Thoughts On Last Tuesday's Election

Looking back at Tuesday's election, I have to say I'm not too upset by the loss of the Democratic candidates for governor in Virginia and New Jersey. These were just bad candidates, and I doubt that I would have walked across the street to vote for either one.

In Virginia, Deeds actually ran away from the Democratic Party. He made it very clear that he was not an "Obama Democrat" (even though a majority of the state approves of the job Obama is doing). Then he comes out in opposition to real health care reform and says he would opt-out of a public option. He was also against energy reform. Is it any wonder that Democrats weren't energized by his candidacy?

Corzine wasn't any better in New Jersey. Not only was he a failure as a governor, but he was a super-rich guy who used to work for Goldman-Sachs in the financial industry. He spent a ton of his own money trying to buy his re-election, but frankly, voters of both parties are sick of these rich financial industry jerks.

The only race that really disappointed me was the success of proposition #1 in Maine. The legislature and governor of Maine had approved a law that guaranteed equality for all the people of Maine, and legalized the right to marry for everyone. Proposition #1 overturned that law (just like proposition #8 did in California).

Sadly, these are two of the more liberal states in the nation, and if the citizens of these states won't vote for equality, then I doubt that any state's citizens would do so. It seems like even in a liberal state the majority believes there must be some group that has less rights than they do.

Of course, the proposition was couched in terms of "saving marriage". But I have a hard time believing very many people actually believe that. To date, none of the opponents of equal rights have been able to explain just how allowing same-sex marriages will hurt the institution of marriage. That's because it won't harm marriage. Heterosexual marriage will go on just like it has in the past. That will not change by allowing homosexual marriage (with all the rights and benefits that comes with marriage).

I'm starting to believe that equality will never be granted by election, and the only way to accomplish it is within the court system. This probably shouldn't surprise any of us. If not for the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, I have no doubt there would still be segregated schools throughout much of the South. It had to be done by the courts, because the states would never do it.

The same is true of marriage equality. Americans like to think of themselves as a leader in human rights, but the truth is that a majority of Americans don't even believe in equality.