Oct 31, 2008 10:57 pm US/Pacific
Proposition 8 Supporters Use Obama In Mailer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ―
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A same-sex couple holds hands as they enter San Francisco City Hall June 17, 2008, in San Francisco.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The sponsors of a ballot initiative that would make same-sex marriage illegal in California are using quotes by Barack Obama to drum up support for Proposition 8, even though Obama opposes the measure.
A mailer sent out by the ProtectMarriage.com coalition this week features a large picture of Obama. The mailer also presents statements the Illinois senator made this year indicating that he personally thinks marriage should be limited to a woman and man.
One of the quotes, "I'm not in favor of gay marriage," came from Obama's April appearance on "Hardball with Chris Matthews." During that interview, Obama went on to say "...but I'm in favor of a very strong civil union." The second was from an August forum at Saddleback Church in La Mesa, where Obama said that as a Christian, he considered marriage "a sacred union."
The campaign to defeat Prop. 8 denounced the mailers as a "dirty trick" designed to mislead African American voters who are Obama supporters. The mailer also includes endorsements from four African American pastors.
"The Proposition 8 campaign has had a record of shameful lies and trying to trick voters. This is yet another example of that," spokesman Fred Sainz said Friday.
The No on 8 campaign called on ProtectMarriage.com to stop circulating the piece and released a statement from the Obama campaign repeating that while he favors civil unions for gay couples, but thinks the measure is discriminatory.
"Senator Obama has already announced that the Obama-Biden ticket opposes Proposition 8 and similar discriminatory constitutional amendments that could roll back the civil rights he and Senator Biden strongly believe should be afforded to all Americans," campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said in the statement.
Jeff Flint, ProtectMarriage.com co-manager, said there was nothing misleading about quoting Obama in the mailer.
"The mailer doesn't say he is in favor of 8, It quotes him on things he has said. That's indisputable," Flint said. "I'm sure they are upset we quote the Democratic nominee for president word for word on things he said."
The race over Prop. 8 has tightened over the last six weeks and Tuesday's vote is expected to be close. A Field Poll released Friday found 49 percent of likely voters oppose the ban and 44 percent favor it. In mid-September, the measure was losing by 17 points.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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