May 7th, 2009
The ad Equality California should have ran a year ago.
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Lindoro
May 7th, 2009
Agreed. This is running a year late. Too bad the gay apologists needed to spend millions and millions apologizing for wanting to marry.
This is the campaign that should have run. Beautiful job.
Tavdy
May 7th, 2009
That actually brought a lump to my throat. That really is about the best compliment possible.
gar
May 7th, 2009
Good. Perfect. Excellent. Now that I know they are running ads of this caliber, I can feel good about giving them money again.
Bruno
May 7th, 2009
EQCA may have bungled the campaign, but they’re a solid organization with a lot of pull, and they mean well. Here’s to hoping they know what’s needed in the coming years to win back equality in California.
Regan DuCasse
May 7th, 2009
Yes, and these ads should show how long the couple has been together, should show their beautiful healthy and loving children, show them in uniform if they are serving in the military or law enforcement.
Mores the point, it’s the opposition that has to prove how wrong all this is for society and just how much harm is done by showing these caring, normal and committed people who are and have always been a part of the human race for all time.
We know they can’t. It doesn’t exist to the extent these couples and families do.
And boy…do they know that…
Clancy
May 8th, 2009
I think Regan has an excellent point. Instead of trying to convince everyone we deserve marriage, we should show who we are and leave the burden of proof to the anti-gays trying to stop/take away our rights. It really should be on them anyway.
Ben in Oakland
May 8th, 2009
Funny about this. I received the following from an EQCA guy yesterday in response to several emails I have sent them regarding their requests for money.
Ben,
Thank you for your email. I am sorry that you are upset and disappointed with Equality California.With your past support, we supported the No on 8 campaign.
The campaign hired the best strategists and pollsters and we were able to move California 20 points on same sex marriage but we were not able to win.
You are correct. More of the same will not work.
I hope that you will see our new ads and the field campaign that will engage voters face to face, door to door as a first and strategic step in changing course and winning back marriage. Again, your past support and your feedback are most appreciated.
My response was perhaps less than perfectly gracious. Let’s see what they do with it.
Dear Sean:
Thank you for your email. I’m not sure which email you are referring to. I’ve sent a number of them over the past few months.
I will say this. I spent a lot of time and energy trying to get someone, anyone, to listen to me on this. No one was interested. The disdain was palpable. I got treated like a crazy person by no less a person than Mark Leno. I’m not. I finally just gave up and did what I could on my own.
As I wrote in a piece that was published in the BAR, that closeted attitude from which the campaign was run was the problem. It may make sense for people immersed in that political culture, but it makes no sense in my world, and never has. The enemy is The Closet, not the religious right, not social conservatives. The strategists you hired were far from the best– they were just available– if they could not understand that simple fact, and failed to notice that it hasn’t worked but once in ten years. I 100% believe that we did as well as we did not because of that closeted campaign, but despite it. That horrible Harvey Milk ad was just more of the same– closeted. I didn’t know him, though I did meet him a few times, and he influenced me tremendously. He would have hated it.
I am glad to see that EQCA is beginning to get this, and I am still willing to work with you. I am a professional photographer with 25 years experience, and would be happy to offer my services. I also wrote extensively against Prop. 8, and was published in several newspapers. I was very active against Brigg 30 years ago, writing the speaker’s bureau book that was eventually used statewide, and doing a great deal of public speaking. I am very presentable, very good at public speaking, and very knowledgeable on the issues.
Please let me know if there is something I can do.
Ben
Gabriel Arana
May 8th, 2009
Actually, EQCA hired incredibly incompetent strategists, then fired them, then re-hired another consulting firm later. The first firm they hired had never done political consulting before. The EQCA people have been so cagey because they know they messed up.
Eddie89
May 8th, 2009
The way I see it, ECQA got tens of millions of dollars and screwed it up.
Coming back to it’s supports and asking for more tens of millions with a promise to get it right, this time, won’t work.
Courage Campaign had the right formula from the very beginning and I think that they are on the right track today.
Sorry, ECQA. You had your chance and you failed. And that’s putting it nicely.
My money’s going to Courage Campaign.
MassachusettsLGBT
May 10th, 2009
Marc Solomon from MassEquality is now EQCA’s point man for marriage equality. Solomon bragged that he was part of the strategy team for EQCA before the Prop 8 vote. Knowing Solomon personally, he needs to be more of a team player and especially in the strategy of following the money and in your face activism, he has ALOT to learn.
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