Agenda for Feb 26 Prop 8 Town Hall Released
It took a few days of emails and phone calls, but the organizers of tomorrow's long-awaited public forum on the failures of the No on 8 executive committee and how to organize for the future, have released the agenda for the meeting.
I'm pleased the usual suspects - gay politicians, A-gays, nonprofit executives - will have just a short time at the start to introduce themselves, before we move into public comment. Is 120-seconds enough time for community members at the open mic? No, and I will ask the moderators to allow for 2-3 minutes of comment per speaker.
Also, who decided we need to hear from the closeted folks at Let California Ring about our next steps and that they warrant time on the official agenda? Let California Ring is the arm of EQCA that recently launched the closeted "I do" poster campaign and is nothing more than a continuation of the failed No on 8 mentality. Give a speaker from this group 2-3 minutes like everyone else and let the audience decide the next steps.
See you all tomorrow night!
PROGRAM AGENDA
Community Building Town Hall
February 26, 2009
6pm
Doors Open, Seating
6:10pm
Welcoming Remarks - State Senator Mark Leno
6:15pm
Introduction of No on 8 Campaign Leaders and Executive Committee members
Cynthia Laird, B.A.R. and Kim Corsaro from SF Bay Times
6:30pm
Open Mic -- Direct Questions, Comments from Audience to
No on 8 Campaign Managers and Executive Committee
(2 minutes per speaker)
8:25pm
David Binder
Executive Summary of Post Election Research
8:40pm
Next Steps - Let California Ring & Building Community and Movement with Coalition Allies
8:55pm
Andrea Shorter
Wrap Up - Acknowledgements
Program Ends
They will try to patiently explain things like messaging research and focus groups of undecided voters to you. They will try to explain to you that it was this empirical data that led them to the closet, to euphemisms, to abstractions like "Discrimination."
ReplyDeleteDon't let them do that.
Undecided voters, people who honestly struggle with this issue and don't know what to think, will always say "please don't make me actually talk about it." You have to acknowledge their pain and talk anyway. There are some issues -- and this is one -- that require leadership. Role modeling. Something grander than a mere political campaign. Leadership.
The very top of No On 8 was very well advised by people in marriage-safe states that they would lose if they didn't let go of the things they thought they "knew." If they relied on research too much, which is merely a reflection of what is, not what could be. If they sat around and waited to be clubbed by other people's children, which has been going on since Harvey Milk. If they ran typical, scripted political ads.
The leaders of No On 8 were warned that this is an exceptionally tricky issue. That it requires unexpected leadership. So don't let them throw what they "know" at you, what the focus groups said, what the empirical data said. I have no doubt the empirical data said America would never elect a black person President.
The fact is this: You will never win marriage in the court of public opinion if you're unwilling to make the case. And No On 8 was unwilling. Down to an avoidance of the word "marriage." Like people wouldn't notice the gays were getting married.
Beware the research and the charts and the ever-so-slight condescension. A man whose marriage license was not up for a popular vote was paid a lot of money by vacationing A-gays to not bother making the case for why you should keep your marriage licenses. Ask them to explain that.
The view from a PBS news show on the other side of the country:
ReplyDeletehttp://streams.wgbh.org/online/gb/gb.php?file=gb20081110marriage1.mov&title=California%20votes%20to%20end%20gay%20marriage
I'm not from California. You probably have no idea how many people are rooting for you. You, the everyday people, not the Salaried Gays or the Cookie Jar Consultants. Good luck tomorrow night. Take responsibility and take it over.
Tell the A-gays OFF! They have squandered millions of dollars, and cop this defensive, condescending attitude, when they are too stupid to be condescending to ANYONE. They are just RICH and elitist. We fucking lost this whole marriage issue because A-gays and A-lesbians couldn't come down off their ivory tower perch and hang with the African-Americans and Latinos who succumbed to the "teachings" of their churches. I bet at this "forum", you can cut the condescension with a knife. We fucking lost, due to their ineptness. Keep making that point, make them apologize, and make them SAY how they're going to do things differently next time -- by actually listening to the community, not shutting us out in their typical elitist ways.
ReplyDeleteTry to keep anger in check. Ask uncomfortable questions that will force them to reveal themselves:
ReplyDeleteWhy the surprise at how kids were used against us? Is this not stock antigay strategy? Why were we not more than ready?
After Pat Guerriero came in, he shook things up including the logo of the campaign, everything. Prior to his taking over was there a major strategy, pr, ad or website vendor that was not associated with the WPP Group?
Mr Smith: What specific advice did you get from marriage winning states like MA about how to talk about the issue? What advice did you follow and as important, what did you decide was best to not follow?
Barack Obama sent a letter to the Alice B Toklas Society in June 08 expressing his opposition to Prop 8 and offering his "congratulations." This was not used by the campaign and Obama was actually used wrongly by the Yes side, which we then has to respond defensively about. Why? It goes without saying that Obama has a complex position on marriage, many people do. Was there no one to figure out how to use his very uncomplicated letter of early June to some good effect before we were painted into a corner?
ReplyDeleteI just got an email notification about this meeting... yesterday.
ReplyDeleteIt's almost as if they didn't want people to show up.
Give 'em hell, Michael!