National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown (seen here weeping after New York's marriage equality passage last July) reacts to yesterday's LGBT equality landslide at the ballot:
"Obviously we are very disappointed in losing four tough election battles by narrow margins. We knew long ago that we faced a difficult political landscape with the four marriage battles occurring in four of the deepest-blue states in America. As our opponents built a huge financial advantage, the odds became even steeper. We ran strong campaigns and nearly prevailed in a very difficult environment, significantly out-performing the GOP ticket in every state.
Despite the fact that NOM was able to contribute a record amount to the campaigns (over $5.5 million), we were still heavily outspent, by a margin of at least four-to-one. We were fighting the entirety of the political establishment in most of the states, including sitting governors in three of the states who campaigned heavily for gay marriage. Our opponents and some in the media will attempt to portray the election results as a changing point in how Americans view gay marriage, but that is not the case. Americans remain strongly in favor of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The election results reflect the political and funding advantages our opponents enjoyed in these very liberal states.
Though we are disappointed over these losses, we remain faithful to our mission and committed to the cause of preserving marriage as God designed it. Marriage is a true and just cause, and we will never abandon the field of battle just because we experienced a setback. There is much work to do, and we begin that process now."
Last night, Brown clung to the only "silver lining" the group had left, trumpeting the potential defeat of Stephen Saland, a Republican who had voted for NY's marriage equality bill and the taking of another pro-equality Republican's seat — by two Democrats!
Meanwhile, Maggie Gallagher moans over at the National Review:
Either we figure out how to win a much larger share of the Latino vote or the conservative movement could be over. The “truce” — Rove's Crossroads strategy — is a clear failure. I think social issues are part, but only part, of a serious effort to appeal to Latino voters. We also need to show them we care about them by doing something about the DREAM Act, and religious conservatives should take the lead on this.
The Obama electorate defeated marriage. I'm guessing we lose at least three of tonight's four races, and maybe four of the four. We were outspent eight-to-one — and no one was willing to speak for marriage, while the whole Democratic establishment and Hollywood campaigned for marriage. Last night really is a big loss, no way to spin it.
Like dinosaurs after the impact of the meteor, Gallagher and Brown will simply wander, bewildered, looking for desiccated oases of bigotry to drink from until they eventually die off because they just couldn't adapt.
