Amendment One to Obama's Rescue

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Amendment One: Whether it wins or loses, the effort to defeat it could be a crucial factor in a successful outcome for the Obama campaign in North Carolina this fall.

Prospects for the effort to defeat the proposed marriage amendment to the constitution are still uncertain, notwithstanding a well-organized and impressive effort on the part of the amendment's opponents.

The enthusiasm of the "Vote No" campaign reminds people of the Obama effort in North Carolina in 2008, both in the primary and the general election.

Obama's general election campaign that year built on his primary campaign, which established working organizations across the state. When the general election campaign began, Obama had an organization of passionate and well-trained volunteers.

This year Obama has a problem. Some of those who worked so hard in 2008 have moved on to other things. Some are not as enthusiastic for the president as they were four years ago. Some just say, "I have done my part, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Obama's challenge in North Carolina now is to recreate a hard-working volunteer cadre to make phone calls, keep records, send out emails and letters, and build a get-out-the-vote effort that squeezes every drop of potential supporters into votes at the poll, like he did in 2008. It is a monumental challenge.

You can say what you want about the financial drain that primary campaigns create for candidates. But you cannot argue about the advantage Obama gained in North Carolina as a direct result of the training and practice the primary gave his campaign.

Without a primary contest like the one in 2008, the Obama campaign did not have a "spring practice" to recruit and train the campaign staff and volunteers to take the places of some of the 2008 workers who are coming back.

Amendment One to the rescue.

While some polls still show that the amendment is likely to pass, the opposition to it is passionate, well-organized, broad-based, and well-funded.

Amazingly, that opposition group includes some opponents of same-sex marriage who say they do not want to enshrine discrimination in the state's constitution.

Many business leaders, fearing the consequences to their increasingly diverse work forces, oppose the amendment.

Prominent Republicans like former gubernatorial candidates Richard Vinroot and Robert Orr, as well as John Hood, president of the conservative John Locke Foundation, and Congresswoman Renee Ellmers are in the opposition.

Even a supporter, Republican House Speaker Thom Tillis, predicts the amendment, if passed, will be repealed within 20 years.

While Republican ranks are split, Democratic leaders are more united in their opposition. The anti-amendment campaign relies on its opposition to the Republican-controlled legislature that put the amendment on the ballot.

The anti-amendment troops in the field, including the telephone callers, the social media workers, the get-out-the-vote experts, and the fundraisers, are working against that Republican initiative.

Almost every one of them is a prospect to transfer their passions and experience to the Obama's presidential campaign.

If Obama gets a large share of these seasoned workers to help replace his own depleted volunteer corps, and if they help him win North Carolina this fall, I hope he remembers to send a thank-you note to the Republican leadership in the North Carolina legislature who made it possible by putting the amendment on the ballot.

D.G. Martin hosts UNC-TV's "North Carolina Bookwatch," which airs Sundays at 5 p.m. This week's (May 6) guest is Steve Berry, author of "The Jefferson Key."

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Bentpan 1 year ago

D.G. Martin this isn't 2008 win or lose the very fact this Amendment made it to the popular vote speaks volumes as to the direction of NC politics, if ever there was a bellwether for the november elections, this is it. Should it fail the current POTUS stands a chance ( abet a slim one ) of carrying NC, but if it passes, there is absolutely no doubt this is Romney country.

MikeNC 1 year ago

As Bentpan says...This isn't 2008. Obama now has a 3 year track record for him to campaign on and for Romney to campaign against; and for us voters to base our vote on. With all the rhetoric this President has stated about being positive and to avoid vindictiveness and the negative; I forsee his campaign as being nothing but that. What positive things for America has he accomplished which he can run on to motivate ALL the voters? The facts are obvious and speak for themselves. If voters should decide to campaign long hours for President Obama; they are supporting Obama's past and current vision for our country. That speaks volumes about themselves which they broadcast out to their friends and the local community. The same goes for those who cast a vote for him in November. The voters however can keep that private vote to their own conscience. President Obama had the golden and historic opportunity and honor to lead this country forward in a positive direction. He unfortunately chose to lead us into political party loyalties and ideologies. I wish he would have chosen a better route that could have improved life for all of us. He did not. I wish I could be proud to say I am voting for him this November. I cannot. People know that he did not lead us towards a better future; although some will continue to beat the derisive drum of hate and racism.....If we are unhappy with his policies, we are haters and racists. I personally hope and believe that mantra will fade to oblivian. All one has to do is study that three year track record that belongs not to us voters; but rests squarely on the shoulders of our President. No DG Martin....Your anti- Ammendent 1 troops in the field will not rally to formation as you think. There will be many deserters and past loyalists to your camp that will be AWOL this time around...Mike

dustyrhoades 1 year ago

Between the election and the inauguration, a lot of the liberal blogs I read were filled with anguished howls of OMG WE ARE BETRAYED I'LL NEVER VOTE FOR OBAMA OR ANY DEMOCRAT AGAIN!

The reason? Obama had invited minister and author Rick Warren, who'd said uncomplimentary things about gays, to give the invocation at his inauguration. I'm not reading that sort of thing now at all. The war on gays, the war on Latinos, the war on women, and the war on teachers have all energized the groups that stayed home in 2010. Obama may not be liberal enough to make them totally happy, but they've seen the alternative and what happens when they let the wingnuts take over. Thanks, wingnuts!

MikeNC 1 year ago

And don't forget about that 'war' in Afghanistan. We are now committed to nation build in a place that does not want what we are building. Cannot afford to nation build here, but we borrow from China to build over there. We will see where the voters stand on this new Obama committment to insure that President Karsai continues to build his personal retirement chest at our tax payers expense. Here's a couple informative links and dozens are available at Google...Mike

Cost of war... http://costofwar.com/en/

Wasted unaccounted American tax dollars... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130917588

mcg2010 1 year ago

This Amendment isn't going to be decided by the people of North Carolina. That in and of itself is a fallacy. You can cast your ballot on May 8th for the amendment and that's your right to take that moral stand against gay marriage. Fine, whatever. But don't think that this sets anything in stone. This amendment is going to be decided in the court system. Probably as far as the State Supreme Court and the likelihood of it getting overturn and ruled as unconstitutional is pretty high.

The role that this will play in the Obama election is fairly evident. It's rallying the base and gives Obama supporters something to stand behind as we head towards November. Obama has a long slog to try and win NC again in 2012, but then again Romney does too.

Vote AGAINST Amendment 1 on May 8th (or earlier)!

jimt 1 year ago

mcg2010, the opposite, sadly, is also true. Amendment One will bring out the religious conservative vote in larger numbers than a primary election usually does. If/when the Courts rule the Amendment unconstitutional their action will further inflame the right's constant drone about "activist" judges (of course activist judges on the right, Scalia, Alito, Thomas, are just peachy with them) overturning the "will of the people." That also fuels the right's attendance at the voting booth.

nothingspecial 1 year ago

Got to hand it to the folks writing these endless Pilot articles against the Amendment. They can be expected to come up with an endless number of fictional, but highly imaginative angles to try to sway folks away from voting for the amendment. Now we're told we've awakened some kind of sleeping Obama campaign beast and will pay dearly for it. Are we who believe in the amendment at this point really expected to say, "oh crap!" and change our vote, no matter the outcome in November?

blake 1 year ago

@ nothingspecial, I cannot imagine I can sway you away from your choice on this amendment but I do want you to recognize the error of this amendment. The current state legislature lost its focus. It should not have tread in this social realm. This will fracture a growing conservative movement and ignite the liberal base. The Tea Party movement stemmed from a largely libertarian hope for a smaller government focused on fiscal issues, not social. This will push moderates away as well as anger many true small government conservatives. This amendment is redundant as a law already stands against same sex marriage. This move may very well swing the legislature back to the Democrats and may even swing the state for President Obama. Was it worth it?