I think part of the gay marriage thing has to do with part of this country being treated as subhuman and denied access to the same rights as everyone else, meager as those rights may be at this point. I would argue there's more at stake in these fights than simply "laughing at rednecks."IkarisOne wrote:In other words, keep the show on the road. Pass one Treasury-looting bonanza after one Orwellian nightmare but keep everyone fighting over gay marriage and Paula Deen. Honey, we lost the house and we can't pay for Junior's cancer treatments and the IRS is garnishing my wages. But look at those rednecks- ha ha, aren't they stupid? Gosh, I feel better already!
I think you're right that the Democratic Party uses these issues to package very unpalatable policies to people who would otherwise recoil at them, but that doesn't mean these aren't important issues. Gay rights, minority franchise and reproductive rights are all important battles being fought and things that are actually worth fighting for, even if Obama happens to support them.
I know a lot of women who are absolutely disgusted with the Democratic Party for all the reasons you state, but are suspicious of the alternatives because they were about a lack of commitment to women's health issues. Which, for many women (including immediate and extended members of my family), can be a matter of life and death. Frankly, I think they have reason to be suspicious. And it pains me that this is the case.
Look, none of the last two days has suddenly put me in the Vote Blue! camp and I'm not arguing people should just activate on one or two issues. But the first step to coalition building is, you know, trying to accommodate the interests of people you want in your coalition. Part of that means taking seriously the issues a group other than your own might be facing. Simply dismissing people's investment in these issues as the unhappy result of some combination of being taken in by magician's tricks and soft bigotry against rednecks probably isn't going to do a lot in creating that Left/Libertarian/etc. alliance you've been talking about.
Just my two cents.
Addendum: I note your response to Rattie, where you clarify some of your comments on gay marriage. So some of this response is probably outdated. I'll let it stand since I have to run for a bit, but just know that this was written before the latest set of responses. Cheers!