Reply #66: This is an oversmplified view.

[Skinner]

We absolutely have to be willing to appeal to the south, or else we will continue to lose. Giving up on an entire region of the country is a loser's strategy.

It is also a mistake to automatically assume that the key to winning the South lies entirely in the issue of gay rights, or anyone else's civil rights. Remember that we're not fighting to get 100% of the vote; all we need is 51%. So any solution will not include the (admittedly large) group of people who are hard-core homophobes who would never vote Democratic, even if their lives depend on it.

What is necessary to get to 51%? That is the question. Assuming we know the answer already, particularly if we aren't familiar with the south, strikes me as a mistake.