esrosedotblog

LIBERAL PARANOIA

I was talking to a friend yesterday and he asked me if I had figured out what was going on with the same-sex marriage decision of the California Supreme Court.

I said something to the effect of "yeh, it's great" and before I could ask him if he and his partner were going to get hitched, he said "no, that isn't it".

He then went through a brief exercise of explaining to me what was really going on.

"The California Supreme Court is almost all Republican, right"?

"Right".

"Then why would they come down on the side of gay marriage"?

"Because they think it is the right thing to do"?

"No".

"Oh? What"?

"The answer? It is a devious plot to get out a huge conservative vote in the fall to defeat Obama in California".

"In fact, it was all designed by Karl Rove".

I didn't know what to say. "You think"?, maybe. Or perhaps I could point out to him that it was a stretch to see the conspiracy.

But I didn't. I told him I thought the idea "interesting" and changed the subject.

I am interested in conspiracy theorists. They see the wolves that could be lurking behind every tree.

Never mind that Karl Rove engineered one of the worst administrations and poorest operating political machine in the history of the Republic.

Sure, we think he is/was an asshole but not a very competent one.

He will be lucky to get out of the next few years without a fucking jail term.

I never think like this friend of mine. Perhaps I am an innocent. Perhaps I am naive. But in my experience, while there are plots abounding all around us, few succeed without being unmasked for what they are. Because they take place in secrecy, they are doomed for failure. Someone always fucks up as they are sneaking around.

But it is useless to argue with a conspiracy theorist. They have a world view that is consistent and, I find, rather sour and unpleasant.

We are all well aware that the right will fight the court decision.

They will turn out in droves in the general.

So be it!

I had already decided the complete reverse!

With the landslide proportions of Obama's election, the wave of young people who will be coming out, the previously apathetic who will be energized, we have a very good chance of beating the people who want to amend the state constitution against same sex marriage.

In other words, there could not have been a better time for the court to make its decision!

I guess it depends on ones predisposition to optimism or pessimism.

The other thing is that I am quite willing to let the democratic process go on and to let the chips fall where they may.

I want the right to marry to endure but I also know that this might not be the time or place.

I can accept that.

I also know that there are a lot of good people (who even support the domestic partnership laws by which we are now almost totally protected) who do not really want marriage to be for same gendered couples.

I respect that.

And I will fight against it.

The marriage issue is not about the rite of marriage or its 'sanctity' (if any). It is about equal rights for all. It is symbolic as well as material.

So I am for it.

But I don't think that I am a victim of a Rovian conspiracy to think so.

I have thought so a whole lot longer than the GOoPers have been in charge of things. Karl didn't make me do it.

Labels: gay marriage