Today is a major phone-banking day for both the supporters and the opponents of Proposition 8, the California constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages once and for all (following their legalization in June).
I woke up to a call from a Yes on 8 staffer, and as he was leaving me a lengthy voicemail, I interrupted him, told him to move to Alaska and suck up to Sarah Palin, and hung up.
The fact that the Yes campaign got to me first, despite all my work for the No campaign, still shows how clueless the white liberals are. The official statement by the No campaign uses concepts that resonate with the rugged individualism of white liberals, but have no connections to the communal immigrant cultures, which will probably decide the vote. The No campaign needs to capitalize on the immigrants' growing suspicion of the Yes campaign's allies in the Republican Party, and accuse the Yes campaign of being the shameless opportunists that they truly are. Meanwhile, the Yes campaign decided that I was a likely supporter of their cause, based on my location (conservative suburb), my household's voting patterns (Republican), my supposed religion (Confucianism and Christianity, both of which, in reality, I strongly oppose), and my background (Asian immigrant).
I strongly believe that singling out any particular group for constitutional discrimination is absolutely wrong and un-American; that's the biggest reason I am opposed to Proposition 8, as well as Proposition 4, the Republicans' third attempt in three years to ban teen abortion. Of course, the Yes on 8 campaign is taking in foreign contributions (from Reverend Moon), which is another reason why I am opposed. What happened to the conservatives' embrace of patriotism and nationalism? I'd rather have the liberals sell the nation out to the French and the United Nations than have the conservatives sell it out to Moon.
While I will continue to support the No campaign, I will cut back on my support significantly until it gets a clue about targeting the communal immigrant cultures. And I won't be supporting it in person, in any case, given that I am leaving the country soon and won't be back until right before the vote.
