The New York Times News Service:
As same-sex marriage supporters celebrate victories in Washington and Maryland this month, they are keeping a wary eye on New Hampshire, where lawmakers may soon vote to repeal the state’s 2-year-old law allowing gay and lesbian couples to wed.
A repeal bill appears to have a good chance of passing in the state House and Senate, which are both controlled by Republicans. The bigger question is whether they can muster enough votes to overcome a promised veto from Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat.
... Should the repeal pass, New Hampshire would be the first state in which a legislature has reversed itself on the issue of same-sex marriage.
In Maine, voters repealed a marriage law through a referendum in November 2009, shortly after the Legislature approved it. This fall, a ballot initiative will ask voters to make same-sex marriage legal again. The California Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that same-sex couples there had a right to marry, but voters banned same-sex marriage in an initiative later that year. The issue remains in court.
17 Comments
I say wait till the governor is repleaced with a Conservative. Just to be on the safe side.
Legislators love the cash-ola that comes in from the SSM-ers, but have to live with the ramifications of a displeased electorate after they vote against the electorate's will.
Where's the SSMer cash after the bill has passed? It's gone, and the legislators must face re-election without it.
When legislators who voted in favor of SSM (e.g., in NY) start losing re-election bids, legislators in other states are going to be a little more careful in believing the inevitability arguments and polling numbers that the SSMers with the cash have told them will sustain their re-elections. Sorry, the public does not WANT "same-sex marriage."
I'm from Massachusetts and I say let the people vote. I trust the voters in the Granite State and would like to see them have the same opportunity as the people in Maine.
The homosexual activists are fighting to have a vote in Maine again. What would be great would be to see the homosexual activists defeated again but this time by a larger margin which would help our cause.
California is a perfect example of the twisted view of the homosexual activists. They were trying to get a new vote in that state again as only a citizens initiative could invalidate Prop8. They changed their minds when it was shown that they would lose again by bigger margins in 2010.
So off to court they went to looking for unelected activist judges.
I am all in favor of letting the people of the Granite State vote on this. I trust them to make the right decision. Even if these legislatures repeal it this Governor is going to veto it.
The peoples referendum is the only way. Once you make a marriage amendment then only you the people can undo it.
Resist - Mario Cuomo will win re-election as governor of NYS in a landslide in Nov 2012 and go on to national office.
JR
You mean Andrew Cuomo and he won't be eligible for re-election till 2014. And he won't have a chance in hell of getting the presidency.
Sorry, they do not have the votes to override a veto, and now even more GOP legislators are getting cold feet. It is very likely they may not even bring this up for a vote. Polls indicate that a MUCH larger percentage of voters would vote against a legislator who voted to repeal marriage equality, than those who would vote for them.
John Equality Maine was very careful about bringing this new initiative. They would not have taken their overwhelming number of petition signatures to place this on the ballot without a fair degree of certainty it would pass. There are several factors working against NOM this year.
For one the question will be asked in the affirmative in favor of same gender marriage equality. This has been shown to give several percentage points in the polls over the question, should marriage be defined as between 1 man and 1 woman. This is because the first question seeks only to include same gender couples in existing marriage law. While the second question leaves open every other possibility.
Second a couple of years have passed and given the trend lines a greater percentage of voters now support marriage equality.
Third NOM's recent court losses there and at the supreme court will change the calculus as to how the anti equality campaign is run.
Truth says: "Polls indicate that a MUCH larger percentage of voters would vote against a legislator who voted to repeal marriage equality, than those who would vote for them."
Not sure which polls you refer to, but if it's true, it's not because the voters are against repealing same-sex marriage: very few people have any skin in the game for same-sex marriage, and as we know, people vote on the basis of their own self interests.
The perception of the overwhelming majority of the public is that same-sex marriage is inconsequential to their lives. Once the public becomes educated, thanks to NOM, they will understand that not only is SS"M" not inconsequential, but that it is detrimental to marriage, their children, their schools, their tax bills, and to society.
TT,the Supreme Court has never ruled that "marriage" should include same-sex couples.Baker vs. Nelson remains the relevant precedent.
@Resist
Good point.
Zack-My cold medication got the better of me when I posted yesterday afternoon. As a NYer, I realize I won't be able to vote for Andrew Cuomo's reelection until 2014. Watch him in 2016. Your generation will support him overwhelmingly. He is fiscally on the conservative side (as am I) and is quite flexible and knows how to get things done. He has brought marriage equality to several states.
Gee, I thought this was inevitable two months ago? Guess not..
But Resist, the public is becoming educated, in no small party thanks to NOM. And what they are learning is that not only is same gender marriage not a threat, but it's the good and right thing to do.
Right now your side is merely in a position where you can get more people to come to the polls, while many who support marriage equality aren't going to make any special effort to go if they otherwise have no motivation to go vote. That only works for a few percentage points in your favor. Once public opinion shifts beyond that buffer you get, it's over for you guys. We are getting ever closer to that being the case.
Truth - The public is woefully uneducated; and much as I support NOM's efforts, my personal experience is that very few people - not even my wife - comprehend the issue. This is mainly due to the media's couching the issue as a matter of equality with no harmful effects. No one in the media ever reports NOM's perspective on the issue in any positive light. That's not educating the public; that's propaganda.
Fortunately, when it does come to a vote, NOM uses its modest resources to educate, and the people finally listen and come out to the polls. As long as NOM is able to get its message out, the public will always side with them, because the public believes in the importance of marriage and traditional families.
Inevitably, the truth will come out, either via NOM's educational efforts or through the legalization of SS"M" and the subsequent acts of the SSMers to indoctrinate young children in homosexuality in public schools. Once the parents see their parental rights being stripped away, we will see a huge swing of the pendulum back against SS"M.'
Parents will always side with protecting their rights as parents. It's inevitable.
I see TT is talking trash at post #8. He has all but declared that by bringing back the intiative they will win. Quite a bit of arrogant confidence coming from a group that has never won a vote and does everything it can to stop the votes in other states.
I do not see much changing in just under two years. In fact with the support for Obama lower, it may have the effect of those people staying away on election day. The churches and Catholics will be sure to get out the vote.
Heck just two years ago a Republican won the US Senate Seat in Massachusetts with marriage being one of the issues.
Would like to see a centralized place where each politician can be tracked as to the amount of money received in their support of same-sex marriage bills.
I like to know reassure myself that the legislative representative are not offering the vote to the highest bidder.
Do expect to see some contributions from both side of the fence, its to the heavily weighed side that brings concern.