Will Hate Win In North Carolina? Not If President Obama, Patsy Keever And Cecil Bothwell Have Their Way

In 2008, Obama won North Carolina 50-49% (2,142,651 to 2,128,474). His worst performing district in the state was the 10th CD, the one represented by diminutive closet case, Patrick McHenry, where he took only 36% of the vote. Next door in the 11th CD-- then represented by reactionary Blue Dog Heath Shuler-- Obama took 47%, also pretty bad. Both of those districts are in the western part of the state and they're both viewed as part of a very conservative belt.

Wednesday, when President Obama came out against the homophobic Amendment One, he probably wasn't thinking he was going to win either the 10th or the 11th congressional district in November. But each district has a profoundly progressive/populist Democrat competing-- Rep. Patsy Keever in the 10th and Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell in the 11th. Each is a strong, vocal supporter of LGBT equality and each opposes Amendment One-- and each is up against a very conservative Democratic primary opponent, each one with an ugly homophobic record. Please consider helping Patsy and Cecil win their May 8th primary and their November general elections.

Friday morning President Obama let his supporters in North Carolina know that he feels the vote on Amendment One is important. His North Carolina campaign spokesperson told the media that "While the president does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the record is clear that the president has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same-sex couples. That’s what the North Carolina ballot initiative would do-- it would single out and discriminate against committed gay and lesbian couples-- and that’s why the president does not support it."

This comes right at a time when Democrats-- i.e., the President's reelection team-- are debating how to handle LGBT equality.

[G]ay rights advocates want the Democratic National Committee to place a clear and unequivocal statement of support for marriage equality into the party’s platform at the convention. But DNC officials are privately pleading for patience on the issue, because they worry the wrong language could alienate culturally conservative Democrats and could put the President in an awkward spot, because he’s still “evolving” on the issue.

But this is going come to a head no matter what. If Dems do put satisfactory language into the platform, it will increase pressure on Obama to complete his evolution on the issue already. If they don’t, a key Dem constituency could feel angry and betrayed in the weeks before election day.

Today’s North Carolina announcement sheds light on still another aspect of this dynamic.

In an odd twist, each time Obama takes another positive step towards full equality for gay and lesbian Americans, it has the effect of further persuading gay advocates that Obama does support marriage equality-- and stokes their impatience to see him come out and say so already.

Today’s news could have the same effect. As Jed Lewison points out, it serves as another reminder that Obama recognizes that he needs to keep the troops on his side energized, and suggests he knows Dems can’t avoid the inevitable, meaning they’ll have to put marriage equality into the platform.