Passing Prop 8Homepage > Politics Magazine > February 2009 > Passing Prop 8Smart timing and strategic messaging convinced California voters to support traditional marriage... By Frank Schubert and Jeff Flint When we signed our firm up to manage the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign to put the traditional definition of marriage—one man, one woman—into California’s constitution, Frank Schubert’s brother told him we had “no chance” to win the campaign. That view reflected conventional wisdom. After all, California is one of the most liberal states in the nation. It’s a state whose Supreme Court had just legalized same-sex marriage. A state where the Democratic nominee for president hasn’t had to aggressively campaign in nearly two decades. A state where millions of young, first-time voters were poised to go to the polls to send a message to George Bush and elect Barack Obama. And a state where for the first time in history, according to a major polling outfit, a majority of voters supported gay marriage. This is the story of how conventional wisdom was stood on its head and how Proposition 8 was enacted by a 700,000-vote margin. You must be a subscriber to read this article. Login above or click here to subscribe to the magazine. If you are getting this message in error, be sure you have cookies turned off. If you're still having trouble logging in, contact the magazine at info@politicsmagazine.com. |
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