Comments on: Minorities Fear Prop 8 Precedent http://www.republicoft.com/2008/11/24/minorities-fear-prop-8-precedent/ Black. Gay. Father. Vegetarian. Buddhist. Liberal. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:47:01 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: sp98 http://www.republicoft.com/2008/11/24/minorities-fear-prop-8-precedent/comment-page-1/#comment-186763 sp98 Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:51:08 +0000 http://www.republicoft.com/2008/11/24/minorities-fear-prop-8-precedent/#comment-186763 The threat to minority rights may now be a concern to the leadership of the NAACP, and Hispanic and Asian-American groups, but I doubt that minority voters are loosing much sleep over it. While most women and Asian-Americans voted against Prop 8, the majority of African-Americans and Hispanics supported it (if I remember the numbers correctly). Furthermore, these minorities' civil rights are not threatened by state referenda or constitutional amendments, as they are guaranteed by Federal law, which supercedes any state statute. And, given the inherent inertia in Federal constitutional structures, it seems unlikely that national bare-majority plebiscites are coming any time soon – at least not before the Electoral College is retired, and I’m not holding my breath for that one. In the meantime, besides petitioning the courts, what steps are these organizations likely to take to convince their followers of the threat to minority rights that the precedent of Prop 8 represents? Will they be speaking in the churches? The threat to minority rights may now be a concern to the leadership of the NAACP, and Hispanic and Asian-American groups, but I doubt that minority voters are loosing much sleep over it. While most women and Asian-Americans voted against Prop 8, the majority of African-Americans and Hispanics supported it (if I remember the numbers correctly).

Furthermore, these minorities’ civil rights are not threatened by state referenda or constitutional amendments, as they are guaranteed by Federal law, which supercedes any state statute. And, given the inherent inertia in Federal constitutional structures, it seems unlikely that national bare-majority plebiscites are coming any time soon – at least not before the Electoral College is retired, and I’m not holding my breath for that one.

In the meantime, besides petitioning the courts, what steps are these organizations likely to take to convince their followers of the threat to minority rights that the precedent of Prop 8 represents? Will they be speaking in the churches?

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