The so-called National Organization for Marriage has pledged $2 million to defeat the Republican New York state senators who voted for marriage equality. Here's a quote:
"Last night we were sold out by the Republican Party in New York. Shortly before 10:30 last night, the New York Senate voted 33 to 29 in favor of same-sex marriage. Four Republicans – Jim Alesi, Roy McDonald, Steve Saland, and Mark Grisanti provided the margin of passage.
But this fight is far from over. In response to last night's vote, I have doubled our pledge to New York, committing at least $2 million dollars to make sure that New York Republicans understand that voting for gay marriage has consequences."
If I were Senators Alesi, McDonald, Saland, or Grisanti, I wouldn't loose much sleep over Mr. Brown's tough guy stance. NOM wasn't just innefective in the New York marriage battle, it wasn't even a factor. What do they spend all their money on? It's certainly not effective advocacy. Remember when Brian bragged that he would make sure marriage equality was repealed in New Hampshire when the Republicans won super-majorities there? If they made an effort, it was DOA. NOM failed to defeat marriage equality in DC. NOM failed to prevent civil unions in Illinois and Delaware. NOM failed to repeal the Washington state domestic partnership bill even though it was on the ballot and they fought it as a marriage battle. Are their self-styled "victories" anything more than claiming credit for the efforts of others? Brian is begging for money on his NOM site right now. Who would continue to throw good money after bad?
The New York marriage victory marked the first time a GOP-controlled legislative body voted for marriage equality, or any other gay rights issue, for that matter. The Senate leadership didn't have to send it down for a vote, but they did and enough Republicans voted in favor to put the bill over the top. Further, today's New York Times reported that, major Republican donors bankrolled this effort and vowed to protect the Republicans who voted for equality. If I were a Republican elected official, I would much rather have deep-pocket Wall Street tycoons on my side than Bryan Brown and Maggie Gallagher. NOM is toast.