The Political Whore

By Lorna Bracewell
PoHo contributor

eQuality Giving, an online community that provides strategic advice for philanthropists interested in legal equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans, has ranked all 50 states according to the number of Equality Goals each has achieved. On this States of Equality list, Florida ranks an embarrassing 37th with a score of 1.5 out of a possible 6 points barely beating out Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and other shining beacons of progressivism.

What hurt the Sunshine State’s score?

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Writing in HuffPo recently, Bob Ostertag insists it is:

It’s just plain sad what the gay and lesbian movement has come to. November 4 was so extraordinary, so magical. The whole world seemed to come together. Except for gays and lesbians in California. We were supposed to feel crushed over Proposition 8. And now the whole scenario is gearing up to repeat itself on January 20: the whole world will celebrate the inauguration of the first black American president and the end of the George Bush insanity – the whole world except gays and lesbians who will be protesting Rick Warren’s presence at the inaugural.

How is it that queers became the odd ones out at such a momentous turning point in history? By pushing an agenda of stupid issues like gay marriage.

“Gay marriage” turns the real issues of equal rights for sexual minorities upside down and paints us into a reactionary little corner of our own making.

Given the setback of Amendment 2 in Florida that is fresh in everyone’s minds here, it is a reasonable question to ask if the GLBT community has made a tactical or political mistake in pushing for the right to marry just as heterosexuals can. So I asked a few well-known Tampa Bay gay activists or politicos their thoughts and here is what I have received back so far:

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Today’s installment of our Election Guide coverage, in which we ask the good folks of Tampa Bay: who you voting for?

Take the online survey yourself, after the jump.

Lorna Bracewell, singer-songwriter

She’s voting for: Barack Obama

Credit: Shanna Gillette

Why? “I was torn for a while between him and the Green Party candidate, Cynthia McKinney. It was my memory of the outcome of the 2000 presidential election when Bush ‘beat’ Gore in Florida by such a narrow margin that ultimately convinced me to support Sen. Obama. Unfortunately, at this time in our country a vote for a third-party candidate is a wasted one.”

What she would say to a McCain supporter: “I’ve had a series of great conversations with my dad (a longtime Republican and a McCain supporter) over the course of this election cycle. Early on our conversations focused on so-called ‘values’ issues: abortion, same-sex marriage, etc. My dad was generally sympathetic to my arguments. He’s a good guy with two daughters, one of whom is a lesbian, after all. More recently our talks have focused on economic issues. These, it turns out, are the crux of it all for him. It turns out my dad is a disillusioned liberal. He supported [Lyndon] Johnson and really believed in his vision of a ‘great society.’ When that didn’t pan out, he became a trickle-downer. What I’d say to a McCain supporter is what I’ve said to him: You’ve had your turn. Let’s give the other economic perspective a try. Things can’t get any worse.”

Local candidate who most interests her: “I am excited about Bill Heller for State Representative in District 52. He’s done a great job for the last two years championing smart public school and property tax reform. I am also supporting Jack Killingsworth in the [Pinellas] Supervisor of Elections race. Deborah Clark’s decision to cut the number of early voting sites in the county has had and will continue to have a disproportionate impact on low-income residents on St. Petersburg’s south side. I couldn’t disagree with her response to the budget cuts she had to deal with more.

“I know you didn’t ask … but I wanted to add an exhortation to everyone, Democrat and Republican, gay and straight, young and old to vote a stentorian NO on Amendment 2. Florida already has a legislative ban on same sex marriage. Traditional marriage is safe and sound in the Sunshine State. Amendment 2 would strip away existing health care and other vital protections relied upon by unmarried Floridians, gay and straight. It is bad public policy.”

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Did I just see a tease with Gilbert Gottfried giving The Today Show’s Ann Curry tips on how to be a stand-up comedian?!? Strange days indeed. Plus all the political and media headlines, with updates throughout the day:

• Al-Arian loses bid for appeal in Supreme Court.
• First he got bounced from a Bill Young campaign event; now write-in sheriff’s candidate Greg Pound has been bounced from a Palin rally.
• The big FLA swing for Obama.
• A guilty plea in the Wellcare Medicare scandal.
• 160 jobs gone in Plant City.
• Florida Clergy for Fairness.
• The real impact of the anti-gay Amendment 2.
• The do or die fatigue.
• Sarah Palin had a middling-size crowd (at best) in Clearwater yesterday. Though I’m guessing it will be larger than Joe Biden’s Wednesday.
• In Palin’s Estero stop, lots of terrorist-baitin’ and Husseinin’ goin’ on, you betcha.
• Hey, didja know that the I-4 Corridor is an election battleground?
• Prepping for Yom Kippur.
• Siegfried cranks a brewski.
• What’s worse: consorting with a past violent anti-war activist, or consorting with a fatcat banker who wrecked the savings and loan industry and cost taxpayers billions in the 1980s?

The latest Quinnipiac University poll out today (and downloadable as a Word doc) is not great news for opponents of the Florida Constitutional ban on gay marriage, aka Amendment 2 — 58 percent of Floridians would vote to approve the prohibition against same-sex nuptials, despite the fact that such a ban is already state law:

Florida voters support 58 – 37 percent a constitutional amendment that specifically defines marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman, making same-sex marriage illegal in Florida. Republicans back the measure 77 – 19 percent, as independent voters support it 52 – 44 percent, while Democrats oppose it 52 – 44 percent. Voters with no college degree back the amendment 64 – 32 percent, while college-educated voters oppose it 50 – 46 percent.

Note the split between college-educated and non-college-educated respondents. Ever wonder why the Republican-led Legislature is so hell-bent on crippling the state’s university system? Pound the university system into submission and maybe you can lower that opposition to stupid right-wing amendments, they gotta figure.

In related news, Gov. Charlie Crist’s approval rating continues to be strong at 61-23, although below his initial months after inauguration in 2007. Here is what the Q poll found:

“Any politician would die to have Gov. Charlie Crist’s approval rating. The economy is down; state programs are being cut and 60 percent of voters say they are somewhat or very dissatisfied with the way things are going in Florida today, yet his numbers remain very, very good,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Crist’s support remains solid across the board with 67 percent of Republicans, 60 percent of Democrats and 55 percent of independents giving him a thumbs up. In addition, 55 per cent of voters say Crist has kept his campaign promises.

Kept his campaign promises? I don’t recall him promising on the campaign trail to sit by impotently while the Legislature ignored his proposed budget and failed to tap reserves rather than make disastrous cuts to schools, or his promise to fail to bring about real property tax reform.

Finally, here are the approval ratings for other cabinet officials:

• U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, 51 – 26 percent;
• U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, 40 – 35 percent;
• State Attorney General Bill McCollum, 52 – 20 percent;
• Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, 33 – 25 percent.

Melquiades’ numbers suck, while McCollum’s seem off the charts, given that he lost the 2004 race to Martinez but has been rumored to be prepping another shot at it because of Melquiades’ poor showing in Congress. The high McCollum numbers (I just can’t imagine anyone really liking him) make me suspicious that this was a very Republican sample for this poll.

A bad decision for supporter of equality, out of the Michigan Supreme Court, which ruled that the state’s anti-gay marriage amendment prohibits domestic partnership benefits. More about it over at Fix It Now blog.