Herrie se blog

How liberal are Americans?

The landslide victory of Barack Obama as American president projected the image abroad of a nation well under way on the liberal road. After all, he proclaimed a gay and lesbian rights day, and supported abortion, including partial birth abortion.

Soon after the election, the Christian Coalition of America noted that Obama's election set the fight to stop abortions on demand back by 20 years. The CCA also reported on many cases where even clergy opposing abortions, voted for Obama, claiming they did not know of Obama's stance on this topic.

Soon a poll, for the first time since abortions were legalised, indicated that most Americans now oppose abortions.

Now the New England voters of Maine have voted legislation to allow gay marriages from the statute book. Not only are the Maine voters regarded as independent minded, but also as part and parcel of the "liberal" New England. Pro gay marriage supporters spent almost twice as much money in the election campaign as those opposed to allowing gays to be wed.

This result also indicates something more. Gay marriages legislation had been put to the vote in 31 US states, and in all 31 the voters turned gay marriages down. Californians voted to turn a court ruling, not legislation, down.

According to the Montana Standard five states have legalized gay marriage - starting with Massachusetts in 2004, and followed by Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Iowa  - but all did so through legislation or court rulings, not by popular vote. In contrast, constitutional amendments banning gay marriage have been approved in all 30 states where they have been on the ballot.

Deducting from American newspapers how liberal Americans are is not useful either. At least one study pointed out that the average American newspaper journalist is "left" from the average American.