According to the Logo blog, some 4,000 questions have been submitted for tonight’s debate, which airs at 9pm. (Note: if Logo is not on your local service, you can watch the debate online.)
According to this article in the LA Times, a San Franciso-based organization did a study of voting among gays and found:
… an eye-popping 92.5% of gay men reported that they voted in the 2004 presidential race, and almost 84% said they cast ballots in the 2006 midterm election. Among lesbians, the results were almost as impressive; nearly 91% said they voted in 2004; for the midterm, the figure was 78%.
No information on the methodology of the study, done by Community Marketing Inc., was mentioned but the press release indicates that the national survey included “more than 12,000 gay Americans and 10,000 lesbian Americans” who were “solicited through over 75 widely distributed internet and print publications.”
I would expect that among the questions submitted will be one or two on the issue of gay marriage. Obviously, I am not alone in that assumption 🙂 FactCheck.org has issued a primer on the differences, one worthy of a read when trying to understand this extremely divisive issue.
With two debates in two days, America is probably getting a bit tired of the 2008 elections – and we’re still 15 months away! Nevertheless, I think this will be an interesting debate and I’m looking forward to watching it. As previously mentioned, seven of the eight Democratic presidential candidates will be participating.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Check out Rachel Maddow’s take on this…
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/59256/
Debate? Just another joint press conference. Hillery IS the nominee, everyone else is just playing for second place.
No one will ask her a hard question for fear of hurting their own chances.
They relied on submissions solicited on internet sites and print media and then report that the overwhelming majority of a self-selecting sample that consists of people who bothered taking the time to print out, complete and mail in a survey for something they read about in a magazine are also likely to take the time to vote? I don’t think people should be allowed to publish “scientifc” polls like this. It’s like they’re going out of their way to make sure I won’t take them seriously.
(Incidentally, if they DID actually vote with 92.5% turnout in 2004 and John Kerry still lost, the message right there is that “your group is statistically insignificant within the larger context of the American electorate.” Why the hell would anyone publish that statistic about themselves?! Any right-wing radical who purports there to be a “homosexual agenda” should consider that no one who would do something this naive could possibly be accused of having a plan).
Vivian,
Where can we go to watch this debate online?
anonymous – I agree. Such research actually does more harm than good, IMHO.
BS – if you click on the blog link above, it will take you to the site.
http://visiblevote08.logoonline.com/
You can watch online here.
I for one am excited to see what everyone will say. I just found out our church, a UCC congregation, has decided not to be open and affirming. It was shocking and sad. I hope our candidates will lead the way in denouncing discrimination, of any sort.