If they really want to know what the problem is, they should look in the mirror:
In the aftermath of North Carolina’s 2014 election season, I interviewed several women who’d run and lost on the Democratic ticket in Rutherford County. One of them summed up the Republican rout as: “Across the board, voters want jobs and education. But they voted against gay marriage and abortion.”
Two years later, it’s shaping up to be déjà vu all over again. The same LGBT culture war rages on, with the same ability to suck all of the oxygen out of the political sphere. And in a familiar reaction, Democrats appear poised to remain almost solely focused during the election on this culture war’s latest battle, transgender bathroom access.
First of all, it's not about "culture," it's about basic human rights. Lives are at stake. Some 40% of transgender individuals will attempt suicide in their lifetimes, which is about equal to the rate Reservists who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for 2-3 combat tours attempt. PTSD takes many forms, but regardless of the stimuli, whether it's bombs or bullying, the end result is the same. And it must be addressed. I am proud the Democratic Party has stood up for these folks; it's not an aberration, it's what we do. And as far as those election losses: Rutherford County chose Bush over Gore 13,755 to 7,697, and chose Bush over Kerry 16,190 to 8,108. Gay marriage wasn't even on the radar back then, at least not in rural North Carolina, and abortion was still simmering at about the same level it had been for years. And this observation about Amendment 1 demonstrates even less logic:
http://ift.tt/1U5v3Hw
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