Poll: Voters Least Concerned With Marriage Equality

[AthenAltena]

I think we're going to increasingly see this happening in terms of people looking at this issue and saying "We're spending our time and money to try and stop this? Screw that, we have more important things to do!"

A new poll shows that marriage equality is the least important issue for voters in this upcoming presidential election, with the economy, jobs, and the budget deficit being the most important issues.

The Human Rights Campaign says that results from an April Pew Research Center poll show that support for LGBT rights is strengthening. The data also suggests that African-American and Latino support for gay rights is increasing.

“Americans care about job creation and providing for their families. This latest data reinforces the fact that supporting LGBT equality is not a divisive wedge issue, but rather just common sense,” HRC president Joe Solmonese said in a statement Thursday. “Fair-minded people are increasingly aware that extending rights, benefits, and protections to their LGBT neighbors strengthens the communities they live and work in. To suggest otherwise is a strategy that will fail with voters.”

The survey also shows that people who support environmental, health care, and education improvements favor Obama by double digits. He also has a majority of support from women, college graduates, blacks, Latinos, and lower income voters. Those who rank our relationship with Iran and reducing the federal budget as a high priority favor Romney by double digits. Romney is also leading among independent voters, whites, men, Protestants, and Catholics.

(source)

[Ray G.]

It probably doesn't help that neither party's standard-bearer supports it at this point in time.

[AthenAltena]

It probably doesn't help that neither party's standard-bearer supports it at this point in time.

True, and Romney doesn't want to remind people that it became legal while he was still governor in Massachusetts. He did at least try to do something about it, but it was a token showing at best and it obviously didn't work.

[sunbird]

It probably doesn't help that neither party's standard-bearer supports it at this point in time.

Won't be long before the Democrats do though. I'd be prepared to bet $100 that Obama will support it before the end of his second term.

[AthenAltena]

Won't be long before the Democrats do though. I'd be prepared to bet $100 that Obama will support it before the end of his second term.

Yeah, and polls like this are showing that it's increasingly becoming something that's not going to lose them the center if they openly support it, which is the primary reason most Dems have been hesitant to publicly support it. And they're not gonna get the states where it would cost them the center anyway, so it's not much of a loss.

[CutterMike]

Romney is also leading among independent voters, whites, men, Protestants, and Catholics.

Hey...! As a registered Independent, white, Protestant, man that frickin' HATES Mitt Romney, I'm now officially a minority...!

Huh... Weird... I now have an uncontrollable urge to sing "We Shall Overcome"!

[sunbird]

Hey...! As a registered Independent, white, Protestant, man that frickin' HATES Mitt Romney, I'm now officially a minority...!

Don't worry, Candidate Etch-a-Sketch will reconstitute himself into something you'll vote for soon enough.

[Thequeerjock]

Encouraging. The "We've got to stop teh gayz!" has been such a misdirection tactic for conservatives for so long that I was wondering when people would start seeing it for what it was.

[JBK405]

The thing is that, the complete idiocy of opposing equal rights aside, it's simply unfeasible to maintain a strong emotional reaction in humans centered around an intellectual concept. Whether it's pro or anti any subject, if it doesn't impact somebody then they just can't keep feeling strongly about it for years on end. Most of the people opposed to gay rights really don't have any personal stake in the issue at all since it's not going to take away their right to marry, or force them to be gay, so after enough time they just can't muster up the fire that they used to have. It becomes, as has been said, "I've got things impacting me to deal with, who cares about them?". Most of the people supporting gay rights do have a personal stake in the issue (No, not because everybody who wants equality is gay, but because they can put themselves in the shoes of an oppressed people and remember when it happened to their race/nationality/religion/political party/etc., or because they have friends or loved ones involved, or because they witnessed some of the horrible abuses that occur every day).

The simple unsustainability of generic rage without a clear target or personal impact always meant that, eventually, the opposition would get fed up and bored, even if they were never converted to the other side. It's a damn shame it took so long, but it's been coming for years.

[Thequeerjock]

Still, Republicans were successfully able to make it a scapegoat issue for years, regardless of the lack of effect it actually has on straight people. The popular rhetoric for the longest time was that "Well if we allow everyone to get married it'll make my marriage less special!"