Commitment, values, home

Back in 2008 when Calif. put marriage equality on the ballot the anti-gay side carefully researched (with focus groups, among other techniques) what kinds of messages would turn opinions away from allowing gays to marry. They found it best to pull in tangential issues -- gays are gonna git yer kids (in other words, lie). But it was enough to sway the vote in their favor. Those ads were so effective they used them again in Maine in 2009, in North Carolina last May, and in all four states this fall. And I mean they literally used the same ads, only changing the name of the state and the date as necessary. Not too surprising -- they used the same campaign manager. They also used the same technique of bombing the airwaves close enough to the election the pro-gay side didn't have time to effectively respond (and it took a while for the Calif. campaign to figure out they needed to respond).

When the nasty ads began running in late October one gay analysis blog commented (rather snidely, I thought) that the pro-gay side surely knew those ads would be coming, had prepared a response, and it would be fantastic.

Turns out that's exactly what happened.

Back in September 2011 Third Way, a Dem think tank, did all the research for the best way to counter the anti-gay ads. They then shared their findings with the four states running such ads and helped them do the research to make the message state specific. All four states had plenty of time to raise lots of money (unlike in Michigan in 2004 when we barely had 4 months), refine the message, and get a big lead on the anti-gay side. The antidote to the poisonous messages had already been running for a while by the time the poison began to appear. It also helped that we had a huge money advantage so there wasn't as much poison.

Here are some of the things the research found:

* Don't talk about your right to be married. Talk about your commitment to each other.

* Recognize parents fear loss of control over their kids.

* Don't emphasize the kids. Actual preteens don't care whether gay couples marry.

* Emphasize that values are taught in the home, not the school. Even stage the ad there.

* Emphasize messengers who have changed their mind.

* Reaffirm religious liberty.

This sample message was rated highly and includes most of these points, though individual ads didn't include all points.

My name is Bill Stevens. I was brought up thinking that marriage was between a man and a woman, but I came to realize that gay and lesbian people are just born that way. After all, who would choose that harder path? I also know the value of my marriage and the vows we made, so I understand why gays and lesbians would want to make that unique and important commitment, too. I teach my children not to judge others and to practice the Golden Rule. I feel confident that they learn their values from my wife and me and legalizing gay marriage is not going to change that, nor does it threaten my marriage. For all these reasons, I’ve now decided to support marriage for gays and lesbians.