But having covered the race pretty closely, I don’t see much evidence that Scozzafava was brought down because of her support for gay marriage. If that had been her only affront to conservative voters, I think she would have survived. The Club for Growth — which Doug Hoffman’s campaign spokesman Rob Ryan credited with putting “gas in the tank” for the campaign — would not likely have spent money against Scozzafava if she were pro-gay marriage but also anti-stimulus and anti-card check. The Susan B. Anthony List, a huge player in the fight against Scozzafava, did not mention gay marriage in its endorsement of Hoffman. And while the National Organization for Marriage funded pro-Hoffman handouts, I didn’t talk to any voters who considered gay marriage an issue.

Could a conservative Republican oust an incumbent in a primary if that incumbent backed gay marriage? Anything’s possible. But the long-term lesson of Maine is not that, once again, anti-gay marriage forces got 53 percent of a state to strip away marriage rights. It’s that they had to do so after the state legislature passed marriage rights and the governor signed them — which meant NOM was in the position of circumventing legislators, not threatening them.

“Never before have voters had the chance to directly overturn the legislative enactment of same-sex marriage in any state in the country,” says NOM Executive Director Brian Brown. “If we lose marriage in Maine, we risk losing marriage everywhere.”

Whole letter after the jump.

Friends,

Let me be direct: Unless we act now, marriage will be redefined in Maine. Never before have voters had the chance to directly overturn the legislative enactment of same-sex marriage in any state in the country. If we lose marriage in Maine, we risk losing marriage everywhere.

I’m not asking you today for contributions for the National Organization for Marriage. NOM is dedicated to winning the marriage fight. Period. We don’t have a bloated staff or overhead. We were the largest contributor both to the Proposition 8 effort in California and to Stand for Marriage Maine. We put our money where our mouth is. But we have stretched ourselves as far as we can go.

It is now up to you to make the difference. We want your money to go where it is most useful in the fight. And right now, Yes on 1/Stand for Marriage Maine needs your support in a way that no state marriage group has needed it before.

I’m asking you to read the powerful e-mail below from my friend, Marc Mutty, chairman of Stand for Marriage Maine, and to think long and hard about what marriage is worth to you, your family, and your country—and then to give whatever you can today to Stand for Marriage Maine to protect this precious institution.

I’m also asking you to forward this e-mail to everyone you know that supports protecting marriage across the country. Send it to your friends on Facebook, post it on your blog, send it to your e-mail contacts. Do anything you can to get the message out: If we don’t act now we risk losing the most important state battle for marriage since California. It’s that simple. And it’s up to you.
Yours for marriage,

Brian S. Brown
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage

The best news for traditional marriage activists is this: 76 percent of voters “believe that if the gay marriage law is upheld it will result in gay marriage being taught in Maine schools.” That “save the children” message has been key to the “Yes on 1″ campaign. But with less than three weeks before the vote, the “No on 1″ campaign has the upper hand.

“I love the gay press,” said Gallagher. “I really am impressed with gay journalists, as a group. I like reading the marriage issue in the gay press because they cover it as if what happens matters, whereas if you read The New York Times, it’s always about how this is going to affect who gets elected president.”

Fair enough — my questions were about NOM’s chances of winning a November 2009 gay marriage vote in Maine, and about whether pro-gay marriage campaigners were making the right moves there.

“I’m pretty confident that, as in California, we’re going to win,” said Gallagher. “We’re in much better shape in Maine than we were in California at a similar point. We were ten points down on September 1, 2008 and we won. I saw a poll yesterday that had us up two points in Maine.”

Gallagher also dismissed a TV ad by Equality Maine, a pro-gay marriage group that beat pro-traditional marriage forces to the airwaves.

“I think that ad is not very effective,” she said. “I think that’s a very soft-focus, nice, pleasant ad, but I don’t think it changed any minds one way or another. If I was them, I wouldn’t be spending money there.”

“Carrie is going to obey, I think, the most frequently repeated command in the Bible,” said Gallagher. “Be not afraid. God bless you, Carrie.”

“Thank you for thousands of Americans who have believed in me, who have supported me, who have been in this fight with me,” said Prejean. “I cannot thank you enough.” Rightwingwatch has video, and there’s more after the jump.

There was huge applause, and then Prejean got to topic of her speech: Herself. Some highlights:

- “I’m sure a lot of you have seen me on the news and heard me in interviews.”

- “As I entered into the pageantry world, I was raised as a total athlete. I was a complete jock. I played four sports. I was a varsity basketball starter.”

- “I entered into the pageant, and from there, I just became so successful with it. And anything that I put my mind to, and anything I was determined to do.”

- “I always saw pageants as doing better for the world.”

- “I never thought that I would be up on a stage representing, you know, the state of California.”

- “I even had an accent-modification coach, because some people said I sounded like I was from the midwest. I guess I say my Os funny.”

- “I felt very proud of who I had become.”

- “You can be an athlete and be feminine at the same time.”

After much of this, Prejean finally told the story of the fateful pageant night. “In my head,” she said, “I could not believe that they were asking that question at Miss USA. I thought it was extremely inappropriate for that venue.” The crowd rose up with applause. “In my head, I was asking: ‘God, why are they asking this question?’”

From there, Prejean told the story of the backlash as the packed ballroom listened raptly.

“I don’t know why chose to attack my mother, my father, my 90-year old grandmother, on a daily basis,” said Prejean. “There was something wrong with turning on the TV and seeing people mock me for my faith.”

Prejean turned on the heat from there. “I am disgusted with the way some people can be so intolerant. It disgusts. But you know what? I am here today because I am still standing. I have not been defeated.”

The crowd was with her. “For the thousands and perhaps millions of Americans who have followed me, who have believed in me, and seen me as just a little beauty pageant girl who was supposed to say ‘world peace.’”

Prejean almost let her emotions get the better of her. “I may not have won the crown that night,” she said, then paused for four seconds, apparently choked up. “I know the Lord has such a bigger crown waiting for me.”

–

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The National Organization for Marriage bought more than $80,000 in ads to support Burgmeier, an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage rights. Two other groups — Iowans for Tax Relief and the Iowa Family Policy Center — seemed to play a central role in the Republican’s campaign, which spent more time criticizing Gov. Chet Culver and Democratic bigwigs than talking about Hanson.

Only 8,046 people voted in the election, which means NOM spent roughly $10 per voter on this ad:

NOM is claiming victory anyway for “making gay marriage an issue.”

We will make the case that her title was taken from her solely because of her support of traditional marriage. [Miss California USA official] Keith Lewis has refused to clear her good name or even to admit any wrongdoing.  Therefore, Carrie Prejean is left with no alternative but to take her case to court where she expects to be fully vindicated.

The 15 minutes tick on …

According to a report filed with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board yesterday, the anti-gay marriage group National Organization for Marriage has purchased $86,060 worth of television and radio ads to support Stephen Burgmeier, the Republican candidate in the special election in Iowa House District 90.

The “independent expenditure” report (pdf), which the group was required by law to file, is scant on any other details of the ad buy, and so far I do not see the ads published anywhere online. NOM Executive Director Brian S. Brown’s signature is at the bottom of the form, which lists a Washington, D.C., address.

It’s safe to say that in rural Iowa, $86,068 buys a lot of advertising time. It is comparable to the amount that some candidates — even in close races — will spend on television and radio over the course of a full-length general election campaign.

In case you’d forgotten, NOM drew a lot of attention earlier this year for this.

Here’s my message to Carrie: Congratulations. Free at last. Free at last. Free at last to craft your own mission and message. God has a plan for you Carrie and we look forward to watching and applauding the next stage in your journey towards Christ.

The whole email is below the fold.

Dear Friend of Marriage,

You’ve heard the news: Miss California USA pageant official Keith Lewis fired Carrie Prejean. Hollywood is doing a tribal war dance. We’re appalled. We’re outraged. But we are not worried about Carrie.

Keith Lewis also admitted on national television that he didn’t even pick up the phone and call Carrie to tell her before he alerted the media. What kind of boss acts like that? It tells you everything you need to know about who was acting in bad faith here.

Carrie Prejean was asked a question: Do you support gay marriage? She answered honestly—like millions of others in California and across this great country: No. Of course not.

From that day forward the attacks have been unremitting.

First they attacked her, then they tried to get her to recant, then they threw mud at her, now they fired her and continue to besmear and besmirch her. Pageant officials like Keith Lewis claim they want to move on and yet they are going on national TV to attack her, her lawyer, and even her pastor!

What kind of people act like this?

Of course Carrie isn’t perfect, but she is honest, courageous and strong in standing up for the truth about marriage. She’s being attacked not for anything she ever did wrong but for one great thing she did right! And she’s not the only one. Thousands of decent, honorable, law-abiding, good Americans are facing attacks because they, like Carrie, have the courage to speak truth to power, to stand for God’s truth about marriage.

So here’s my message to Carrie: Congratulations. Free at last. Free at last. Free at last to craft your own mission and message. God has a plan for you Carrie and we look forward to watching and applauding the next stage in your journey towards Christ.

And here’s my message for you: Help us get the message out!

Carrie’s new website, StandWithCarrie.com, was launched today. Please take a minute to visit her site, and then send a message to five of your friends.

By now, you’ve probably seen our TV ad highlighting the venom that has been directed at Carrie, and that generated so much attention 6 weeks ago. (Click here to watch the ad.) This ad has already been wildly successful, reaching millions with its poignant message, and yet there’s more work to be done!

Same-sex marriage isn’t just about two people living as they please, but about whether a large majority of Americans are going to be marginalized as bigots by a group of elites determined to force their new vision of marriage on the entire nation.

Will you help us get this message out today? With your help, we’ll expand our ad buys into new markets, increase our online outreach, and together reach our goal of “two million for marriage.”