Wednesday, May 16, 2012

91 Percent Oppose Gay Marriage? - BLOGS - The Morning Call

May 14, 2012

Total People in Discussion: 18

Obameter?? I was shocked to see that 91 percent of the 11,484 respondents to a Morning Call Question of the Day last week said they did not favor President Obama?s stance supporting gay marriage.

?? I know we shouldn?t put much stock in any response to one of those Morning Call questions. For whatever reason, I?ve found they tend to skew more conservative than the Lehigh Valley as a whole, based on election results and real polls. Because they?re not scientific, you can?t reliably draw any conclusions from a poll in which everyone is invited to click on an? answer,. You have no way of knowing if it the respondents are representative of the area?s larger population.

?? For example, I think you?ll find that among many young people, gay marriage is a nonissue. Since newspaper readership tends to skew older, those younger people probably were underrepresented.

?? Still, that margin was so wide that it far exceeds whatever that demographic difference would suggest.? Polls show that that the population as a whole increasingly is OK with gay marriage and is pretty evenly divided on the issue. Are people voting differently when they get to do it anonymously?

??? Obama himself described his view as something that has evolved over the years, a process I think many of us have undergone. I like to believe that he?s sincere about that, rather than this was some kind of political calculation, but I have no doubt that politics at least were discussed before he went public.

? ? Either way, I think it was the right decision. If we agree that people don?t really get to choose their sexual orientation ? and I think the science and plain common sense have made that clear ? it?s hard to argue that they shouldn?t be able to formalize their relationships in the same way straight people do.

?? I have no problem with particular religions choosing not to perform or sanction gay marriages. That?s their right. ?But our government needs to get out of the way of people?s pursuit of commitment and happiness ? and out of everyone?s? bedrooms in general.

? What do you think? Are you part of that 91 percent? Do you think that number really reflects the Lehigh Valley?s viewpoint?

Trackback URL for this entry: http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c4fe353ef0168eb7e79e2970c Listed below are links to weblogs that reference 91 Percent Oppose Gay Marriage?

abe lincoln vampire hunter jeremy lin xi jinping matt bomer westminster kennel club dog show jeremy lin game winner chocolate covered strawberries

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.