Maybe I'm being naive, but I can't help but think that the timing of the ballot initiatives had something to do with the fact that the 2004 elections were the first following the November 2003 same sex marriage ruling in Massachusetts.
Thanks for your comment, Denise. I think your point is well-taken in that the issue of gay marriage was not of realy concern to most people who are opposed to it until it actually became a reality in Mass. Additionally, I would tend to agree with you if I could give this administration the benefit of the doubt. When it comes to this issue in particular, however, I see a consistent pattern.
The absence of the issue since 2004 is suggestive. More telling might be the 2000 primary season when McCain was smeared in SC with accusations of being a supporter of gay rights (he was also lambasted for having a "black daughter" which turned out to be an adopted girl from Bangladesh). In addition, if we consider the threatening rhetoric of someone like Dobson, the case seems overwhelming to me.
Nevertheless, I want to be clear that I do not indict all those who disagree with me on the issue of gay marriage. What I am saying is that I wish we as Christians could evade the easy politicization of people's lives; ultimately, we are not simply dealing with "issues" and "ethical questions" but real people's lives.
I just don't think you can get around the fact that the nature of the political arena means that any and all means available will be used. For example, would a democratic canditate stand by everything said by Cindy Sheehan about America's foreign policy? Not likely - her rhetoric is too aggressive, often unsubstantiated and generally unsupportable. However there is no question that she has, in the past, helped to rally many on behalf of of the Democratic (i.e. anti-Bush) cause.
The same applies to the gay marriage question - most people would not be exercised about the issue because 'traditional' marriage is the status quo; in order to combat an active and organized gay marriage lobby we hear from what I will generously refer to as the "less sensitive" figures on the right.
That said, it can't be assumed that everyone who is fighting the wholesale acceptance of gay marriage doesn't think of this as more than simply dealing with "issues" and "ethical questions" but real people's lives. Many on the right do realize that these are real lives and are concerned that rushing to accept the conventional wisdom as pedalled by the GLBT community may ultimately harm many of those real lives. This applies across the board - from the religious to the avowedly secular right (perhaps log cabin Republicans excluded...)
That the debate rears its head during election season, when the public has an opportunity to respond, so to speak, is only to be expected and would be the case regardless of the administration. Somehow, somewhere, someone would be stirring up the masses.
I think you are absolutely correct about the nature of the fringes of political discourse in this country; there are loons on either extreme that may receive a great deal of attention but have little actual influence on people's perspectives. And, certainly, those fringes do not entirely represent their constituenties. Thus, Falwell does not speak for all Christians, and efforts to lump all Christians under one umbrella are entirely unfair.
My concern was not with the fringes but with the mass of believers who are being manipulated by the poliitcal process. I disagree with you that the issue emerges now that people can respond to it in an election year. I do not grant politicians with such munificence. If we are going to have an honest debate about the courts, legislation, and marriage, let's do so in a productive way not one that panders to people's fears. Discuss it in years beside election years to demonstrate that the issue is actually pressing. Additionally, we ought to bracket the question within its proper context. In light of all the problems this nation is facing, the desire of two adults to find legal recognition for their relationship seems rather marginal to me.
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