Look folks, you really have to stop blaming black people for the demise of Proposition 8. There were a lot of reasons why it failed, but it wasn't the perceived "betrayal" of African-Americans, and such a characterization is unfair and untrue.
Let's start with the fact that, according to the Census Bureau, as of 2006, about 7.3% of California's population is black. Okay, so perhaps it's distressing on some level that, according to polls, around 70% of blacks voted for Prop. 8, but even if they turned out and voted in high numbers (just because a lot of them voted for Obama, doesn't mean they voted on Prop. 8 at all. But even if they did, it's not possible to expect that 100% of them would vote against the proposition, so let's assume the percentages were roughly the same as whites or Hispanics. The end result would have been the same.
It's not the fault of blacks. The "Yes on 8" groups were fully funded, and had a major plan, and the "No on 8" people trusted too greatly in the goodness and rightness of their cause, and underestimated the underhanded determination of their opponents, and as a result, there seems to have been an underplanned and underfunded opposition.
But you know what? It doesn't matter. Naming scapegoats and assigning blame is for losers, and we're not losers. Losing on Proposition 8 could very well be the best thing that ever happened, because this was always going to have to be settled in the courts. (See my last post on this for details…)
Whatever happens, we are all in this together, and we are all going to have to win this together. Placing blame does no good, and it tends to put others on defense, at a time when you need their support and their assistance. Blacks can be made to understand this issue, but it will be necessary to reach out, not slap them away, especially when our assumptions are based on poll numbers that may or may not even be correct.
Keep your heads; everyone will have the same rights very soon. In the meantime, you enemies are the right wing self-righteous prigs, not the people who have struggled even longer and harder than you have for acceptance. They can be your best friends, but you have to talk to them.
