Since I live in Arizona I was among the slim majority of voters that voted to keep the same sex marriage ban off of the state constitution. With the sheer number of eldery (read Republican) people living in the state, I was absolutely shocked that it actually got voted down. In this instance, I think it was their campaigning that doomed them. For the entire week leading up to the vote, I received at least one (sometimes two) pre-recorded telephone message(s) every single day with some nutjob (always the same one, it was pre-recorded) telling me to vote for the ban or my children would be gay. That is not an exaggeration there, the message actually said that if I didn't vote for it my children would think that same sex marriage was a "real marriage", and they would be more likely to take a spouse of the same gender (this despite the fact that same sex marriage is already illegal in the state. The actual proposition would have written it to the constitution as well as expressly stripping same sex couples of any of the legal rights granted to traditional couples). This was obviously recorded by someone on the far, far fringes of the right, and I really think that it hurt their cause overall.

I got this call every day even though (possibly because) I am a registered democrat, have an unlisted phone number, and am on the national "do not call" list. If everyone else got the same call that I did, I really think the preachy, better-than-thou tone would have caused them to vote against it rather than for it.

 

Apparently the new speaker of the house said that she wouldn't be passing articles of impeachment. Stupid cow.

As for the same-sex marriage bans, so far 27 out of 28 proposals have been approved on ballots, so it's not like that's a great thing to cheer about. Interestingly, all the pro-gay marriage groups were hoping Wisconsin would vote no on their bill, but it was yes with something like 58% of the vote. Then Arizona goes and says 'no' with a very slim margin, interesting that apparently no one saw that coming.

 

you gotta look at political realities, Lanth. Impeachement requires 2/3 majority (IIRC) and Democrats have about 7/13 majority, even assuming they could prove Bush did anything impeachable. I wouldn't bet on that; as much as he prizes loyalty and as famously uninvolved with policy as the man is, his lawyers would have no problem saying he didn't know he was lying, that he just did what his researchers told him was best, etc.

Besides, impeachment would make democrats look vengeful and partizan and paralyze any new legislation. Much better the Dems oppose Bush's unpopular proposals, pass lots of popular legislation that Bush vetos, and use that to usher in a Dem president in '08, along with a sustained democratic senate majority.