The Mormons' "Perfect Storm"

A respected historian says that, since the passage of Proposition 8, the Mormon Church is facing a PR nightmare, the likes of which it has never seen before.

Remember that the LDS Church poured millions of dollars into an effort to help pass Prop 8.



(Hat tip: Sheldon Rampton)

Mormons, Gays and 2012

The Mormon Church is getting a big round of applause from the Far Right for their efforts - $30 million worth of efforts - in helping Proposition 8 pass in California. First Read ponders if that could have any effect on the level of social conservatives' support for Mitt Romney, if he does as expected and seeks the presidency again in 2012.

I'm sorry, but what kind of fucked-up fantasy land are Republicans living in if, as a result of Mormons' efforts in barely passing a gay marriage ban in a state unwinnable in a presidential contest, they all go out and support Robot Romney for president?

Yes, I believe that the insanity on the Right may get worse before it gets better. Perhaps they'll be a reasonable political party again by... oh, 2024, or something like that.

How Blue is the Golden State?

Ezra Klein digs into the political geography - and the explanation behind it - of California:

The state's political transformation in recent years has been somewhat ideological, but it's been much more demographic. Namely, it's been driven by Latino immigration. Folks think of California and conflate its politics with San Francisco and Hollywood. White, affluent, cultural liberals. But that's not why California is reliably blue. In 2004, Bush had a five percent margin among white voters. Rather, California has a hefty minority, and in particular Latino, population:

In the aggregate, whites everywhere are somewhat conservative. But in other liberal states, they really do swing left. In Washington, Kerry had a six percent advantage among whites. In Vermont, he had an 18 percent advantage. Those are very liberal states. California, by contrast, is a very Democratic state, but somewhat less coherently liberal. It's solid blue because Latinos are solid blue, not because the place is packed with liberals. Nationally, California is defined by San Francisco and Hollywood, but its politics, for better or worse, really aren't driven by that mindset.