Despite my click-baiting title, the reaction to gay marriage coming to the Grand Canyon state was a bit muted on the right. The way it happened even, with attorney general Tom Horne deciding that it was not worthwhile to challenge the decision of the federal court, was the result of throwing in the towel. Still, there was plenty of hypocrisy and outrage to write about. As usual, after the jump.
We Celebrate Equality, Just Ignore the "No Gays Allowed" Sign in the Window: We turn first to Secretary of State candidate Michele Reagan. Reagan loves the decision, thinks it will help our state's reputation.
Reagan likes to think of herself gay-friendly, but she's been a shaky ally, at best, of the LGBT community. Although she's got plenty of gay friends (don't they all?), she was more than happy to be a reliable vote on moves against gay marriage.
Of course, things have changed an awful lot. It was an issue that a lot of ostensibly liberal folks wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole for a while. 2006? Ancient history. Okay, what about, as the Democratic party pointed out in a news release, last spring when she voted for SB1062. In case you need a reminder of Reagan's support for that, here's Steve Gallardo:
I'm sure she had an epiphany or something. Or she saw her poll numbers.
Expected Response from Brewer: It's no big surprise that Jan Brewer has used this as a chance to rail against the federal government. Those big bad courts protecting the rights of a minority. Gosh darn them. She may just go over there and wag a finger, I tell you.
No one has asked Brewer how the feds stepping in on this and trampling local democracy is any different than say, Brown vs. Board of Education. Eh, details.
By the way, this sudden love of "the will of the voters" (Arizona's marriage ban was passed by popular vote), will likely lead to Brewer railing against attempts to mess with Kid's Care, Clean Elections and voter approved mandates on education spending, right? No?
The Man in the Robe Made Cathi Herod Cry: One of the more ridiculous things about our state's politics is the power of a woman named Cathi Herrod. Herrod isn't an elected official (she's unelected just like those judges), but she and her group, the Center for Arizona Policy, hold sway over social issue legislation in the state.
How much power does she have to push her puritanical agenda? A few years ago, she made sure an anti bullying bill got defeated because it would have protected gay kids.
Herrod is, needless to say, displeased. It is important to remember why the gay marriage ban exists in the first place. Herrod's group was the one that that angled to have it put on the ballot, only two years after a more draconian ballot measure failed (it would have banned cohabitation for heterosexuals). It wasn't just over Herrod trying to get the law to enforce her Taliban moral code, or even the usual cynical attempts to get out conservative voters. Here's what one blogger noted at the time:
This effort is once again being pushed by the Center for Arizona Policy. A couple of insiders I talked to suspect that they are pushing for this again, so soon after they infamously lost what people thought would be an easy win, because of the Center’s debts. A ballot measure would be a great way for them to raise some money (even better if the legislature gets it on the ballot and they don’t have to pay for signature gathering). It is dishartening to see so much time and effort being put forward just so a right-wing pressure group can pay its bills.
We had a gay marriage ban in Arizona for the most moral reason of all: someone needed to raise money.
And Doug Ducey Says: I would go after what gubernatorial nominee Doug Ducey has been saying about this, but he's been so quiet. The above named Herrod, by the way, has been one of his boosters since his name was first floated for governor, so you do the math.