all campaigns have to be careful of, there simply aren't enough hours in the day to do the camapaign work and keep up with the blogs.  the staff that i was involved with are incredible people.  they put at least 12 hours per day, always at full tilt.  no one is sitting back and letting this campaign slide by.  everyone is working incredibly hard.  i was working so hard that i fell into a virtual news black hole while in california because even i, just a volunteer, barely had time to check my email.  whatever anyone thinks of the message the campaign is using in advertising, no one should be under any illusion that campaign staff and volunteers aren't giving 150%.  we'll all sleep for a month when this thing is over.

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 18:45:03 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Share our NO ON 8 video with everyone!!!

As the latest polls Prop 8 in CA passing, please share/send/upload the video our family (2 dads/2 kids) made in opposition to Prop 8.  Send to everyone you know!

Thanks,
Kergan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

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by: proudtobedad @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 13:57:20 PM CDT

Beautiful!

Images like this should have been playing on TV for the last six months.

I'll post it on my blog today.

When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will.

- Abraham Lincoln.

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by: Fritz @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 14:03:38 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Thanks! One of my biggest complaints about the NO ON 8 Campaign...

...is that there is very little about it that is INSPIRING.  We're playing defense, instead of setting the tone.  The Yes campaign's creative (aside from hateful ads) is very "joyful", while the No is traditional campaign-looking.  Where is the creativity of the gay community???  

People are more likely to Vote No if they have a personal connection to those affected, which is one reason we created the video.  So far, in only 2 days up, we've had over 1000 hits!

Also, I've plastered my car with lettering saying "Your vote could take away our rights" and "Our kids want to see us married!"  That way, even though I look like a crazy person, everyone at the kids school sees that their vote will directly affect US--people they know.

Spread the word, and get our video out there!!!

Thanks,
Kergan

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by: proudtobedad @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 14:26:08 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Don't you know?

Lesbians are "hot," but fags are disgusting. That's likely one of the reasons all the crazy fundies only ever focus on male homosexuality (which raises a few more questions).

I've had the same experience (along with my father telling me to my face that my homosexuality makes him uncomfortable, and this is even after I've been with my husband for 3 years).

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by: Bachalon @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 14:05:25 PM CDT

Good Ad, but...

What No on 8 really needs to do is come out with some constant, hard hitting ads debunking the Lies and Fear mongering that the Yes on 8 (largely funded by Mormons, btw)ads are using.

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by: johnson @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 16:12:21 PM CDT

I hope the messaging gets more aggressive.

This is a fight and No on 8 has been treating it as a cotillion.

The simple matter is first our rights are taken away and then our lives. It's a cycle in history and unless it's derailed it's going to hit again and hit hard.  

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by: HCannon @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 16:12:29 PM CDT

Effective ads

An effective ad would be as follows:

A gay couple is getting married. An elderly minister is performing the ceremony. Family and friends are smiling and happy.

Then, three armed policemen barge into the church. One is holding a warrant.

"Reverend Jones, you are under arrest for violating the Califonia Constitution."

The police handcuff the minister and take him from the church. Several women begin to cry. The gay couple embrace.

Voiceover: "Gay marriage shouldn't be a crime. Vote no on Prop. 8."

An extreme exaggeration? Perhaps. But, it is no different than the commercial with the little girl who tells her mother that she was forced to learn about gay marriage in school.

This is the kind of ad that will prevent undecided voters from voting for 8.

Another ad.

A young gay couple is packing up their belongings and putting them in a moving van.

An older woman is crying and hugs one of the men. He says, "Don't worry mom. We'll be okay. I'll call you as soon as we get to Boston."

The van pulls away and the woman buries her head in her husband's chest, sobbing loudly.

Voiceover: "Don't force your gay friends and family to escape an oppresive law. Vote No on Prop. 8."

False advertising? No, not really. Many gay couples will leave California if their marriages are invalidated.

A third ad:

A man and woman are in bed alseep. Suddenly, there is the sound of breaking glass and shouting. The woman wakes up and shakes her husband.

"John, there's something going on outside. Wake up!"

Outside, a house is on fire. A mob of people are in the shadows shouting "Faggots!" and "Sinners!"

The man and woman appear at their doorstep. The woman covers her mouth and shouts, "There are children inside that house."

The husband pulls her back and says, "No, don't get involved. They could turn on us next."

Voiceover: "Don't let this happen in your neighborhood. Vote No on Prop. 8."

These ads seem extreme, but they are the only thing that will work at this point. People have to be shown where Prop. 8 could lead. We can't convince the rightwingers. These ads will work on those who don't want to see California become a police state.

When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will.

- Abraham Lincoln.

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by: Fritz @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 16:47:02 PM CDT

Madrid

A young gay couple is packing up their belongings and putting them in a moving van.

An older woman is crying and hugs one of the men. He says, "Don't worry mom. We'll be okay. I'll call you as soon as we get to Boston."

The van pulls away and the woman buries her head in her husband's chest, sobbing loudly.

Voiceover: "Don't force your gay friends and family to escape an oppresive law. Vote No on Prop. 8."

For a Spanish version, they could replace "Boston" with "Madrid" - it'll drive home the fact that some Americans leave the country entirely for marriage equality.

____________________________________
Cuius testiculos habes, habeas cardia et cerebellum.

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by: tavdy79 @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 18:32:08 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

That would work

as a Spanish-language ad, too.  Remind the "pro-family" types that Prop 8 will be breaking up families.

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by: M @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 19:15:49 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Or another ad

A nice, cleancut looking man says "Proposition 8 is about children. My children." Pan out to show the man's husband and their two kids - preferably young and photogenic. The two men talk about their kids, and what not having the rights of a married couple do to them. Close with text of Vote No on 8 with a voice over that says "Protect all of California's children. Vote No on Proposition 8."

Cause any fool knows, a dog needs a home; a shelter from pigs on the wing

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by: QueerInSoCal @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 19:12:27 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I like it

I agree this is better than the official NO ads because the tone is more inspiring and not so negative. Too bad it's only had about 250 views on YouTube, and don't know about TV. I've added it to my Squidoo page against Prop 8 and hope it might reach a few more people there:
Arguments Against California Proposition 8

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by: IndiaL @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 17:29:59 PM CDT

As a full-time voluteer with the No on 2 campaign in Florida I have to say that I completely understand Lurleens defensiveness and frustration with Fritz...

but that doesn't change the fact that Fritz, in my opinion, is 100% RIGHT in his observations.

It sucks to donate so much time and money to an effort that is so woefully lacking but here are the facts:

A month ago Prop 8 was down 38% to 55% and EVERYONE went on and on about how NO Proposition has GAINED support going into an election.

Now Prop 8 is up in the polls and No on 8 is crying the blues and acting as if they are SHOCKED that Catholics, Mormons and Fundamentalists got SO involved and gave so much money, just SHOCKED!

With all their Hollywood connections they couldn't raise money to match the Mormons?  FAILURE.

They couldn't even get GAY celebrities (or notable politicians: Obama, Schwartzenegger, Pelosi etc) to contribute and even fewer to speak out strongly and publicly?  HUGE FAILURE.

The, supposedly, most creative people in the world couldn't come up with a persuasive and winning ad campaign?  What's up with that?

And now, less than two weeks from the election No on 8 throws a Hollywood fundraising bash that raises a lot of money after the vast majority of people have long since made up their minds and thousands, if not millions, of people have already voted?  Yeah, that's a real winning strategy.

Again, I am not a person who sits on the sideline and bitches.  I am a man, married to a man, raising a son and volunteering full time to fighting the Amendment 2 in Florida.  We are having the very same issues here.

Like I said, I understand Lurleen's frustration and defensiveness but I think it is she, and not Fritz, whose frustration is misplaced.

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by: Zeke @ Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 21:21:09 PM CDT

If you're in FL,

what makes you think you know what is really happening in CA?

Quit pissing on our efforts.  It is needlessly demoralizing.  I'm frustrated alright - frustrated with jackasses who can't shut up and stop undermining the dedication of volunteers.  There will be plenty of time to point blaming fingers after we've all been stripped of our civil rights by our bigoted neighbors.  For now, let's just enjoy the shred of hope that one state will prevail, despite every effort of the Zekes and the Fritzes of the world to aid the bigots by chasing away people working hard in earnest.

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 00:12:03 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Lurleen, I work full time as a VOLUNTEER for No on 2 in Florida, which is also underperfoming its potential...

In addition to volunteering I have donated hundreds of dollars to the No on 2 campaign and $200 to the No on 8 Campaign.

How much have you donated to the fight here in Florida?

You have a whole hell of a lot of nerve attacking me, calling me names, insulting me, claiming that I am aiding bigots and insenuating that I'm not doing anything but bitching.

You really should rethink your shameful and misguided tirade against a person who is fighting in the trenches along side you and who clearly stated that he shared your defensiveness and frustration since that is my first instinct when people make LEGITIMATE comments and voice concerns with the missteps of No on 2.

I'm sorry that you have to turn your frustration into bitterness into a hateful attack on an ally.  I certainly never attacked you the way you did me with the nasty words and tactics of the bigots that you claim I'm aiding.  

It seems to me that it's you rather than me who is "chasing away PEOPLE WORKING HARD IN EARNEST"

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by: Zeke @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 12:16:56 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I have donated

several hundred dollars to defeat FL Amendment 2.  I've also gotten on the line with relatives who live there to urge them to vote no.  But I don't live there or volunteer directly for the campaign, to I don't pretend to know what decisions the campaign coordinaters are making and what they base those decisions on.  But you implied that you had such knowledge of the goings on in CA.  I was just asking whether you really know what's happening in C, or you're just guessing.  But no matter.  We're both working for equality.  Let's do so peacefully and avoid criticizing from afar, since the latter is useless and only serves to discourage.  I, for one, need all the encouragement I can get to get through the next 2 weeks.

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 12:36:33 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I commend you and all my brothers and sisters in arms as they fight Prop 8 and the other anti-family amendments..

We really are ALL in this TOGETHER.

Hang in there and keep fighting Lurleen.

I think we have a chance of pulling this off in both our states (I don't know the details about AZ) but it will take all hands on deck giving 100% to do it.

I'm glad there are people like you in CA, AZ and FL who are so committed to fighting the good fight.  Without such passion and dedication there would be no way we could win these battles.

Take care.

Peace.

Zeke

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by: Zeke @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 15:05:37 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Thanks Zeke!

And all the best to you too!  Btw, our conversation spurred me on to calling my FL relatives again.  I just got off the phone with my 80 year old aunt who lives in The Villages.  She was already leaning "no" on 2 because of how it would negatively affect senior citizens.  I agreed with her about what an important concern that is, and told her how important it is to me personally to have my marriage stay valid as I cross state lines, a point she was receptive of.  She and my uncle aren't the sort of people to tell anyone how they will vote, but I'm pretty sure from her reception and the sort of people they are that we can count on one if not two "no" votes from The Villages.

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 15:24:06 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

How to lose in ten easy lessons...

It's too early to tell, but it doesn't look good at all in California. The last Field Poll (the best CA poll) over a month ago showed those opposed at 55% but all the polls since then have tended the other way.

What is clear is that the unanimous bigoted hostility to same sex marriage by McCain, Obama, Palen and Biden is having a bad effect on the vote. The EuroAmerican christer bigots who were on the fence now have bipartisan permission to vote their bigotry. That's very bad news for our side and the steady slide towards bigotry is proof enough. And so is the fact that the anti-8 forces don't have the audacity to challenge the across the board bigotry of the major parties presidential tickets. Their silence is deafening.

I worked in LACABI/BACABI (committees against the Briggs Initiative) along with the folks from No on Six and in later campaigns. Our experience in those campaigns was that if the effort led by and limited to Madison Avenue types and for-sale-to-the-highest-bidder campaign 'experts' they can go sour in a hurry, and that's a factor here, just as it was when we lost the last time.

So is the inability of the anti-8 forces to see the absolute necessity of expending a major effort to target the Black, Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander communities, who comprise a majority of California's population, although not of it's voters.  

That ad has a better approach except where are the guys. Is someone afraid? The truth is that everyone knows this is a LGBT issue and if we ignore that in the ads people will think, rightly, that we're afraid or that we're trying to pull a fast one. Another important approach is to simply ask if California is ready for the outbreak of rage and another few years of very sharp politcal civil rights battles including mass demonstrations, campus organizing and alliance building with other people in the state who don't enjoy equality.

Olla, Zeke.  

The looter rich much prefer working with Democrats like Obama and the Clintons - they're greedier, they fool more people and they're able to get away with a lot more than Republicans.  

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by: donal1944 @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 02:04:44 AM CDT

I thinks

I think people in the community is afraid to alliance build with people in regions that do not support equality such as San Bernardino County.

And demographic populations that do not embrace equality of our community would be another target for us reaching out too.

I am ready to fight for equality and even get arrested if I have to.

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by: mmunson @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 02:38:33 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

you can always make one a nice as this

just substitute the women couple with one male couple picture. this was a good ad.

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by: jacjr56 @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 06:58:52 AM CDT

Something that occurred to me ...

... while hanging out with the head of Dems Abroad here in Taiwan tonight ... at one point in the conversation he quickly drew a sketch of a scene I'd described to him, and it hit me ... We're so caught up in the YouTube phenomenon that we've forgotten how effective a simple comic strip can be.  I'll get back to that in a moment.

Personally, I think Lurleen's got it right in terms of going to war with the army that we've got, and with the generals that we've got, and diligently playing our roles as foot soldiers in achieving the victory that the No on 8 campaign is going to deliver come Nov. 4th.  

For what it's worth, I see a victory parade in our collective futures, I expect us to win, and I look forward to congratulating the No on 8 crew for running a smart campaign.

If I were asked to assign blame for the tight contest we find ourselves in now, I'd probably mostly blame that slice of the California electorate that remains in thrall to their irrational fears and resentments (the neanderthals among us), but would also reserve a significant portion of blame for our natural allies in the entertainment and high-tech industries, who've mostly been late to arrive to this party, and who, once they've deigned to make an appearance, seem altogether too keen to accept the kudos of their peers whilst evincing a hesitance to associate themselves directly with or invest themselves heavily in this contest.  That latest $3.9 million that Burkle helped make happen is nothing to sneeze at, and we're all grateful, but it could've come earlier and without all the trappings of a typical Hollywood snoozefest (granted, your typical Hollywood snoozefest comes with A-list musical entertainment, and that's what makes LA so much fun, but when it comes to a civil rights struggle, that stuff's gotta be the icing on the cake, not the bread and butter, dig?).

Anyway, I wanted to talk about comic strips.  I think Fritz has posted some brilliant scripts.  Let's be honest, they're brilliant, but none of us are holding our breath for their YouTube debut.  Ain't gonna happen.  But, what could happen is that everyone with scripts like these bouncing around in the ol' noggin could approach cartoonists and collaborate to produce 2D equivalents of what we're imagining to be the next YouTube hits for the No on 8 campaign.

Shorter Chino:  If you've got a script, forget YouTube.  Reach out to talented friends or your local paper's cartoonist(s) and offer to collaborate.  The campaign our opponents are running is a goldmine.  Mine it.  Script it.  No need to get it on tape.  Just get a friend to draw it.

Pat Bagley over at the Salt Lake Tribune has produced some biting indictments of the Yes on 8 effort, but we can do better if we try.

twitter.com/ChinoBlanco | youtube.com/ChinoBlanco

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by: Chino Blanco @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 10:40:27 AM CDT

Here's another idea for an ad that actually honors GAY people and their families...

Instead of allowing the Yes on 8 people to control the message on how "gay marriage" will harm children, how about producing and ad where successful, well adjusted, grown children (adopted or by birth) of gay and lesbian couples tell the people of California/Arizona/Florida, IN THEIR OWN WORDS, what THEY think about the issue and how THEY were affected by being exposed to a committed same-sex couple who loved, cared for each other and shared that love and care to their children as they provided for, protected and raised them, even without the sanction of the state.

Let's stop allowing STRAIGHT, anti-gay people to monopolize and manipulate the argument about how children are affected by allowing gay couples to legally commit to each other.

As a gay married man and father I have to say, with tears in my eyes, that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the 2 dads/2 kids video linked above.  Now THAT'S a man/man commercial that I think would melt the hardest heart.  We need to see some TV ads that are as good and as HONEST as that clip is.

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by: Zeke @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 15:16:34 PM CDT

That was done in MA to some degree,

and it was quite effective.  However, the game in MA was quite different, since the focus of the equality campaign were legislators, not voters (the amendment never made it to the ballot).  So, I don't know if that approach would work or not in CA, AZ or FL right now.  Maybe, maybe not.

One thing some of your and Fritz's comments have made me realize is that we lgbt people need to start these acceptance and normalization campaigns long before we're forced into the position of defending ourselves against amendments.  Once we're in the defensive position, it's almost too late because there isn't usually enough time & money to get people to reconsider their homophobia.  It's a bit like the situation the nation is in with Obama and racism, I guess.  Individuals fight racism every day, but until we have something like a biracial guy running for president, most of the populace isn't forced to truly dig deep into their own bias.  Getting people to do this sort of work in advance of legislative attacks is really difficult, since most people don't move until they perceive an impending emergency.  Don't know if I'm making sense, but these are just some random thoughts.  I guess it comes down to this: when the fight is over in AZ, FL and CA, we all need to actively campaign for normalization in the states that still may have to face these amendments.  We need to jump to the offensive.  Otherwise, it may very well be too late in those states too, once the voters get involved.

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 15:34:47 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Not sure why, but this made my day. Maybe it was the whole "code blue" thing ..

From the desk of Frank Schubert, Yes on 8 Campaign Manager

Dear Friend,

The institution of marriage is in cardiac arrest in California and I am pleading with you to help save it. Please set aside what you are doing for a minute and pay close attention to what is happening with Proposition 8. Marriage as we know it is in a life or death moment.

Gay activists held a fundraiser on Tuesday night at billionaire liberal Ron Burkle's mansion in Beverly Hills where they raised an astonishing $3.9 million. Even as guests were being entertained by Barbra Streisand, Melissa Etheridge and Mary J. Blige, No on 8 operatives were busy launching a sneak attack on the institution of marriage. They began dumping $3 million into television commercials this week alone. That is on top of the nearly $4 million in air time they already had purchased for this week, meaning they are spending an unbelievable $7 million on air time this week alone!

In the middle of the night last night, they began airing a new commercial featuring liberal Democrat Jack O'Connell, the California Superintendent of Public Instruction, designed to trick voters into thinking that gay marriage won't be taught in California public schools. The No on 8 campaign realizes that this is their Achilles heel, and they are going to say and do whatever they need to in order to confuse and trick voters.

O'Connell slyly but shamelessly misrepresents the law, saying that California does not "require" that anything about marriage be taught in public schools. What he doesn't say is that his own Department of Education reports that 96% of schools DO TEACH the courses that include marriage. The Supreme Court's legalization of gay marriage unquestionably means that young children will be exposed to gay marriage in school, just as they are in Massachusetts.

Here is the situation we face: Unless we raise $3 million in the next week, we're going to lose.

Our campaign is presently on the right track and has momentum, but we cannot withstand this onslaught of spending - getting outspent by $3 million this week and by who knows what next week. We have emptied our accounts to put $1 million more on TV to respond, but that leaves us bare. We need to add $1 million more to our advertising schedule in the next 24 hours for this week, and at least $2 million more for next week.

If you love the institution of marriage, this is one of those moments that you will remember the rest of your life. This is the moment when people of faith were given the chance to make a great sacrifice and save this precious institution. We have all worked hard as volunteers and contributors, but this is the moment when traditional marriage as we know it will either live, or it will die.

Years from now, when we look back on our lives, this will be a day to remember. The day when marriage went into cardiac arrest, the victim of a ruthless and false assault on the truth. The day when you had a chance to sacrifice greatly to save God's precious gift to us.

This is Code Blue for marriage. What is your response?

Frank Schubert
Campaign Manager
ProtectMarriage.com - Yes on 8

******************************

My response?

Ha ha ha ha ha hardee har har!

twitter.com/ChinoBlanco | youtube.com/ChinoBlanco

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by: Chino Blanco @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 16:41:24 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

what are the respective funding totals

for the two campaigns at this point?  it is my impression that they've still out-raised and outspent us.  also, i wonder if they've pre-bought ad spots, so that his statement that their accounts are dry is misleading.

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 17:16:05 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

answering my own question...

they're about $2.5 million ahead of us as of the latest LA Times report.

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 17:19:47 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Yes, we're still behind ...

But have you seen this ...

http://www.cbs8.com/flv/video_...

OMG.


twitter.com/ChinoBlanco | youtube.com/ChinoBlanco

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by: Chino Blanco @ Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 18:09:53 PM CDT

[ Parent ]