The victory of the Democrat in Virginia's governor's race will be seen as aiding moderate Southerners within the party, including that state's outgoing governor, presidential hopeful Mark Warner. Unfortunately, these Democrats are "moderates" not in terms of taxes and spending, but with regards to opposing civil unions and gay adoption. But the Washington Post misses that angle.
In California, moderate Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (who opposes gay marriage unless voter-approved but supports civil unions and gay adoption) was further weakened by his state's rejection of measures he backed to cap state spending and strip partisan lawmakers of their redistricting powers. Too bad.
As expected, Texas voters overwhelmingly approved, 76% to 24%, one of the nation's most sweeping constitutional bans on same-sex marriage (or anything remotely similar). That makes the Lone Star State the 19th to write anti-gay marriage prohibitions into its constitution. No anti-gay marriage initiative has yet failed to easily pass in a popular vote. In Maine, however, voters did reject a proposal to repeal the state's new gay-anti-discrimination law.
More: Tim Hulsey
blogs on the Virginia governor's election, noting that winning
Democrat Tim Kaine:
wore his Catholic religion on his sleeve, making sure to "out-Jesus" [Republican Jerry] Kilgore at every opportunity. He made a point of supporting an anti-Gay marriage amendment pending in next year's Virginia General Assembly (even though he has voiced his support for Gay-rights issues in the past). His campaign even engaged in some not-too-subtle Gay-baiting of the noticeably effeminate Kilgore.
On that last matter, there's more here.
So, is this the winning Democratic strategy? If Kaine's mentor, outgoing Gov. Mark Warner, bests Hillary for the Democratic presidential nod, will gay groups give him the same unconditional support they lavished on Kerry/Edwards even as the latter supported state amendments banning gay marriage?
You know the answer.