I woke up this morning still exhausted from yesterday. (My day started at 4:30 AM and I fell in bed around 11:30 PM.) Since I was away from the computer all day, I’ve spent a little time catching up on what the blogsphere and MSM had to say about yesterday’s results.
First of all, congratulations to the winners, especially Thelma Drake (R-VA02) and Jim Webb. I hope that you will represent all of us well.
My heartfelt condolences to the losers, especially Phil Kellam. I know how you feel today. I appreciate that all of you stepped up to the plate and ran, many of you against some extremely tough odds.
On the national scene, Democrats control the House. Senate control remains a possibly as I write this. I am hoping that they will act as they said they would over the next two years, moving us toward a withdrawal from Iraq, a higher minimum wage and reining in spending.
I am proud that Norfolk was among the localities where the NO vote won. I’d like to think I had a small part in this victory.
Although I was supposed to be a runner for the Commonwealth Coalition yesterday, much of my time was spent covering Rosemont, Norfolk’s largest precinct. For whatever reason, this precinct was not covered by anyone – no D’s, no R’s. (I talked to a Republican friend of mine who visited the Rosemont precinct a couple of times, getting vote totals. Both he and a couple of Democrats who came thru said the same thing: the “$1.08 in ’08” folks from the Norfolk Tea Party II shrunk the pool of pollworkers for the parties tremendously.) Seeing this, I stayed there and covered the poll for Ds. I was joined by another D in the morning. I had to leave him alone for a while in order to deliver lunches around Norfolk to our Vote NO pollworkers. (Bearing Drift’s coverage of Election Day includes a couple of calls to me.) I got back to Rosemont at 1:15 PM and relieved the other D poll worker. By this time, a vote yes guy was there.
I had tremendous success with converting yes voters to NO voters, regardless of the presence of the yes supporter. (He was spewing lies about the amendment, saying that if it failed, gays would be allowed to marry. Of course, I corrected him.) Most of the yes folks that I converted had never seen the entire amendment and were relying completely on what they had heard, including one pastor and his wife with whom I spoke. Late afternoon, Delegate Kenny Alexander (D-89th) joined me. As an elected official opposed to the amendment, he was able to convince some voters that I could not. I appreciated his support. Others came and helped out with the precinct, joining me in handing out ballots and advising people to vote NO.
The rain started around dusk, but since the people were still coming, we soldiered on. Finally at 6:30, it was pouring. A small group of people had stayed there, mainly to help me out, but the rain became too much for us. We all left.
Finally tally at Rosemont: NO – 786, yes – 446
I headed over to the celebration of the Commonwealth Coalition. We gathered upstairs at the New Belmont in Ghent. Honestly, I was too tired to pay much attention to any of the election results, preferring instead to enjoy the company of some folks that I hadn’t seen in a while. After a couple of hours there, during which time we were joined by Delegate Alexander, I headed over to the Kellam celebration.
The mood at the celebration was somber. Not only were folks upset at the Kellam loss, but they were upset with the passage of the amendment. Shortly after I arrived, I was directed to a small room where Kellam’s advisors, family and close supporters were gathered. Kellam came in and thanked everyone for their support, then we proceeded onstage for his concession speech. (Ironically, I ended up standing behind Tom Moss and beside Sharon McDonald!)
I left just after the speech and headed home. After about 10 minutes of TV, I fell into bed.
To say I am disappointed with the outcome of the amendment vote would be an understatement. Of all that I have read so far about this vote, the editorial of the Staunton News Leader sums up my thoughts the best:
But there is one remaining Last Frontier of Hatred: It involves homosexual men and lesbian women.
Virginians affirmed that Last Frontier of Hatred on Tuesday when they voted Ballot Issue No. 1 into law. Virginia proved it is ready for another round of hatred such as that it unleashed on black citizens when it affirmed “Massive Resistance” to keep little black boys and girls out of Virginia’s lily-white perfect public schools.
So be it. We will deal with this as we have dealt with all the rest of our sins: Breaking away from the Union, race hatred, Massive Resistance.
But we will be a smaller and more narrow-minded place because of it.
If you’re OK with that, we’re not. The majority of you voted for it. Now go to bed and say your prayers. And pray you are right and Christian and not just hateful and wrong.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
I told my wife I feel simultaneously powerful and weak today. My vote mattered in electing Webb, and was overwhelmed in support of Weed and against the Amendment. At least it isn’t ALL bad news.
Thank you Vivian, a thousand times over, for your hard work and dedication. You made more of a difference than the vast majority of us, and we’re better for it.
We *will* have tomorrow.
I, too, appreciate the “losers” in these elections. Without opposition candidates, there can be no democracy.
I suspect you may indeed have had a hand in making Norfolk a NO. You certainly worked at it. Who knows — I may have had a small hand in moving my own area of the state to the NO position. (My wife and I looked after a “special needs” child of a friend of ours, who was working the polls on the Webb/NO side.)
I must take umbrage, though, at the editorial in the Staunton News Leader. We all tend to confuse what the do with what we are. Ask someone, “What do you do?’ The answer will be, “I am a plumber,” or “I am an Engineer,” or “I am an accountant.” All of those are things we DO, not what we ARE.
That is the distinction between the Marriage Amendment and the racial discrimination. One is born Black, and cannot change that, nor hide it, nor deny it. (Michael Jackson notwithstanding.) One may be born homosexual, but it is the behavior that we do not want to sanction.
As a Christian, I have been taught, and read in the Bible, that homosexual acts are sins, as are any sexual acts outside marriage. We are also taught to love the sinner and hate the sin. So it is here.
If it makes you feel better to think we hate you, go ahead. But it is not true.
No, Jack. You’re a hateful bigot. Your actions and words have proven it a thousand times over, and all of the cowering behind religion that you do does not change it.
Vent away, MB, if it makes you feel better.
Jack- Here’s my problem. I am a Virgina transplant. I don’t have any local family (several thousand miles away) except for my partner. What happens now if I get hit by a car and authorization is needed to perform a procedure and I can’t give it? How about our house? If I die, although my will leaves my share (it’s in both of our names AND our deed is drawn up with “right of survivorship”) to him. What happens WHEN one of my knuckleheaded sisters decides to come-a-calling and contests it because she got a smaller portion of my estate? Will he have to BUY the house we had built to OUR specifications and lived in for several years from my estate!!?? The house where he pays the larger portion of the mortgage because I take care of the other bills?
What now happens to the domestic partner benefits my employer offers? Will he have to pay taxes on any benefits he receives?
Please know I don’t think Christians hate us. I just don’t think many people who voted for this amendment understand the consequences of their yes vote. Heck we don’t even WANT to get married, have a civil union, etc. We are building a life together, contribute to a number of causes, participate in improving our neighborhood, etc ad nauseum. We just want what we build together to go to the other person when the end comes, to make the medical decisions for us if that ever happens, to do for us in bad times as we do for each other in the good.
Our ultra conservative Church of God in Christ/Apostolic Holiness Pastors also believe and teach any sexual acts outside of marriage are sin… the only difference in their take on this statement is they don’t believe the Bible says marriage, they believe the language interpretation says “committed relationship.” Something Tim and I have proven over and over again we have. After years together we are still going strong while seeing many of our siblings (I have 11 and he has 9) marry and divorce several time!
I should add, the above would be/IS equally true if I am male and my domestic partner/life partner were female. The end result is exactly the same. And we both love Virginia but Jack… please tell me… what do we do now? This is not a matter of invalidating our relationship, it seems to invalidate all the legal agreements/contracts we’ve drawn up to protect each other (paragraph 2 issue). Friend Jack, I want Tim to make my decisions for me, not my parents, not my siblings, not some 3rd cousin once removed simply because we are related by blood!
Lawrence:
I will employ one of Vivian’s lines: “Read it all.” State law, I mena. It’s not really that long. State law is quite clear — your sisters have no claim on your estate whatsoever. You can leave your money to your dog, “Cat,” if you want to.
You may also appoint anyone to have medical authority over you if you are incapacitated. I could assign that power to my best friend, and there is nothing my wife could do about it. That power is not inherent in a spouse. The spouse is simply the top on the list if you don’t have such a document.
The amendment will not affect your domestic partner benefits. That is your employers discretion.
I am curious how your ulktra-conservative church gets around the admonitions against homosexual behavior.
The amendment does not invalidate your legal arrangements. Many people here have argued that it will. I am sure that, should a lawsuit come, they will argue just as vehemently that it does not.
Jack has obviously not been privy to the many wills that are challenged and broken daily by folks who are related to the decedent who left their assets to others, including nonprofit groups and the like.
Jack refuses to acknowledge how many families have already broken the wills of gay couples as the result of HB751. Now the 115,000 straight couples in Virginia are in the same boat.
Time will tell if Jack is wrong. History – as in Ohio – is against him. Saying that these things won’t happen doesn’t make it so.
Jack – when the first POA is ruled invalid because of this amendment, I expect you to come over here and admit that you were wrong. When the first will is broken because of this amendment, when the first abuser uses this amendment as a shield – I expect you to come over here and admit that you were wrong.
Viv- My heartiest congratulations on your work on Vote No here in Hampton Roads!
Jack, Vivian’s points are exactly where my own sentiments are. The Ohio issues seem to be about to repeat here in VA and as much as I like hit here, as much in taxes I pay, as much revenue as I generate for this Commonwealth I may HAVE to move simply because of this. I would HATE that. THIS is home, THIS is where my heart is. THIS is where I want to be.
I don’t want you to admit anything. Please friend… I want you to be right and Vivian to be wrong but how can I take that chance? My legal contracts (seemingly under this amendment) may very well be invalidated. We’ve built too much together to lose it. Can you see why so many detractors of the amendment take its passage personally? It IS personal and gets into the fundamental rights we have to enter into. What was y’day a valid contract may tomorrow be something that is not worth the paper it’s written on and the activist judges on the Virginia courts will make a decision that I might be dead before I can see the response to.
Vivian,
You are the embodiment of disagreeing without being disagreeable. While I agreed with voting NO on issue one, we obviously disagreed on other issues and candidates.
The difference between you and other bloggers is that I respect your opinion because of your intelligent, thoughtful and mature approach and your ability to keep the discourse on a higher level.
There are times where I want to go for the cheap shot but I know you would be disappointed in me and that keeps me from doing it. WWVD if you will 🙂
You may be disappointed in some of the results from yesterday but I think a lot of people will agree with me when I say NO ONE is disappointed in YOU!
Thanks to Vivian and everyone who worked so hard. While I am disappointed in the results, I am also convinced that, as Martin Luther King once said, “The moral arc of the universe is long, but it arcs toward justice.”
Vivian, thanks for everything you did in this election. There is no doubt in my mind that you made a big difference in the numbers. You are only one woman and I’ll bet the number of people you affected is several times over the number most others would have.
Don’t let it get you down.
Jack, I don’t know how old you are, but I’m plenty old enough to have learned a long time ago that what goes around comes around. You’ll see someday. I can promise you that.
Oh, Vivian I forgot to mention thanks for the link to the Staunton editorial. It will be interesting to see if the Pilot has anything to say about it. I’m thinking they can keep their focus on the Webb-Allen not-yet-complete-decision and not come near it, but we’ll see. They were pretty adamant in their rejection of it.
Vivian — I’d be happy to read the case law if you have it. Wills are challenged on the basis of the mental capacity of the person making the will at the time it was made. I do not think there is a single case where a will was challenged on the basis of the identity of the person to whom the descendent left money. (Spouses and minor children MUST, by law, be provided for, but that is an issue of to whom the money was NOT given.) Rick Sincere is a lawyer, and this would certainly be of interest to him. Shall we ask him?
“Jack – when the first POA is ruled invalid because of this amendment, I expect you to come over here and admit that you were wrong. When the first will is broken because of this amendment, when the first abuser uses this amendment as a shield – I expect you to come over here and admit that you were wrong.”
I will do so in all cases but the last. Domestic abuse laws are intended for married couples only.
Let me do a pre-emptive strike on the case of the two lesbians and the child. The judge’s logic is clearly unsupported by law, because the welfare of the child is the ONLY basis on which he can decide. The women’s civil union, or lack thereof, is entirely irrelevant. He still may have made the right decision, but he certainly made it for the wrong reasons. I expect it to be remanded upon appeal.
Pat, my age is the answer. I’ll leave it at that.
One of the biggest arguments made by those who supported this amendment is that the domestic violence laws wouldn’t change. Are you already backing off of that?
Amazing!
Heck, even the AG opinion broadened the definition of households to include gays (overruling Gilmore’s 1994 opinion on the subject).