Weigel

New Yorkers for Gay Marriage

When the same sex marriage vote was coming to a head last week, the National Organization for Marriage backed up its dark, stormy warnings of GOP primary challenges by releasing a poll . Most New Yorkers opposed gay marriage! There’d be hell to pay!

Not so, says Quinnipiac .

New York State voters support 54 - 40 percent a law allowing same-sex couples to marry… White Catholics split 48 - 48 percent on same-sex marriage. Jews support it 67 - 30percent, while white Protestants oppose the measure 54 - 40 percent.

Look at the internals. Independents support the law by a 56-39 margin; voters in every region of the state are fine with it. Black voters oppose it, but only by a 50-42 margin. Compare that to the 70 percent of black voters who supported** Proposition 8 in California.

It’s already difficult for NOM to force a stupid voter referendum on gay marriage,* and here’s a suggestion that the referendum wouldn’t even win.

*I speak from the position that almost all voter referenda are misguided, and obviously contrary to the designs of the founders. Try it in New York and I think you risk Alexander Hamilton leaping out of his grave to take revenge.

**I originally wrote “opposed.” Of course, they supported the proposition, and in doing so opposed gay marriage.