Now, Will You Believe Me?
Even though I supplied a link, many readers simply did not believe my post below noting that, according to the exit polls, 60 percent of voters nationally (and 49 percent in the South!) support either gay marriage or civil unions. As usual, I was bucking the conventional wisdom. (If you agree with the con-wis, why waste the time repeating what everyone already knows?)
David Brooks's smart and much-linked-to column on Saturday pointed out the same thing, of course. And this piece by Gary Langer, director of polling for ABC News, was a big "I told you so" about the problem of incredibly vague language in the exit polls. Dianne Feinstein and Bill Bennett may think "moral values" means "opposition to gay marriage," but it's just as likely--more, in my opinion--to mean "the candidate's character."
If he can resist the comic temptation to make wild generalizations, Brooks could spend the next several months explaining the complicated reality of middle America to the parochial readers of the NYT.
As for gays, the most depressing aspect of the election is how quickly big-shot Democrats want to run away from gay-friendly policies.