Marriage Equality: May 2008 Archives

After the California Supreme Court decided yesterday that it’s unconstitutional for the state to deny marriage to gay and lesbian residents, the national media immediately began to examine whether marriage will now play a larger role in the 2008 election. Major newspapers and broadcast news networks have reported that the historic California decision will prompt the presidential candidates to more clearly assert their views on marriage for gay and lesbian Americans. All three candidates have issued statements, and the media have been speculating about what the implications of their stances could have as the presidential race continues.

The New York Times noted that it’s unlikely that the California decision will create the same amount of divisive political strategizing and campaigning around the issue of marriage as had existed during the 2004 elections. “At best, [the marriage issue] doesn’t move voters, and at worst for Republicans, it moves them against them,” said Matthew Dowd, President Bush’s 2004 chief strategist. “Why are we having a discussion on this issue when we should be talking about things that matter, like the economy, health care, or the war?” Similarly, the Los Angeles Times noted that political analysts have suggested that non-economic issues are no longer as compelling to most voters. The Associated Press explained that many voters are more concerned about the economy than initiatives that limit marriage.  In the news cycle following the announcement, the media have acknowledged the significance of the California decision while addressing the cultural shift the role of marriage will have for voters in the current presidential election.

Cindi Creager is the Director of National News.

This November, voters in various states will not only be voting for president; they may also be voting for ballot initiatives that seek to prevent marriage for gay and lesbian couples or adoption by gay families.  However, as the Associated Press reports, such ballot measures are failing to gain as much traction as they had in the 2004 and 2006 elections.  At least five proposed initiatives have not received sufficient signatures to be placed on the November ballot.  And, though Florida will have an initiative to prohibit marriage for gay and lesbian residents on its ballot and similar measures may still be placed on the Arizona and California ballots, the AP notes that political experts believe these efforts will not be as successful in 2008. “The right wing is organizing around the same old bag of tricks on social issues, but I don’t think that they’ll deliver as much as they expect,” said Kristina Wilfore of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. 

The AP article illustrates how media coverage of these ballot initiatives has changed substantially since the 2004 and 2006 elections. Rather than play up the idea of a “culture war,” journalists are reporting on the reality that in 2008, many people across the country are not supporting divisive ballot initiatives that prevent Americans from being able to take care of and protect their families.