Democratic gay rights support may be weak (especially in certain regions) but AFAIK it's Republicans actually pushing them back.

But then again, I have the feeling I've had this conversation before, so maybe I'm wrong and there are some areas where Democrats are doing it too.

Final: Obama won the "attend religious once per week or more" vote last night. Partly because the white religious people feel ripped off by Bush, and partly because of the minority turn out for democrats.

Many Democrats are not godless liberals like me. Many vote democrat because the religion says to take care of those less fortunate than themselves.

Er what?

Gay marriage isn't a civil right.  Legal recognition of economic co-dependance is.  Marriage is a religious institution, and I cannot for the life of me understand why homosexuals want a label that has identified so closely with religions that dont support them for thousands of years.

Affirmative action was a necessary policy, but in some respects it has begun to work in reverse.  I am not ready to say it should go, but it certainly needs to be reviewed.

Equal education funding?  Being Australian I can't tell you specifics of US policies but I'm guessing there is not Republican policy opposing equal access to education.

I could argue that Affirmative Action has become racist....

1) People said/say that about interracial marriage too.

2) Pretty much agree, but Affirmatve Action (for work places) in the U.S. isn't about quotas (though companies and universities impose them on themselves) it's just legal protection from discrimination.  It's very hard to enforce, Republicans are against strengthening it.  It was put into place to undo laws prohibiting it.

3) It's called "No Child Left Behind".  It made it legal for school districts to allocate money according to standardized test score (better score, more money)... Which schools do you think will get better funding under this plan, the school in the projects or the school in the upper middle class white neighborhood where all the kids went to private preschool and have tutors for the one's who struggle?

Affirmative action isn't perfect, but it does a lot more good than bad.  There are many things in place that work against minorities that the government can't control, allowing minorities to sue for discrimination is somethiung they can do.

If your argument is that the state should not be declaring people "married", then you would support taking that legal recognition AWAY from straight couples instead of giving it to gays?  The whole point of the civil rights angle is equal rights, so I guess that would work.  Good luck with that though.

All major religions support male-female marriage in all (normal) forms whether within or without their specific religion.

Hell, you could say they are happy to license it out to the state.

I talked about this in the other post.

Homosexual couples wanting "gay marriage" to be legalized are more interested is being treated the same than getting equal rights.  Those are two seperate things.  Do you think they will be happly with a different union being formed just for them which gives them the same rights? Probably not.

Until the definition of marriage is changed, there is no "gay marriage" to ban.  It is an oxymoron.  Lets ban boiling ice while we are at it.

1) And you think that Republicans are against legal recognition of economic co-dependance?

2) Affirmative action was nessecary, but it does NOW need to go. All it's doing is putting unqualified people into positions and places that they are doing far more harm than good. Would you want a doctor that was put there due to AA, and not for his abililty to perform good quality surgeries? And since AA needs to go....Which party do you think will actually take a stand on bringing it down and ending racial inequalities?

3) Actually, republicans want better access to all types of schools. We have something wonderful in America called "homeschooling" and "private schools" that the Democrats absolutely hate. They also are far cheaper to fund, and give kids better education - Republicans want to give vouchers to said school choices (just as much as public school) to ensure true school choice.

So now you're against the separation of church and state?  This gets better and better.

Equal rights would be being able to achieve the same legal status as straight people.  Churches can do whatever they want but there is no reason for the state to discriminate between gay and straight couples.  Let them all be "married" in the eyes of the law, or let none of them be and call it civil union or whatever.

Also, could you point me to that other post?  I don't see any other post in this thread where you talk about gay marriage.