NYT: Mormons Tipped Scale in Ban on Gay Marriage

[bluedawg12]

In addition to huge personal donations, their tactics are interesting.
.........
http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/us/politics/15marriage.html&OQ=_rQ3D1Q26hp&OP=280e9918Q2FQ7DohwQ7DQ20Q7EZQ27Q23Q7EQ7EJWQ7DWQ3CQ3CcQ7DQ2BQ2BQ7DQ2BQ3DQ7D9Q27Q7DkQ7E8lJlZQ27Q7DQ2BQ3DQ3E2Q23Q23l2Shz-JQ3E8

Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Frank Schubert was the chief strategist for Proposition 8, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman in California.


SACRAMENTO — Less than two weeks before Election Day, the chief strategist behind a ballot measure outlawing same-sex marriage in California called an emergency meeting here.

<snip>

The campaign issued an urgent appeal, and in a matter of days, it raised more than $5 million, including a $1 million donation from Alan C. Ashton, the grandson of a former president of the Mormon Church.

<snip>

First approached by the Roman Catholic archbishop of San Francisco a few weeks after the California Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in May, the Mormons were the last major religious group to join the campaign...

<snip>
Volunteers in one ward... had tasks ranging from “walkers,” assigned to knock on doors; to “sellers,” who would work with undecided voters later on; and to “closers,” who would get people to the polls on Election Day.


Suggested talking points were equally precise.

If initial contact indicated a prospective voter believed God created marriage, the church volunteers were instructed to emphasize that Proposition 8 would restore the definition of marriage God intended.

But if a voter indicated human beings created marriage, Script B would roll instead, emphasizing that Proposition 8 was about marriage, not about attacking gay people, and about restoring into law an earlier ban struck down by the State Supreme Court in May.

“It is not our goal in this campaign to attack the homosexual lifestyle or to convince gays and lesbians that their behavior is wrong — the less we refer to homosexuality, the better,” one of the ward training documents said. “We are pro-marriage, not anti-gay.”

<snip>

By mid-October, most independent polls showed support for the proposition was growing, but it was still trailing.
<snip>


On Oct. 28, Mr. Ashton, the grandson of the former Mormon president David O. McKay, donated $1 million. Mr. Ashton, who made his fortune as co-founder of the WordPerfect Corporation, said he was following his personal beliefs and the direction of the church.

<snip>

In the end, Protect Marriage estimates, as much as half of the nearly $40 million raised on behalf of the measure was contributed by Mormons.

<snip>

Mr. Ashton described the protests by same-sex marriage advocates as off-putting. “I think that shows colors,” Mr. Ashton said. “By their fruit, ye shall know them.”

[mrreowwr_kittty]

1. Fuck you Alan Ashton, and fuck WordPerfect. nt

[Ian David]

2. Has anyone registered www.FuckTheMormons.com ?

[CTyankee]

3. This is beyond disgusting.

I don't hate anybody but I come close with these people. What I hate more than anything is hypocrisy. It is an outrage that they say "We are not anti-gay. We're pro marriage." They are bad people to devote that much money toward that much hate. Maybe I should feel sorry for them, because they cannot really be happy. No one doing evil can feel happy. They have to be just big wads of hate and fear...

[siligut]

4. Fucking sanctimonious dick!

Mr. Ashton described the protests by same-sex marriage advocates as off-putting. “I think that shows colors,” Mr. Ashton said. “By their fruit, ye shall know them.”

Older mormon women brag about having 8 children, they brag! The fruit of the mormon empire? FLDS, Freeman in Montana, fucking posse comitatus (the new guys, the asshole guys, not well known unless they have been around to intimidate you). That is their fruit. That plus an inbred, brainwashed population, I am referring to certain mormons here.

Just to be clear, I like most mormons, but they fall in line after the idiots when told to. They haven't been allowed to think for themselves.

I don’t know Ashton’s particular background, but being rich alone can get you into high office. Fucking republicans, Utah has never in its history voted democrat, their fruit is the worst.

[bluedawg12]

5. When we consider the amount of money donated for Hate8

the political organization and rw tactics, down to scripted responses, when we consider how many foot soldiers they got out to canvass door to door, with these scripts (90,000)this was not a simple democratic election matter, where the voters "have spoken," this was lobbying by a PAC just as much as we find during any national GE.

Grass roots voters my @ss, this was a political juggernaut.

[yardwork]

6. Of course.

[madmadmad]

7. revoke the mother fuckers tax exempt status today.