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04/01/2010
ARCHIVED: Maggie Gallagher and Robert George on AFA Radio
The two top NOMmers, Maggie Gallagher and Robert George, appeared this afternoon on the American Family Association's "SoundRezn" radio show. And you know, it's no surprise that the hosts and producers would spell "sound reason" incorrectly, because from what we heard, they have no interest in achieving anything close to it. At least not when it comes to gays and their desire for CIVIL equality.
Here now, the archived audio, along with some bullet points:
Segment 1:
Things to listen for:
-Robert George saying they don't want to be against marriage. Well of course they don't. Because they know and admit that this truthful language makes them drop in the polls. It's just too bad for them that being against same-sex marriage is EXACTLY what it says on the promotional flyer for tonight's gig.
-Maggie referencing a Maine radio appearance where the host supposedly "turned on a dime" and accused her of bigotry for saying nothing more than that marriage is not discrimination. Her take, which she and Brian Brown literally started using on the ay the appearance was made, is a complete and utter crock! In actuality, the left-leaning cohost sat patiently and listened to Maggie say all kinds of things about all of the supposed harms that gays are doing to religious people, about why marriage is good for some but not for all, etc, etc. He made his feelings clear throughout the piece in an intensely respectful way, even when Maggie tried to reduce the conversation to "two dudes" who "don't really want to get married." And then when he did finally chime in and push back, he came back, in the most good-natured of ways, and said, through Maggie's constant crosstalk: "Maggie, how do you just let these things roll off your tongue? I'm sitting here biting my tongue as you say such remarkable things, I can't even fathom that you actually believe them -- maybe they're poll tested -- but I sit here Maggie and I say to myself, Maggie, I mean, are you kidding? What world do you live in that's so different? Let me just try to come back to one point that you said, because I would like to understand the difference. If you are talking about, this is not bigotry, which you've said over and over agin, how is this different? because the language you are using is very, very similar to the language that was used -- hold on, let me finish -- very similar to the questions that were raised when we were trying to make it clear that blacks and whites could marry. The same language was being used to stop that from happening that you are using today." Listen to the full thing here.
-Maggie saying marriage is one thing all around the world. Ya know, except for Canada, the Netherlands, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, D.C., Belgium, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, etc. Time is still marching forward: And it's marching forward with marriage equality. That is a non-negotiable.
-Maggie quite literally sounding like a machine at times, repeating minutes-long chunks of talking points that she has used a million times already. It's just bizarre, both her ability and desire to do so.
-From all of the panel, the complete elimination of the idea that religious ceremony and civil marriage are actually different things.
Segment 2:
Things to listen for:
-Maggie saying that a Gallup poll shows that 48% think same-sex marriage will have a negative affect on society, which she says is a "4 to 1" margin against the 13% who said it would be a positive. Well, yes, a 2009 poll did show that 48% number that she mentions. But what she doesn't tell you? That 13% said it would be positive, 2% had no opinion, and 36% said it would have no effect! "No effect" is the answer that even many pro-equality people would give, so you have to combine the 13 and the 36 to get an accurate number. That would give you 49% in the no effect or better camp, 48% in the negative camp. That is not 4 to 1 on your side, Magster!
-Maggie once again comparing herself to Vaclav Havel, which is just a-b-s-u-r-d.
-Maggie's bold insinuation that her side has a monopoly on both God and the "common sense of humanity."
-Robert's admission that this current anti-gay work is "a very small part of a much larger project." In case you heterosexual allies need more reason to join with your LGBT brothers and sisters!
-Robert proving that the support for domestic partnerships that the Maine "Yes on One" campaign (financed largely by NOM) offered up in the final days was a complete and utter lie, when he says that companies that offer up DP benefits cross a line and "erode the marriage culture."