"Clearing the field." In political parlance, the phrase is commonly used to describe a candidate's ability to nudge and elbow their way through an otherwise competitive intra-party primary uncontested, thereby positioning themselves for a relatively effortless or imminent win in a successive dual-party match up.
Money in the bank and a distinguished record of public service can put those in the same Party mulling a run on notice, and help gild a clear and decisive path to victory. For openly gay Latino legislative candidates Jessie Ulibarri and Dominick Moreno - both seeking respective seats in the Colorado Senate and House - mastering the game of "clearing the path" has quickly anointed the twenty-something year olds rising political stars, landing them on speed dial by Democratic caucus leaders.
That's why Colorado's June 26 Primary served more as a procedural exercise than a real contest for Ulibarri and Moreno, as they faced no Democratic opposition and are widely expected to nab their seats in November. Both district's have a double-digit Democratic registration advantage with a majority of "unaffiliated" or "independent" voters expected to break for the Democrat.
Ulibarri and Moreno will now spend their next four months putting their formidable fundraising skills to the test in support of fellow Democrats whose path is not so certain, and in pursuit of a Democratic majority that could deliver the Speaker's gavel to openly gay Minority Leader, Rep. Mark Ferrandino.
GOP Speaker Frank McNulty exercised an extraordinary abuse of power earlier this year by ending the House's legislative session and killing 30 other bills in a successful effort to block a civil unions bill from passing the House with bipartisan support as it had in the Senate. For Colorado's LGBT families, the prospect of doubling Colorado's LGBT representation in the legislature with an openly gay Speaker at the helm can restore hope that same-sex relationship recognition legislation will pass in the next session.
For their part, Ulibarri and Moreno are working overtime to ensure Colorado can do just that. To learn more about their candidacy and support their campaigns, visit www.jessieforcolorado.com or www.dominickmoreno.com.
I see this battle from the outside looking in. I am neither gay nor religious--I firmly believe religion is a man-made power tool fueled by fear and need and greed--but I get the bible thumpers point just as surely as I get that the gay community does not find certain words acceptable as applicabe to them.
The word "gay" once meant happy. Changing its meaning seems to have offended no one.
Changing the meaning of the word "marriage" clearly DOES offend a group of religious zealots at least as large as the gay community. Many "religious" folk would find it horribly offensive if their "marriage" could be interpreted as a "gay" union--a union they feverently believe is a "sin".
The gay community is equally offended by the "q" word that once meant odd and that "f" word that is unacceptable.
A gay couple married as a "civil union" or a "marriaje" (marriage, but with some spelling change designating the couple's gender is NOT one man one woman) would be just as MARRIED as one man and one woman united in "marriage" and should certainly have equal rights under law.
If the gay fight if for EQUALITY (not just a word), you win: Americans believe in EQUALITY.
Why did the anti gay bill in NC pass by a wide margin?
Because it was put on the primary ballot where most voters dont bother to vote, eg in Baltimore only 8% of the voters vote in primaries.
So the only thing the bad churches had to do was rant and rave on Sunday
Leading to a pastor who said "put all the gays behind an electirified fence"
And another "pastor" in old Miss, who said "kill them"
Put those two together and you have a new Adolph Eichmann. (yes he threw the gays in the ovens also.)