"gay marriage" is an attempt by the GOP to define the terms of the debate

[maggrwaggr]

once again the GOP is (successfully it seems) defining the terms of the political debate in this country.

Whether this backfires on them or not (which I think could happen), they are successfully distracting the media and the public from the issues at hand, which are the crimes and lies of this administration.

I think we should fight this attempt, and keep to the issues at hand, which is: Bush's disgusting record of lying, incompetence, and corruption.

Why, again, let them define the debate? We always complain about that here, then I see everybody taking the bait.

Nobody's gonna pass a constitutional amendment. Those of you old enough to remember the Equal Rights Amendment should realize that. Women are 51% of the population and they couldn't even get THAT passed.

So just relax and stick to the issues at hand:

Bush lied. People died. Bush is corrupt. Bush is the worst president EVER.

[nickinSTL]

1. passing an amendment

I agree, the amendment will NEVER get the votes necessary to be ratified.

Nevertheless, I would have a REALLY hard time supporting any candidate who didn't oppose it.

[utopian]

2. That's what I've been saying all along

It's a red herring, like "family values," and flag burning. After all this country's been through in the last four years, I think a lot of people won't be fooled. I just hope it's enough to send the shrub club packing.

[DuctapeFatwa]

3. The ERA was to emphasize rights, not take them away

I don't know how many of the congress, your servants, will vote to enact bush's amendment, amend the first, and repeal the 14th.

I don't know how many of them oppose equal protection under the law, and separation of religion and state.

I look forward to finding out.

[liberalnurse]

4. Absolutely Correct!

Bingo, Hot Damn you know your stuff. Please, lets put this excellent civil liberties issue on the back burner for another 8 months.....thats all, just 8 little, short months.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

5. exactly WMD weapon of marriage distraction

[LoneStarLiberal]

6. We Ought To Frame It Our Way

Exactly.

We don't need to talk about "gay marriage." We need to talk about the Consitution's guarantee to all American citizens to the right to pursue happiness and how happiness is defined by an overwhelming majority, regardless of sexual orientation, as including marriage.

I don't want to see any Democratic candidate talking about "gay marriage." We need to be talking about is "limiting the Right to Pursue Happiness."

[orwell]

7. Word Games

Using the term "Gay Marriage" already accepts the Con meme. Change the frame to "Freedom to Marry" or "Marriage Civil Rights".

We must first learn to present issues with our language, not theirs.

O

[stopbush]

8. This manufactured issue will not disappear by Dems ignoring it.

We've made that mistake before. Look at the impeachment. Dems should have taken that feigned rw moral outrage and used it against repigs - "let him who hasn't committed adultery - Gingrich, Hyde, Livingston, Barton - cast the first stone against Clinton." But they didn't do that, did they?

The effective way to deal with it is to get the quick response teams on it and hammer it for a few weeks. Just look at Nader - he announces his candidacy one day and is ridiculed ad nausea the next. Dean issues a strong anti-third party statement and the rest of the Dems are all over it. Nader was on the defensive in every interview I saw...outside of MTP where Russet (not a typo - he's a potato) did his usual incompetent job.

We can't run from this because the repigs won't. It's all they've got at this point. Dem politicos should look at this as an opportunity to drive another nail in the "repigs are ruining the country" coffin. It's all part of sad and sorry pattern of bushco trying to throw out the Constitution and turn this country into a fascist theocracy.

How about this for a mantra: the repigs are running out of foreign bogeymen to use to scare Americans, so they're now turning on their own citizens? Just like Kruschev warned (and Lincoln and others), we're turning on ourselves and devouring our young.

One need not worry about foreign enemies when the enemy within is already busy destroying the country.