On a day when California became only the second state in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage (Massachusetts did so in a landmark decision in May 2004), President Bush was in Israel to mark the country's 60th anniversary as sovereign state. The U.S. and Israel have enjoyed a special, if, at times, tumultuous relationship since President Truman made the U.S. the first country to recognize Israel's establishment declaration on Friday, 14 May, 1948.
Now, President Bush has made the creation of a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority a cornerstone of his desired foreign policy legacy. Still, conditions on the ground (as I experienced them first hand during a trip the region in late March and early April, as well as my observations through readings and conversations with Palestinians and Israelis living or traveling in the Middle East) suggest that this, like so many of the embattled president's past proposals, will represent yet another Bush initiative that falls by the wayside.
Now, let's turn to California.
Same-sex Marriage Legalized in California, Could Become a Campaign Issue:
In a landmark ruling yesterday, the California Supreme Court overturned a ruling that had banned same-sex marriage, making it the second state in the country to legalize such unions.
The Court was divided on the issue, and it's 4-3 decision was elucidated in an opinion statement by Chief Justice Ronald George, who argued that, based on the Court's ruling to overturn a ban on interracial marriage sixty years ago, it could not now maintain such a ban on same-sex unions, today. George said the state's constitution gave each citizen a clear and unwavering right to 'form a family' orientation, regardless of sexual orientation.The law will go into effect in 30 days, unless the Court places a stay on it, which is not expected.
Political Implications:
Immediately, right-to-life groups in California began mobilizing to get signatures for a referendum that would appear on ballots in November to alter the state's constitution and make make same-sex marriage illegal. Such efforts could have a significant on local and statewide races in California come November, as they would mobilize social conservatives who might otherwise stay home from the polls, to get out and cast their vote in favor of the referendum, as well as more conservative candidates.
On the surface, this type of a development would represent a boon for the campaign of GOP Senator John McCain, who hopes to make California competitive for Republicans for the first time since 1988. However, McCain still struggles making his case to conservative wing of his party, and he will likely need a right-wing running mate to shore up their support come November. If he does go this route, it is doubtful whether conservative voters lured to the voting booths of California in order to express frustration over same-sex marriage will support McCain over minor, more conservative presidential candidates.
The issue of same-sex marriage has a track record of influencing national elections. In 2004, in the key swing state of Ohio, a referendum to ban same-sex marriage helped Bush supporters to mobilize voters in conservative pockets of the state, such as Cuyahoga County and other, more rural locations, who might not have otherwise braved the late-fall cold to cast their ballot. If McCain plays his cards wisely in terms of selecting a running mate, he could utilize the potential uprising against the California Supreme Court's recent ruling to make the state competitive. And, make no mistake, if California comes into play, Democrats have a fresh bag of issues with which to deal.
Bush Visits the Holy Land (or at least part of it):
On Wednesday, 14 May, President Bush was in Israel to mark the 60th anniversary of the country's founding and bolster ties to embattled Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, who faces accusations in an ongoing corruption probe (see entry from Thursday, 08 May). Bush's trip the region doubled as a basis for talks in his mission to secure a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority before he leaves office next January. Of course, winning peace in the Middle East has become something of a final year swan song for U.S. presidents, with former front-man Bill Clinton scurrying to do the same in the closing months of his administration in 2000 and early 2001.
One thing separates Bush from his predecessor- incompetence. O.K., this quality may not separate 'W' from all former presidents, but the degree to which he displays it must come close to having no precursor. We reported on Wednesday of Bush's attempt to assuage the grieving of families whose relative have served, or are currently serving, in the war in Iraq, by giving up one of his favorite pastimes- golf. Aside from being an absolute slap in the face to those who continue to suffer from this grueling conflict, the gesture further illustrates the president's absolute inability to comprehend the breadth of issues and emotions that surround him.
Turn to his current trip to Israel. His objective is to work with Israeli and Palestinian leaders alike to come up with an accord that will meaningfully and positively affect the lives of citizens in Historic Palestine. In order to do this, it would seem as though the president would want to visit and speak with stakeholders of all different perspectives, particularly Palestinians, who have borne the brunt of economic desolation more so than their counterparts in Israel, but whose violent attacks on the Israeli state constantly give pause to ongoing peace talks between Arab and Western leaders and dominate the headlines in Western media.
Having visited the West Bank just over a month ago, I know that ordinary Palestinian citizens and families want peace, security, and an opportunity to thrive economically. Indeed, it is the lack of the latter that inspires a great deal of the suicide and rocket attacks that endanger entirely innocent Israeli populations, especially those just north of Gaza. In an absolute and unconditional sense, such attacks are inexcusable, monstrous, and must stop- period.
However, if Israeli and Western leaders want to encourage such a cessation in these horrific acts of violence, the quickest and most effective way for them to do so would be to step-up efforts to offer economic opportunity to the Palestinian people. As I toured the West Bank, I came to numerous villages in which dozens of shops had been boarded up, and young men lined the streets, sitting idly, watching us as we passed. During discussions with some of these young folks, I learned that many, indeed most, of them were educated, often having earned masters degrees or doctorates in the hard sciences, accomplishments that should entitle them to a lucrative financial existence and career in which their intellectual capacities were fully utilized.
However, this was simply not happening. Instead, due to political instability within the West Bank and Gaza, which makes virtually non-existent the type of foreign direct investment necessary to spur job creation and anything close to full employment, these men were sitting on street corners, passing the hours idly, and feeling the resentment and anger build up inside themselves. Such anger, it seems, always requires an outlet, and it was easy for these men to target Israel and its main broker, the U.S., for their disaffectedness.
Whether you agree or disagree with their conclusion, the fact of the matter remains that it is such idleness and resentment that breeds much of the violence currently plaguing Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. Quelling these dangerous sources requires on the ground research by policymakers at the highest levels, which leads me to the conclusion that President Bush, if he truly hopes to win a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority before leaving office, should have visited the West Bank to fully observe the daily living conditions of Palestinian citizens. Anything short of such on the ground observation will leave this, just like many past efforts of his, doomed to failure.
McCamley Hits the Airwaves (finally):
It seems as though I do most of my political research, at least in terms of the Land of Enchantment's upcoming primary elections, perched atop a treadmill. As I saddled up and hit full stride during my morning run today, across the screen came the young and bold 2nd district Congressional candidate, Bill McCamley. Vastly outfundraised and, this blog has argued, outworked by his opponent in the 2nd district's Democratic primary, Harry Teague, McCamley had remained conspicuously AWOL from the television airwaves since the campaign season hit full steam.
However, this morning, McCamley opened an empassioned ad in which he decries the special interests dominating Washington, which, he claims have led to the pinch working class families currently feel at the pump, as well as the reality that nearly 50 million Americans still cannot afford health insurance. Hard-hitting, direct, and altogether forceful, McCamley's spot seeks to present the candidate as the people's choice and gives no mention of his primary opponent. McCamley also cites his middle-class background and reality that, at some points, his own family could not afford health care.
Teague Maintains Popular Edge:
Despite its clear, concise, and admittedly compelling message, McCamley's ad leaves this blogger unconvinced that he is the candidate most aware of, and committed to, the problems vexing ordinary New Mexicans. As a preface, I admire the work McCamley has done as a policymaker on the Dona Ana County Commission, as well as an organizer in economic and renewable energy development initiatives in low-income communities across New Mexico. Now, he's put himself in the thick of a race that could return a Democrat to Congress from Southern New Mexico for the first time in more than a generation. Hats off indeed to Bill McCamley. However, let's get to some real talk.
Harry Teague knows real hardship and has spent his life working to ensure that others do not have to experience the same type of struggle he and his family did when he was a young man. Teague has also spent no time taking his eye of the troubling issues that challenge middle-class Southern New Mexicans, such as affordable health care, rising fuel costs, the war in Iraq, and myriad other problems that leave thousands calling for new, bolder leadership in Washington.
While McCamley has, at times, strayed from the positive messages so badly needed to be articulated by reform candidates in '08 elections, Teagues has never taken his eye off the ball. This is a guy who dropped out of high school in order to work for less than $2/hour to pay his sick father's medical bills. This is a guy who did not know what it was like to have electricity in his home until moving to Hobbs during the middle of his childhood. And this is a guy who has provided the ultimate gift of a college education to dozens of his employees' children, whom otherwise would have had an extremely difficult time affording a tertiary degree.
Across New Mexico, thousands of individuals and families currently experience the challenges once felt so profoundly by Harry Teague. I see this struggle everyday in my classroom in Navajo Nation, in which, each day, I work with more than eighty students who do battle with poverty, health problems, and, in many cases, domestic strife, on a daily basis. While I've only been a teacher for nine months, I will never forget the names and stories of the students I teach. Their dreams, dramas, and triumphs will touch and inform my life forever. I believe that Harry Teague, having battled and prevailed in similar circumstances has built his public career and current campaign for Congress around the cause of improving life for those people who do not know the dream of equity, do not dream the dream of college, and who cannot, for reasons beyond their control, imagine breaking the ravaging bonds of poverty.
These folks must be at the heart of our progressive ideal to create a more equitable country. Their stories must drive our work to create and expand political, economic, and social opportunities in low-income communities. And their plight should solidify in our minds the realization that, as Dr. King said so many years ago, we can never be who we ought to be as people, until all others are as they ought to be. We are connected in our struggle for justice- Harry Teague understands this, and his understanding underpins his current campaign for Congress and would inform in the most profound way imaginable his work in Washington.
Signing off from Winning's- this is the New Mexico Progress.
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