not everyone gets a new puppy

Congratulations to Barack Obama and his supporters for the strongest liberal/progressive turnout since 1964; congratulations for the historic election to the White House of someone whose ethnicity would've once enslaved him. You've quite the task in front of you, but this election is being called "transformative," and thanks to Mr. Bush, Mr. Obama will be taking office with sweeping and unchecked-by-law powers unknown to presidents before Mr. Bush's tenure, at least some of which Mr. Obama actively and publicly endorsed. I wish this election had been about that in any way, but, well, it wasn't. Still, you might want to remember to thank Bob Barr supporters for your win in Indiana, and, should you get it, your win in North Carolina, even though it turned out you didn't really need either of them.

Most progressive causes did very well; Democrats increased their majorities in both houses of Congress, and I'm rather amused that Joe "Mentum" Lieberman can now be told to go fuck himself. Massachusetts (Obama) decriminalised marijuana, South Dakota (McCain) rejected a draconian abortion ban, Colorado (Obama) overwhelmingly rejected a crazy fundamentalist initiative to define a zygote as a person and rejected an anti-union measure; Washington State (Obama) approved its Death-with-Dignaty/Assisted Suicide measure; Missouri (still too close to call) approved a renewable energy initiative; California (Obama) rejected a "parental notification" initiative.

It would have been nice if the new coalition had decided to include the queers, but, well, for those of us affected by anti-queer initiatives, we got the usual bipartisan boot to the face. Florida (Obama) passed their anti-marriage Florida Marriage Amendment 61.2%-37.9%; Arizona (McCain), which had been the only state to reject a popular initiative against marriage (2006, Proposition 107), passed this year's anti-marriage Proposition 102 - Arizona Marriage Amendment handily, 56.5%-43.5%; Arkansas (McCain) passed their "fuck you, queers" Initiative 1 ban on adoption by a wide margin (56.9%-43.1%), and California (Obama) appears to have administered the coup de grace by ending existing marriage rights for same-sex couples, 52.1%-47.9% with 95.4% returns. And, of course, Mr. Obama has made it very clear every time the question is raised that he opposes full legal equality for lesbian and gay couples.

I'm glad that the country had the sense not to elect a Christianist authoritarian as vice-president; that's important, but I've been telling anyone who would listen that this race was over since September; the markets and economy dictated that result, and indeed, that's the result achieved, so I have relatively little sense of relief on that front. The national issues I cared about most (torture, lawless executive, unchecked power) weren't really part of the election, and the state issues that hit most home (equality under the law) were the usual punches to the face. So as most of you reading this celebrate, please excuse me from it; some of us are just happy that, for another year or so at least, it's over.

The "no" campaign hangs in there

From No on 8:

Nov 05, 2008
Statement by No on Prop 8 Campaign on Election Status

Roughly 400,000 votes separate yes from no on Prop 8 – out of 10 million votes tallied.

Based on turnout estimates reported yesterday, we expect that there are more than 3 million and possibly as many as 4 million absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted.

Given that fundamental rights are at stake, we must wait to hear from the Secretary of State tomorrow how many votes are yet to be counted as well as where they are from.

It is clearly a very close election and we monitored the results all evening and this morning.

As of this point, the election is too close to call.

Because Prop 8 involves the sensitive matter of individual rights, we believe it is important to wait until we receive further information about the outcome.

Geoff Kors
Executive Committee
NO on Prop 8

Kate Kendell
Executive Committee
NO on Prop 8

I can't find anyone else who thinks these absentees will turn it around, but the No campaign is refusing to concede defeat so far, and hopefully that's more than wishful thinking; it would seem to require that absentee voters be disproportionally white and Bay-area urban. But I have no actual data on that at all.

Post-8 commentary

The lawsuit against 8 on the basis that it is a Constitutional revision rather than amendment - and therefore was not legally passed - has been filed. There is also a legal question of whether marriages made before passage are revoked; supports of Yes on 8 say it does and that this was the intent.

Turns out Mike Murray, a former high-level Microsoftie who I'd even met at some work event, donated $100,000 to Yes on 8. Thanks, asshole.

Andrew Sullivan disagrees with Megan Cardle at The Atlantic about strategy in the same way I would (and have done, with other people).

Dale Carpenter at The Volokh Conspiracy has a long and cogent discussion of the scale of this setback, pointing out in greater detail some of the things I pointed out earlier today, particularly related to the situation in which we lost. A lot of the commentary made by readers to his post is pretty vicious. And as a personal note to everyone who voted for Proposition 8 specifically to "smite the arrogant tyrants in black robes," as one commenter did, fuck you fucking stupid motherfuckers because you fucking smacked down the wrong fucking people to get your fucking revenge, you ignorant, vicious fucks. I hope you die in a fucking fire.

Wintersweet at Spira Mirabilis has an assortment of commentary I pointed to in comments but elevate to here, because hey, why not?

Colleen Lindsay introduces Californians to two of the people whose marriage they decided to undo.

Finally:

What the Christianists want is to destroy your self-esteem and self-worth. It's over the wounded souls of gay people that they construct their politics of fear and division. But we endured centuries of cruelty, and after our first taste of liberation, we faced a plague of devastating proportions. But we came back stronger than ever. For the sake of those who never dreamed we would ever see civil unions, for those who died of the plague, for those whose marriages voer the ages were never recognized but were as real as any backed by law: fight on. Do not lose faith. Law never trumps love. And one day it will echo it.

Personally, I still feel sick to my stomach.