Remember The Maine

Matthew Gagnon at Pine Tree Politics goes over how Maine voted down gay marriage.

The only counties that went for the No on 1 campaign were Hancock, Knox, Cumberland and York. In Hancock, No won by only a margin of 53%-47%, Knox and York were both basically 51%-49% and Cumberland represented the only decisive victory for the campaign at 60%-40%.

So how did it happen?

The short answer, is that No on 1 dramatically underperformed in urban areas, and got slaughtered in the rural parts of the state.

Consider this: Of the ten largest cities in Maine (Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, South Portland, Auburn, Biddeford, Brunswick, Sanford, Scarborough and Augusts), five of them (Lewiston, Auburn, Biddeford, Sanford and Augusta) voted yes. Let me repeat that – five of the ten largest cities in Maine voted for the veto. Even more interesting, take Lewiston-Auburn a step further: They went (combined) 62%-38% for Barack Obama over John McCain in 2008, and 43-32-25 for John Baldacci over Chandler Woodcock and Barbara Merrill in 2006 – yet they voted heavily for a culturally conservative ballot initiative. Welcome to Maine.

There's a reason why anti-gay marriage forces choose to peddle their bigotry during special elections and off-year votes: turnout always favors older, more conservative voters in those examples. As Digby and many others have said, if Jim Crow laws were subject to state by state votes in the 50's and 60's, they'd probably still be in place today in a number of states.

The teabaggers have beaten it into everyone's head that democracy in America means mob rule, not an enlightened Republic of statesmen or crafted judicial precedent. The tyranny of the majority is all that matters, and should the majority decide to vote for Barack Obama, well then they just beat the populace harder until they comply.

The underinformed, misinformed, or prejudicial voter has one vote, the exact same amount as the informed, open-minded or activist voter. And the rubes are a lot easier to manipulate en masse.

There's a reason bigotry is 31-0 in America. It's a matter of time? Not if those who vote for prejudice also raise children who are taught that bigoted behavior is the accepted norm. History loves a scapegoat.

Civil rights in this country will continue to lose until one state decides to put it all on the line by actually playing the tenth amendment card and daring the Feds to stop them. And that's the battle they know they have to win. It will be all or nothing for us then.

I do not believe America will last very long should tolerance and justice lose on that day. But that day is coming, and it is coming soon.