Oh My God! I'm a Minority!
How could this happen in America to a white, male or female, baby boomer? I've never been a minority in my whole life. However, my wife and I did something many years ago that has recently come back to haunt us and condemned us to minority status. We got married.
According to a New York Times story, dated October 15, 2006, as a married couple we are in a relationship that for the first time in the history of the country is in the minority. How could we know back then? We were so young!
The Times story reports that living alone, or with other unmarrieds, has overtaken married couples in the majority of households in the U.S. This is according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
It makes us very uncomfortable, considering America's past history of treating minorities with less than TLC. Worst of all it might make us a target of Karl Rove and other Republican strategists in the next election cycle.
Everyone knows that Rove, and his Republican predecessors, have made political hay bashing minorities, from blacks, to feminists, and most recently gays. They are also good at identifying a new minority like ours and quickly adapting their political strategy to take advantage of it for political gain.
Thank heavens the news of our minority status comes too late to be used as cannon fodder in the upcoming mid-term elections. But what about in election year 2008? I can see the Republican "attack ads" coming in the run-up to '08 election.
If I, my wife, or other married progressives run for office we'd best be prepared for the Republican onslaught of negative advertising. There's nothing like scapegoating a minority to hustle up a bushel full votes from the Republican base.
Here's what I fear Republican negative advertising against a married liberal would look like:
Voiceover:
"Vote Republican, vote for Joe Right Wingnut this fall. He's the father of three and has been happily divorced twice, just like Newt Gingrich. Joe is presently shacking up with his latest girlfriend.
He is just an average American like most of us. (Insert attractive color film of candidate
Wingnut, his housemate and three children, shot during his visitation weekend). He will lower your taxes by reinstating the marriage penalty on those shameless married couples who flout their relationships in public by wearing wedding rings."
(Switch to an unflattering, grainy black and white picture of the married Democratic candidate, looking out of the side of his eyes, making the candidate look as though he just stole a voter's wallet.)
Voiceover:
"This is Mr. Wingnut's opponent, (insert name). He (or she) wants to cut and run from Iran as well as Iraq. He wants to impose estate and gift taxes on Paris Hilton. If you can believe it, he actually expects business to live up to their pension obligations, and wants to make healthcare available to everyone, even poor children.
(Voice full of ridicule) But what would you expect, from a married person?
Vote Republican this fall. Vote Wingnut. Stop the "married minority" from running and ruining your life."
(Switch back to Wingnut, housemate, and kids, now playing with cute dog on lush green grass in front of a house that he does not own.)
"I'm Joe Wingnut and I approved this ad because my Republican consultant told me to."
Wow! It never occurred to me that those Republicans would smear the opposition party's candidates on a relationship status they used to praise. Until I became a minority. Now our "alternative lifestyle" has my wife and I very worried.
According to a New York Times story, dated October 15, 2006, as a married couple we are in a relationship that for the first time in the history of the country is in the minority. How could we know back then? We were so young!
The Times story reports that living alone, or with other unmarrieds, has overtaken married couples in the majority of households in the U.S. This is according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
It makes us very uncomfortable, considering America's past history of treating minorities with less than TLC. Worst of all it might make us a target of Karl Rove and other Republican strategists in the next election cycle.
Everyone knows that Rove, and his Republican predecessors, have made political hay bashing minorities, from blacks, to feminists, and most recently gays. They are also good at identifying a new minority like ours and quickly adapting their political strategy to take advantage of it for political gain.
Thank heavens the news of our minority status comes too late to be used as cannon fodder in the upcoming mid-term elections. But what about in election year 2008? I can see the Republican "attack ads" coming in the run-up to '08 election.
If I, my wife, or other married progressives run for office we'd best be prepared for the Republican onslaught of negative advertising. There's nothing like scapegoating a minority to hustle up a bushel full votes from the Republican base.
Here's what I fear Republican negative advertising against a married liberal would look like:
Voiceover:
"Vote Republican, vote for Joe Right Wingnut this fall. He's the father of three and has been happily divorced twice, just like Newt Gingrich. Joe is presently shacking up with his latest girlfriend.
He is just an average American like most of us. (Insert attractive color film of candidate
Wingnut, his housemate and three children, shot during his visitation weekend). He will lower your taxes by reinstating the marriage penalty on those shameless married couples who flout their relationships in public by wearing wedding rings."
(Switch to an unflattering, grainy black and white picture of the married Democratic candidate, looking out of the side of his eyes, making the candidate look as though he just stole a voter's wallet.)
Voiceover:
"This is Mr. Wingnut's opponent, (insert name). He (or she) wants to cut and run from Iran as well as Iraq. He wants to impose estate and gift taxes on Paris Hilton. If you can believe it, he actually expects business to live up to their pension obligations, and wants to make healthcare available to everyone, even poor children.
(Voice full of ridicule) But what would you expect, from a married person?
Vote Republican this fall. Vote Wingnut. Stop the "married minority" from running and ruining your life."
(Switch back to Wingnut, housemate, and kids, now playing with cute dog on lush green grass in front of a house that he does not own.)
"I'm Joe Wingnut and I approved this ad because my Republican consultant told me to."
Wow! It never occurred to me that those Republicans would smear the opposition party's candidates on a relationship status they used to praise. Until I became a minority. Now our "alternative lifestyle" has my wife and I very worried.
Labels: marriage, minorities, negative ads, Rove
posted by Marshall Darts at
10:53 AM
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