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10/30/2009
Rachel Maddow Speaks to Maine Gov. John Baldacci on Question 1
Rachel Maddow took on Maine's Question 1 last night, talking to Governor John Baldacci about the ballot measure intended to remove the marriage equality measure he signed into law last Spring.
Asks Rachel, "If the 'Yes' forces win, is there a plan B for same-sex marriage in Maine?"
She doesn't get her answer.
Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...
Posted 7:06 AM EST by Andy Towle in Gay Marriage, Maine, News, Rachel Maddow | Permalink
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IF Maine loses Marriage Rights...I will NOT go to Maine and spend my tourism money there - ever. ..its either Equality for All or nothing!
Posted by: Disgusted American | Oct 30, 2009 8:04:54 AM
Gee whiz, "disgusted american," what state do you live in, or what state do you plan to vacation in, where there has been as much progress as Maine. You're announcing a boycott before we even vote? And that's supposed to help us? And what makes you think we want self-righteous people like you visiting us here in Maine anyway? We have our pride, in many dimensions.
I'm proud of Governor Baldacci.
Posted by: Lobsterboy | Oct 30, 2009 8:27:23 AM
Ummm, LobsterBoy, "Disgusted American" said "IF Maine loses...".
Being a resident of MA and a frequent visitor to ME, especially Ogunquit I too will stop going to Maine if it loses.
Posted by: Ricster | Oct 30, 2009 8:54:40 AM
The Massachusetts legislture worked so hard (and delightfully) to avoid sending the issue to the Massachusetts voters because of informed fear the Massachusetts voters would not uphold legislative and judicial intent and action. Maine took a risk Massachusetts didn't, by opening ourselves up to voter initiated action that doesn't exist in Massachusetts law. Punish Maine or threaten to punish Maine noting contingencies, regardless, I'll call you self-righteous, and hope you find some lonely isolated perfect world to live in.
Posted by: Lobsterboy | Oct 30, 2009 9:13:49 AM
The Massachusetts legislature worked hard (and gratefully) to avoid sending the issue to the Massachusetts voters, with informed polls saying that Massachusetts voters would not uphold the intent and action of the Massachusetts legislature and judiciary. Maine took a risk that Massachusetts didn't take. Don't threaten to punish us --- even with contingencies -- for our risk. Reward us.
Posted by: Lobsterboy | Oct 30, 2009 9:19:29 AM
There was no answer because there isn't a back up plan.
Posted by: Ray | Oct 30, 2009 9:55:22 AM
Well said, Governor. Gay Mainers have been through the civil rights fights before; they've lost before and have persevered. But I think he was wise not to open up the possibility of Plan B before Plan A has been tested. Talking about defeat before election day usually isn't a good idea.
Rachel, love you, but you really have to stop referring to it as "gay marriage." It isn't, anymore than it is straight marriage--or "opposite marriage" to quote Carrie Prejean. Including gay couples in civil marriage is marriage equality--this persistent use of the term "gay marriage" and "same-sex marriage" only reinforces the idea of separate categories.
Posted by: Ernie | Oct 30, 2009 10:24:55 AM
I enjoyed this interview but found Rachel's final, unanswered question ridiculous and was glad that the Governor did not respond. When you are in the final days of an extremely close campaign where you need to motivate all of your voters to get to the polls, you don't talk about what you'll do if you lose.
I hope that we all note that while Governor Baldacci has courageously stood with us this spring and again this fall, Maine's two WORTHLESS Republican Senators, the so-called "moderate" Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, have refused to take a stand on the single most significant civil rights question facing the voters of their State in a generation, with Snowe even earlier having taken the opportunity to congratulate herself for vote in 1996 for DOMA. Presumably they don't want to further offend the right-wingers whose votes regularly comprise a significant portion of their re-election margins though, in Snowe's case, perhaps she has just been too busy spending the year trying to gut meaningful health insurance reform.
Posted by: Patric | Oct 30, 2009 11:40:31 AM
Excellent point by Ernie about the use of the ubiqitous term "gay marriage." The wingnuts prefer terms such as this (or, even better, "homosexual marriage") to reinforce their message that our marriages are somehow counterfeit and not real. As Ernie points suggests, no one talks about "blonde marriage" or "thin marriage" or "tall marriage." The point is that there is only ONE institution of marriage afforded by civil laws and presently, in most of the country, we are denied the right to participate in that institution.
Politically, we win when we focus the attention of those in the middle on the fact that what is happening here is a denial of equality to one group of citizens by our laws and not, as the wingnuts would prefer, by focusing them on whether they are accustomed to seeing gay people included in the institution of marriage. That is not only politically useful; it is indeed the appropriate and relevant focus in a nation whose Constitution promises minorities the "equal protection" of the laws. We should be speaking about marriage equality.
I also love Rachel but one other gripe: stop referring to Joe Loserman as a Democrat! Personally, I refer to him as what he actually is - a Republican - but, at a minimum, refer to him by what he labels himself, an independent. He is NOT a Democrat and hopefully real Democrats will deliver that message loudly and clearly in 2012 in Connecticut.
Posted by: Patric | Oct 30, 2009 12:24:49 PM
@Lobsterboy: In the same vein that I hope gays don't visit California as punishment for their Prop 8 vote (noting that I'm a resident of this great state), I hope the gays punish the people of Maine if they let fear and hysteria strip people of their rights.
Let's also not pat yourself on the back too much for passing the law through legislature. The legislature of California approved same-sex marriage more than a year before the court overturned the ban. Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed it, under rumor that the Bush White House pressured him to do so. So what your (much smaller and less diverse) legislature did was not a brave thing. HOWEVER, Gov. Balducci deserves a medal and a permanent mention in the gay rights medium. A Republican - Catholic, no less - who understood that fairness trumps religious ideology. Good for him.
@Patric: Democrats helped create the monster that is Joe Lieberman. He didn't go completely of the reservation until they backed another guy to run against his incumbency. And then they had the nerve to vilify him when he took them on as an Independent candidate - and won!
Don't take this as me being a fan of Ol' Joe. The guy's definitely a little wonky. But he's entitled to keep the company of important Republicans and even adopt their policies to an extent. Heck, MORE people on both sides of the aisle should be conducting themselves similarly. Just less crazily.
Posted by: Tommy | Oct 30, 2009 1:17:48 PM
I think answer that the Governor could have said that if No on 1 lost, the legislature can always try to pass the law again a couple years down the road when attitudes for equality are in the majority. This question only repeals the law, it doesn't put it in Maine's constitution which means the legislature can pass it again whenever it wants to.
Posted by: Sam | Oct 30, 2009 2:26:47 PM
Tommy: Gov. Baldacci is a Democrat, not a Republican.
Posted by: Ernie | Oct 30, 2009 4:55:48 PM
@Tommy
Like I said before in other threads, the whole "we did it first" thing is really pathetic. We're talking about a movement here, not skinny jeans.
And how dare you say it wasn't brave of the legislature. Does that go for everything? A cosmonaut already visited space, that was brave, but I guess what our astronauts have been doing must not be according to your measurements? Oh and what about the people going to war? So tired...
Posted by: Washington | Oct 30, 2009 6:01:29 PM
Somebody near Rachel needs to tell her to stop referring to "gay-marriage."
I don't care how many people refer to it that way, it's "MARRIAGE EQUALITY" and referring to it, as such, makes it impossible to deny that it's wrong to treat people differently under the law- popular vote, or not!
Hey GAYZ, start referring to Marriage Equality, please!
Posted by: stephen | Oct 30, 2009 9:36:04 PM
and btw, 5% undecided actually means, I'm afraid to tell you I plan to vote against the gays.
And, yeah, I live in post H8 CA.
Posted by: stephen | Oct 30, 2009 9:38:14 PM