On Tuesday - in a 6 to 1 ruling - the California Supreme court upheld Proposition 8, the amendment to the California constitution approved by referendum which limits marriage to a man and a woman in their state. Only five states now allow same sex marriage - Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont (in September) and the only state not on the East Coast, Iowa.
Next on the road to legalizing gay marriage - New York, New Hampshire and New Jersey - despite the fact that the majority of Americans continue to oppose gay marriage according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll. Fifty-seven percent of Americans oppose legalizing same sex marriage while 40% are in favor.
Liberals and Teenagers Support Gay Marriage
Gallup found that 75% of self describing liberals support legalizing gay marriage, while only 19% of conservatives support it.
Republicans: 45% approve
Democrats: 55% approve
Independents: 20% approve
Gallup also found that “younger Americans have typically been more supportive of same sex marriage than older Americans.”
“A majority of 18- to 29-year-olds think gay or lesbian couples should be allowed to legally marry, while support reaches only as high as 40% among the three older age groups,” reports Gallup.
The Washington Post writes that support for gay marriage from young adults “suggest that the trend toward greater acceptance may continue.”
But Gallup reports that all results are basically unchanged from Gallup polls conducted six years ago.
As Winston Churchill once said “If you are not a liberal at 20, you have no heart. If you are not conservative by 40, you have no brain.”
NEW YORK
Quinnipiac University took a look inside New York State surveying 2,828 registered voters May 5-11 finding that there is a racial split as New Yorkers are evenly divided on gay marriage.
“New York State voters are split 46% to 46% on whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, with black voters opposed 57% to 35% while white voters tip narrowly in favor of gay marriage 47% to 45%.”
Like Gallup’s findings, Quinnipiac found that New York Democrats support same sex marriage 59 % to 34% and Republicans oppose it 68% to 24%.
Religion provides a deeper look into the issue with Quinnipiac finding that those who go to church at least once a week opposes same sex marriage 66% to 22% while those who "attend services less frequently support same-sex marriage 56% to 36%."
More women in New York support same sex marriage than men with 49% to 42% while men oppose it 51% to 42%.
PATERSON
A Siena Research Institute shows that New York voters are also fed up with Gov. David Paterson.
Only 27% of voters view him favorably and “Only 15% of voters are prepared to elect Paterson as Governor in 2010, compared to 71% who prefer “someone else,” barely up from 12-71% in April,” according to the institute.
In fact New Yorkers said that they would like to see anyone but Paterson as their Governor. Even scandal-ridden former Governor Elliot Spitzer.
“In choosing who they would like to see be Governor today among Governor Paterson and former Governors Eliot Spitzer, George Pataki and Mario Cuomo, voters give a slight edge to Cuomo with 31% support (down from 39% last month) followed by Pataki at 30% (down from 33% last month), Spitzer at 21% (up from 11%) and Paterson at 11% (up from 8%),” reported the institute.
SPEAKING OF UN POPULAR POLITICIANS
CNN reports that Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) has stopped the bleeding. Dodd - aka “Countrywide Chris” - earned voter anger for his involvement in the subprime mortgage mess and by placing language in a bailout bill that enabled AIG executives to take tens of millions of dollars in bonus money out of the government bailout pot.
A Quinnipiac poll released yesterday shows Dodd gaining some momentum on possible Republican challenger former CT Rep. Rob Simmons. The new poll places Dodd trailing Simmons 45% to 39% in the 2010 Senate race. In April Simmons had a 50% to 34% lead.
“Sen. Christopher Dodd's numbers are getting better but they are still lousy. He still has high negatives: About half of the voters don't trust Dodd and disapprove of the job he is doing. And he is still behind Simmons in a general election matchup," said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, PhD in their report.
