Human Rights Campaign: Breaking election results
November 5, 2008
Human Rights Campaign
Breaking election results:
* Barack Obama wins
* At least 3 more fair-minded Senators
* At least 9 seats picked up in the House
* Results not yet in for Proposition 8 in California – race is down to the wire
For more up-to-the-minute results, go to HRC.org.
VIDEO: HRC’s winning 2008 strategy
What a night.
The crowd is going wild here at HRC Election Headquarters. While many races have yet to be called, including ballot iniatitives in Arizona, Florida, Arkansas and California, I felt the need to tell you that tonight, we made history.
Because of you, because of everything you did, 2008 will forever be the Year We Won!
Historians will point to this election as a turning point in the long struggle for civil rights. Eight years of White House hostility toward LGBT Americans are finally over.
Here’s what we know right now:
* We will finally have an LGBT-friendly White House: President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
* Proposition 8 vote in California is still too close to call.
* At this time, we helped elect new fair-minded allies in the Senate and in the House – including HRC endorsees Betsy Markey, Kay Hagan and cousins Tom and Mark Udall.
We can now pass critical LGBT equality measures like the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act and begin unraveling the damage of the last eight years.
HRC and its members played a bigger role in 2008 than in any previous election. HRC launched a two-year, $7 million effort to get 5 million people out to vote for equality. We trained over 500 volunteers at 17 first-of-their-kind Camp Equality trainings and 25 more through the intensive 12-week Campaign College, and they went on to work on many tight races. One-third of our staff spread out across the country, providing thousands of hours of critical staff time to key campaigns. HRC raised more money for candidates than ever before and donated nearly $3.5 million to fight Proposition 8 in California. And there’s more – watch this video to see how HRC turned your support into action.
Your efforts this year were without precedent. They’ve enabled HRC to play a role in dozens of today’s victories. And with Obama in the oval office, we can now begin securing protections that LGBT Americans have been denied so long. We recognize the profound challenges facing our nation, and we will be patient and strategic in working with the new administration to secure those protections
We are still waiting with anticipation for results from California’s fight for marriage equality, where the race is still too close to call. We are also waiting on results for Arizona, Florida and Arkansas. Once the outcome is known in these states, as well as other key races, we will update you with the results.
Together, we’ve made a profound difference in 2008. I can’t thank you enough – and I can’t wait to keep working with you to continue the march towards equality in 2009 and beyond.
Warmly,
Joe Solmonese
President
P.S. In addition to the current lawmakers who we succeeded in re-electing, here are a few of the amazing new candidates whose victories HRC helped bring about:
* Kay Hagan of North Carolina, who overcame the 5-year fundraising advantage of opponent Elizabeth Dole and survived anti-LGBT attack mail to win the seat held by Jesse Helms for 30 years.
* Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who signed a repeal of the state’s ban on gay adoption and enacted a law to ban workplace discrimination as Governor.
* Tom Udall of New Mexico, a strong supporter of a fully-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act and strong hate crimes prevention legislation.
* Mark Udall of Colorado, who earned a 100% on HRC’s scorecard during his tenure in the House, and defeated former Rep. Bob Shaffer (0% HRC rating).
© 2008 The Human Rights Campaign. All rights reserved.
Human Rights Campaign | www.hrc.org
1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-3278
Phone: 202/628-4160 TTY: 202/216-1572 Fax: 202/347-5323
Election 2008 for dummies (and smart folks), part 2
November 4, 2008
Election 2008 for dummies (and smart folks), part 2
By Mark Segal
PGN Publisher
© 2008 Philadelphia Gay News
This week, the vice president.
Sen. Barack Obama picked Sen. Joe Biden as his vice-presidential running mate. Biden is well respected for his knowledge and work on both the Foreign Relations and Judiciary committees in then Senate.
On the other hand, Sen. John McCain chose a little-known governor from Alaska, Sarah Palin. After current VP Dick Cheney, it seems almost ironic to say Palin is an embarrassment.
Just a few points about Palin. Foreign policy: She can see Russia from her back door and when Vladimir Putin rears his head, he goes into Alaskan airspace (September 2008). Environment: Feds shouldn’t list beluga whales as endangered (August 2007). Sued U.S. government to stop listing polar bears as endangered (August 2008). Troopergate: Investigated for trying to fire her ex-brother-in-law after a custody battle. Found by a non-partisan committee of Alaskan legislators to have violated state ethics laws and abused her power (October 2008). But most important is her lack of knowledge of what the vice president’s constitutional authority is. In June, before being chosen as McCain’s running mate, she told a reporter, “First, I’d like to know what the vice president does” (June 2008). In her debate with Biden, she stated that she agrees with Cheney’s interpretation of the role of VP as part of the executive branch as “flexible” (October 2008). That is not only unknowledgeable but dangerous. Do we need another Dick Cheney?
Now onto her real record on LGBT issues. Like McCain, she stated, “No special hate-crime laws” (July 2006). During her campaign for governor, she said it was OK to deny benefits to same-sex couples (August 2006). The Alaskan legislature passed benefits for domestic partners and she stated that she was going to veto it, but was told by her attorney general that she’d lose in court and reluctantly signed it. In her 2006 campaign, she stated that her top priorities included preserving the definition of “marriage” (July 2006). Then, she went further than McCain when asked if she’d support the legislation in Congress for a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage: no support of anything but traditional marriage (October 2008).
But what kind of gay man would I be if I didn’t make a comment about her $150,000 wardrobe bought for her by the campaign? This week she said, “I’m back to wearing my own clothes. Just like the lights and sets, they all come down after we’re gone.” Sarah, you couldn’t be more right. Like the lights and sets, you’re just a prop: makeup, wardrobe and a script. This is not show business, but a campaign to end the disaster of the last eight years.
No matter how diplomatically you put it, McCain is 72, not in the best of health and picked a prop for vice president. Hopefully, the sets will be torn down, lights turned off and the props carted away this Tuesday.
For the
most important vote in your lifetime, vote for Obama and Biden.
Mark Segal is PGN publisher. He can be reached at mark@epgn.com.
Barack Obama will be the next President and Proposition 8 will fail
November 4, 2008
“Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States, and California’s Proposition 8 will fail. This is not cockeyed optimism talking, but rather the result of analysis of prognosticating and historical lessons both clear and unheralded. “
I changed my longtime vote for McCain to Obama at the last minute and voted NO on ALL PROPOSITIONS. California gets nothing from me in regards to that this Christmas. If they need money to pay for some of those Propositions like the Children and Transportation and the Animals they can go ask the Mormons and the Church who seem to have enough of that money to spend carelessly in places like their pathetic Yes on 8, which is not going to pass anyway. What a waste of money. I hope all those asshole yes on 8 supporters, plan on cleaning up the city and removing all their torn Yes on 8 signs that are hanging on vacant lots. They’re pigs so they probably won’t.
URGENT: Last-minute California Progressive Voter Guide
November 4, 2008
Are you still trying to figure out how to vote on the California propositions on Tuesday’s ballot?
My friends at the Courage Campaign have been leading progressives in California on the ballot measures this year, including raising $87,741 for the “No on Prop 8″ campaign and mobilizing many volunteers for the “No on Prop 4″ campaign.
All 12 propositions on Tuesday’s ballot will help shape California’s future — especially Prop 11 (more on that below). To help you make your choices in this momentous election, the Courage Campaign has created a printable voter guide that you can share with your friends today.
The “2008 Progressive Voter Guide” includes:
(1) Short, easy-to-read recommendations from the Courage Campaign Issues Committee.
(2) A handy chart of recommendations from nine other leading progressive organizations across California.
(3) A mobile phone guide that you can easily take into your polling place and send to your friends.
http://www.couragecampaign.org/2008VoterGuide
Or click the image below to download a printable PDF document directly to your computer:
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Of course, there are several other propositions on Tuesday’s ballot besides Props 4 and 8. For example, Proposition 11 is billed as a redistricting reform measure, but this “cure” is worse than the disease.
Proposition 11 is bad policy and would be harmful to California. Because Republicans are facing a historic defeat this year, they’ve initiated, promoted, and funded Prop 11 to take control of a legislature they cannot otherwise win.
Prop 11 supporters claim that their only opposition comes from Sacramento legislators trying to protect their districts. That’s not true. Prop 11 doesn’t affect Congressional districts, yet Speaker Nancy Pelosi and many other California members of Congress agree with me that Prop 11 would turn back the progressive gains we’ve made in California and undermine what we’re fighting to achieve.
I’ve lived in California my whole life. I’ve seen California communities fight Republican redistricting schemes for years — because they disenfranchise voters and stifle minority voting rights. That’s why the chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, along with the California Democratic Party, oppose Prop 11.
We can have truly nonpartisan redistricting reform that will protect the rights of ALL Americans. We need a uniform solution that comes at the federal level, one that applies to all 50 states. Unfortunately Prop 11 is not that reform.
That’s why I am joining the Courage Campaign Issues Committee in recommending a “NO” vote on Proposition 11.
This election is about more than who will occupy the White House. It is also about California’s future. Together, we can rescue our state and make 2008 a new era for progressive politics in California.
Thank you for your time.
Zoe Lofgren
U.S. Representative, 16th Congressional District
San Jose, California
You can also receive the Voter Guide on your mobile phone:
Just text VOTECA to 69866.
…………..
The Courage Campaign Issues Committee is part of the Courage Campaign online organizing network empowering over 100,000 grassroots and netroots activists to make 2008 a new era for progressive politics in California.
Please consider making a timely contribution to the Courage Campaign Issues Committee before Election Day:
Election 2008 Psychic Prediction
November 3, 2008
The Election 2008 is going to be an extremely close race. It’s going to be a significant change forward for the better. The next President of the United States is going to be Barack Obama who is going to get to work immediately on solidifying a stronger America in 2009. He is also going to release the country from the grips and distractions of the older generations who have continuously sought to keep old fashioned traditional ways of life in tact while stalling the country from evolving. Obama will begin focusing on the newer and younger generations who are ready for change and to move us all forward in a bigger way. The Proposition 8 in California is not going to pass after all is said and done. The Yes on 8 supporters lose money with their seemingly pointless fight on a ban that enforces discrimination on part of the American public. This isn’t the basis or foundation of what America is about, and the No voters end up coming out of nowhere and showing up in droves which stomps out the Yes side of the support. It’ll be close as well or a 60/40 ratio and almost unaminous. This will mark the beginning of a new, braver, better, and stronger America.
Protectmarriage.com threatens No on 8 campaign donors in San Diego
October 23, 2008
KFMB reports that the Protectmarriage.com campaign has sent letters to No on 8 donors, demanding they donate money to the Yes on 8 campaign or have their names published.
A Protectmarriage.com spokeswoman told the tv station, after first denying the tactic, that the Yes on 8 campaign had no choice but to threaten donors, citing Californian’s Against Hate boycott of the San Diego Manchest Hyatt in September.
The boycott, however, never demanded that anyone pay money to avoid a potential punishment or negative consequences — because that’s called extortion.
My questions: will the San Diego City Attorney be investigating? And how many complaints will be filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission?
UPDATE: The No On 8 Campaign has released a statement, quoting the business owner who received the letter: “‘On October 20, 2008, I received a certified-mail letter for the Prop 8 campaign requesting I withdraw my support of Equality California (EQCA) and demanding that I donate the same amount of money that I donated to the NO on Prop 8 campaign,’ said Jim Abbott, Managing Partner of Abbott & Associates/Abbott Realty Group of San Diego, Calif. ‘The Prop 8 letter was very threatening if I chose to continue to fully exercise my right to support the NO on Prop 8 campaign.’”
Election 2008 for Dummies (and smart folks too)
October 23, 2008
Mark My Words
Election 2008 for Dummies (and smart folks too)
By Mark Segal
PGN Publisher
© 2008 Philadelphia Gay News
Here’s everything any member of the LGBT community needs — even Log Cabin Republicans — to know about the candidates to vote for Sen. Barack Obama for president.
Sen. John McCain is a tax-and-spend conservative. Over the last eight years, he’s supported the Bush administration’s legislation that has made this the largest and most expensive government in our country’s history and voted for almost all of the Bush spending bills. He is one of the reasons that we are now in financial crisis. Not to mention his campaign pledge to tax healthcare.
If you’re a member of the LGBT community, it gets even worse. His positions on adoption, nondiscrimination, hate crimes, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,”
marriage equality, reproductive rights — all negative.
Add to that his insult to the American public: his choice for vice president, Sarah Palin. She might be a great small-town mayor and a good Alaskan governor, but the reality is she’s not ready for prime time.
With
two wars, problems with Pakistan, Iran and our housing and credit markets, it’s too much to chance on someone who doesn’t know how to navigate Washington, D.C. Or at the very least know the job of Vice President as outlined by the constitution. There’s no time for on-the-job training.
To members of our community who say, “I don’t vote on gay issues alone,” I
say: economy. As Colin Powell said, “McCain has been all over the field.” On defense, McCain knows one word: surge. On education, he said he’ll continue Bush’s failed No Child Left Behind program. On taxes, his administration will give new tax breaks to the same companies that got the country into this financial mess. On Social Security, he wants to privatize it, e.g.
invest it in the stock market. Do you want McCain to pick the next Supreme Court justice?
So what kind of man is Obama? In April, this writer took Obama to task for refusing to address the LGBT community directly and answer hard questions, not softballs. We insisted on his public opinion on legislation to amend the definition of marriage in state constitutions to one man and one woman.
Instead of ignoring me, he went out of his way to assure me he was strong on LGBT issues. He later came out against the referendum to amend California’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
His campaign made it a point to embrace LGBT media. Which led to the Gay History Project’s interview with him, which I was honored to author.
He knew
it would be tough, and it was. The questions were very pointed. He answered with knowledge of each issue without hesitation and without pandering.
McCain has never in his political career spoken with the LGBT community — and we certainly offered him the opportunity. Does he know about our issues?
Well, he voted against hate-crimes legislation twice and said he’d do it again. He voted for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and said he wants to keep it.
He’s against gay adoption and supports Prop. 8 in California, and most sad of all is that he is opposed to equal rights. He’d allow your employer to fire you simply for being gay. He does not feel that you deserve the same protection we now offer on race, creed, religion and ethnicity.
Obama is proud to be called the most gay-friendly candidate for president in the nation’s history. Isn’t it time for you to take pride in your community and yourself? Vote for Barack Obama for president.
Mark Segal is PGN publisher. He can be reached at mark@epgn.com.
Vote NO on Prop 8 in the State of California
September 12, 2008
With 8 weeks to go until Proposition 8 comes to a vote in the State of California, in effort to strike down the measure we call all members of the LGBT community and their supporters to take action with us!
We need your help to put a face on the lives of those that this proposition affects!! Help us to ‘get visible’ and let our presence as upstanding citizens of this world be seen by all. We need to raise awareness amongst all citizens of the good State of California of the need to stand up for equal rights by vowing to Vote NO on Prop 8 on the up and coming Election Day, November 4, 2008. We call all who support equality and fairness to help us “Personalize Prop 8 across the State!”
You can join us in taking action every weekend (Saturday and Sunday) from now until Election Day on November 4th, to “get out and about” in your community!
The idea behind this LGBT Community Call to Action is to put a familiar face on the LGBT community and give those in the heterosexual community a chance to interact in daily life with those that the measure would directly affect.
Here are Some Ideas for What to Do Over the Weekends :
• The number one recommended way to become more visible on your community is to visit your local McDonald’s one day each weekend until Election Day, November 4th. McDonald’s is a highly recognized and popular business that is located in most communities across the state, country, and planet! Many locations offer a McDonald’s Play Land if you have children, plus you can find many choices on their menu to fit your lifestyle and budget. McDonald’s is a corporation who has recently shown their support to the LGBT community by joining the NGLCC. Visiting your local McDonald’s over the weekend is a great way to get highly visible in your community, and is one way that we can show support for a corporation that supports our community!
• The next way you can become more visible in the fight against Prop 8 is to get out and about in other ways such as attending birthday parties and weddings, going to the mall or movies, taking your laundry to the laundry mat, walking your pets, grocery shopping, or take your kids to the park. Visit straight friends and family members and tell them why you are making it a point to get out and about, and let them know how important their vote is to you this Election Day. You could even just drive, ride your bike, roller skate, or just go for a walk around your neighborhood!
• Take it to the next level! Purchase “No on Prop 8” tools and merchandise to wear while you are out and about in the community or hanging out at McDonald’s. You can put a bumper sticker on your car (or window decal), wear a No on Prop 8 t-shirt (men’s here and women’s here), or a No on Prop 8 button.
• Want to take it even further? Report your experience from the weekend or your visit to McDonald’s on social news websites like iReport or on your personal blog! Download the NO on 8 ToolKit here for good examples.
Even if you don’t live in California or are not a member of the LGBT community, you can still help in the fight to strike down Proposition 8 on Election Day!
You don’t have to be married or planning to get married to vote for freedom, equality, and fairness for all by voting NO on Proposition 8. Everyone can and should support equality for all in any way that they can… it could be your rights that are up for debate one day! We are all in this together.
Here Are the Ways That You Can Help:
• In California – Visit your local McDonald’s to show your support for our efforts every weekend until Election Day. You can let us know about your pledge to Vote No on Prop 8 by utilizing the tools mentioned above, and/or reporting your experience on iReport or on your personal blog. Above all else make sure that you register to vote and Vote NO on Proposition 8 on Election Day, November 4th.
• All Over the U.S. – Sign the Million for Marriage petition by clicking the banner below:
• Around the World – Voice your opinion about gay rights and let’s open up the conversation to discuss equality worldwide. Comment and discuss the issue on your favorite social networking websites, message boards, or even write your local newspaper. You can also join the fight in our efforts to strike down Prop 8 by joining the NO on Prop 8 web pages on MySpace and FaceBook.
Wherever you are, please pass this message on!
Re-post, forward, or link to this post and spread the word to help in the fight.
Every vote counts, and every vote matters…
About the Author: Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her and view her photos by visiting her page on MySpace.
Register to VOTE for the November 4th Election 2008
September 12, 2008
Are you registered to vote?
If you live in this country and you’re not registered, or you are and don’t plan to vote, then you need to get with the program. It is your American right to vote and I can help you here by directing you to the place that will make it really simple.
It’s not too late, you need to be registered at least 30 days in advance before the election on November 4, 2008.
Just click on this banner:
We’re all in grave need of adjustments, but are you going to contribute to that change, or just sit on the bus for a free ride? As a citizen of this country it’s important to understand the brevity of the way things are right now and that you cannot sit back and do nothing.
**Avoid sending in an absentee voting ballot if possible as there is some debate and controversy surrounding whether or not those votes get counted unless the race is really close.
Not sure who to vote for? Here is a cheat sheet that can help you narrow it down. It’s separated by the major issues and the two primary candidates and how they feel about them and what they plan or don’t plan to do about them. Now that we’ve lost Hillary Clinton, we’ve got some slim pickings, so choose wisely as we’ll be stuck with them the next four years and an additional four if they run again.
Click on the issues banner to go to the webpage:
My books available now right here:
