Opinion: Campaign over marriage amendment will change North Carolina

There’s been some talk in light of the General Assembly’s decision this week to approve the so-called “marriage amendment” that “not much will really change.” According to this line of thinking – promoted mostly by amendment supporters – all their decision to send the amendment to the May ballot does is to preserve the status quo. “So, we’ll have a vote next year on something that’s already barred by law,” say the supporters. “What’s the big deal?”

Whether it’s sincere or knowingly deceptive, this is ridiculous, head-in-the-sand talk. The hard truth of the matter is that, whatever the outcome of the debate that takes place during the next 236 days, North Carolina and its citizenry will be profoundly affected and changed.

The impact of the impending campaign itself is not an issue that many people have discussed over the last couple of days as the mad rush to ram the amendment through the General Assembly ran its course. Most people have been focused on the amendment itself, the actual language of the proposal, the arguments pro and con, the practical results of enshrining such a proposal in our constitution, and the appalling lack of process that House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger employed in passing the proposal.

Fewer people have been focused on what this week’s legislative decision means for the North Carolina body politic itself – what it will really mean to have such a raw, divisive, emotional and unprecedented campaign.

Battle lines
One person who does seem to grasp what the amendment vote portends for our state is State Rep. Ray Rapp — a moderate Democrat from the mountains of Madison County. Rapp touched on this matter during Monday afternoon’s debate on the House floor:

“We can stir up this whole state; get everybody pitted against one another, get everybody angry. And what I’m really concerned about in that regard is what we’re hearing from the business community. They really don’t like it when we’re declaring – when we’re unleashing culture wars in this state. They’re not real happy about that because it’s not good for their environment and I’ve heard from businessmen.”

Think about it for a minute. Rapp is completely right. Think about the millions of dollars worth of TV, radio and internet ads to which we can now look forward. Think about the flyers that will start materializing on the windshields of churchgoers, bingo players and Friday night football game attendees. Think about the business boycotts. Think about the rumors and innuendo and deceptions that will be sprayed about. Think about the Thanksgiving table and bar room arguments. Good God, think about the anonymous, venom-filled comments and rumors that will fill the radio talk shows and news websites throughout the state.

This isn’t going to be just any old, run-of-the-mill campaign — it’s going to be a knockdown, drag-out, no-holds-barred brawl; a pitched battle for the very heart and soul of our state. …

For the complete commentary by Schofield, click here.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Webmaster
Mountain Xpress Webmaster Follow me @MXWebTeam

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

6 thoughts on “Opinion: Campaign over marriage amendment will change North Carolina

  1. RF

    This is a nasty wart of bigotry sitting squarely on the face of the citizens of North Carolina.

  2. Christopher C NC

    I’m asking again because I still find it hard to believe. How can a proposed change to the state constitution be on the ballot in the primaries in May and not the general election in November? There must be some rules about such things.

  3. Thunder Pig

    It was originally scheduled to be on the ballot for November, but was changed during the course of the debate because Democrats charged it was on the November Ballot as a GOTV device for the Republicans…so they moved it to the primary.

  4. Kilgore

    Thunder, did Democrats ask for it to be moved during the debate? From what I have read, the Republicans moved it to May preemptively, in the guise of doing it for Democrats. When in actuality, they have a much better chance of passing this during the primary season, when there will likely be no opposition to Obama, thus limiting the number of Democrats that will be at the polls. I find the whole thing sickening myself.

  5. Phillip Marlowe

    A couple of things. First, Ray Rapp is anything but a moderate Democrat. He is a kind elder statesman who votes the extreme left on everything. Insofar as the May primary deal, that was a request from the Democrats. They wanted it in May simply because they did not want it to be used as a GOTV issue for Republicans. Honestly, next year this issue is not needed at all as Obama is motivation enough.

  6. OceanofWisdom

    yes, Ray Rapp is your model lieberal democrat in the same leftwing tent as Susan Fisher and Taxey Keever, and crook Martin Nesbitt.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.