A 4x4 sweep for marriage equality
by David Atkins
Following up Digby's excellent point last night that the November 2012 election results constitute a liberal victory is this data point: marriage equality was on the ballot four times around the country and won each and every time, despite having always failed in front of voters in the past.
First was the victory of Question 6 in Maryland, the first state in which the public approved marriage equality at the voting booth. Maine followed the same path with Question 1 to approve marriage equality winning with 54% of the vote. Washington state's Referendum 74 gained narrow passage. And for the first time, a Constitutional Amendment to ban marriage equality failed at the polls--this time in Minnesota.
All this to go along with marijuana legalization and America's first openly gay Senator, Tammy Baldwin.
To be sure, there are still plenty of places in the United States where the voters would not approve these measures. But after losing 32 straight times prior to this year, it's just another sign that a majority of the American people have moved beyond conservative rhetoric and left the Republican Party dragging along in the dust behind them, standing athwart history and pointlessly yelling "Stop!" for no good reason.
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