No on 8 only has 30,000 donors

[NorthCarolina]

No on 8 only has 30,000 donors

BAY AREA REPORTER - NEWS
Published 10/16/2008

by Seth Hemmelgarn

Supporters of Proposition 8 came to Portsmouth Square in San Francisco's Chinatown Sunday, October 12, where they were met by No on 8 volunteers. Photo: Rick Gerharter



The campaign to defeat Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage initiative, only has 30,000 donors out of an estimated 1 million LGBT Californians, the campaign's director said Tuesday, October 14. Many of those contributors are straight allies.

Patrick Guerriero, who was brought in to help run the No on 8 campaign and is taking a leave from his job at the Gill Action Fund, reiterated during a conference call with LGBT media outlets the need for donations, saying that they must raise $1 million a day.

"We're the underdogs," he said.

While Guerriero said that "close to $1 million a day" has been raised since last week, figures reported on Election Track show that the various No on 8 groups and political action committees have raised far less on a daily basis.

The No on 8 campaign later clarified that Guerriero was including actual donations and pledges in his figure.

"In the last five days, we have received donations or pledges totaling between $500,000 and $1 million," a No on 8 spokeswoman said late Tuesday.

On its Web site, ProtectMarriage.com, the main group backing Prop 8, claims it has more than 57,000 donors. As of Tuesday, ProtectMarriage.com had raised just over $26 million, according to data filed with the secretary of state's office.

Guerriero said that the No on 8 campaign was hoping to cross the $20 million mark by Wednesday and to at least match their opponents' fundraising totals by November. He said they are counting on LGBT Californians to reach their goal.

"We know that the capacity to give is huge," Guerriero added. "To put it as boldly as possible, if every single LGBT adult would, over the next couple days, make a donation to this campaign, we would win, and if they don't, we would lose," Guerriero said.

No on 8 also needs more volunteers, and people are encouraged to talk to other Californians they know about the importance of defeating the proposition, campaign officials said.

"I think folks got a little lazy as a result of polls that were very old and taken before the other side went on air," Guerriero said Tuesday of the campaign's trouble in attracting donors.

In an interview with the Bay Area Reporter on Thursday, October 9, Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California - a key member of the No on 8 coalition - also cited complacency in the community as a problem, but said, "Over the last two days we've seen a significant increase in fundraising" and that the campaign's San Francisco headquarters the previous night had been packed with volunteers.

"There wasn't any room in here," Kors said.

Guerriero said, "By my guess, when push comes to shove, this thing ultimately could be a dead heat," but if every LGBT adult contributes, "We have a roadmap to win."

Daily figures from Election Track show that No on 8 raised a total of $97,547 on Monday; $71,500 on Sunday, and $175,008 on Saturday, which was National Coming Out Day.

Guerriero said there's been "an amazing, amazing week of generosity and giving to the campaign," but, "the challenge is we literally need to keep that pace up every day" between now and the election.

ProtectMarriage raised only about $630,000 since the beginning of the month, according to the secretary of state's data. The Election Track data showed it raised $87,750 Monday, $7,000 Sunday, and $26,000 Saturday. The money raised by Prop 8's backers has allowed them more time on the air, both on TV and radio. Therefore, Guerriero said it is crucial for No on 8 to also get its ads in front of voters.

"Getting the resources to be on TV and radio and match our opponents in an air war is the path to victory," Guerriero said. "It's that black and white."

He said that when voters see and hear No on 8's ads and the Yes on 8 ads, "we win by four or five points," but "when voters only hear or see our opponents' ads, we lose by double digits." He said the No on 8 ads are working, but "we need to be in more places and have greater penetration."

In an effort to reach that goal, No on 8 unveiled its fourth ad Wednesday. The commercial, titled "Unfair," shows newspaper editorials against Prop 8 such as the Los Angeles Times , and La Opinion, as well as organizations, including the California Teachers Association. Voters are told, "Regardless of how you feel about marriage, it's wrong to treat people differently under the law. No on 8. Unfair. Unnecessary. And wrong."

During a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Guerriero said Yes on 8's ads are "full of lies and misstatements," and that the No on 8 campaign "felt it was time to hit back and hit back hard. Enough is enough, really."

Lorri Jean, CEO of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and a member of the No on 8 executive committee, said in the conference call that "for the first time, we're competitive on television." She said the campaign has a statewide media buy that matches backers of the measure.

On Tuesday, Guerriero said backers of Prop 8, which would eliminate same-sex couples' right to marry in California, have called the battle over the measure "the Armageddon in the culture war."

"We've got to assume they're going to turn up the dial,"
Mayor Gavin Newsom rushes into the Russ Building to attend a meeting of the No on Prop 8 Equality Business Council Tuesday in the offices of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. Photo: Rick Gerharter
he said.

Guerriero noted that members of the Mormon Church have poured millions of dollars into supporting Prop 8 so far.

"This will be the most significant fight the movement has ever had on a ballot," Guerriero said. He said that 25 years from now, "You really want to have an answer," when people ask, "What did you do?" to help defeat Prop 8.

Tuesday out lesbian Ellen DeGeneres, who has yet to donate money to the No on 8 coffers, appeared in an ad for the campaign where she pleads with voters to defeat Prop 8.

In the ad, DeGeneres says, "I got to do something this year I never thought I'd ever be able to do: I got married ... There are people out there raising millions of dollars to try and take that right away from me. You've seen their ads on TV. They're twisting the truth, and they're trying to scare you. I believe in fairness. I believe in compassion. I believe in equality for all people. Proposition 8 does not. Please, please, vote no on Prop. 8."

It is not known if the ad will air on TV; Guerriero declined to say that it would. Currently the viral message is on the No on 8 Web site (http://www.noonprop8.com) and several LGBT blogs.

More here: http://ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=3398

[Ian David]

1. I donated. n/t

[NorthCarolina]

2. Me too, and I'm in NC

I am more than a bit surprised LGBT residents in CA haven't ponied up though.

[closeupready]

3. I don't mean to be a pessimist, but I do think it's likely to pass.

And the reason I say that is because for as long as I can remember, the popular perception of California was always that it was a liberal Democratic state, and while there is some basis for believing that, it's also true that this is the state that gave us Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Proposition 13, as well as Dannemeyer - I mean, I could go on and on.

So while I CERTAINLY hope it doesn't pass, I will not be surprised if it does. There is a lot of homophobia in California - in the entertainment industry, of course, among Xtian fundie protestant churches, among recent immigrants from Mexico and Russia, in Orange County and Sacramento, so just be prepared emotionally for what may happen.

[davidinalameda]

4. I sent them $100 a while ago

the campaign has been so poorly run; if it passes, I think we'll be able to come back in two years and get it overturned

[cboy4]

5. I realize Ellen taped an advertisement, and one can argue

the monetary value of that.

But it continues to rub me the wrong way that she reportedly still hasn't donated any of her fortune.

I mean her marriage is at stake. You'd think she'd be doing more, especially knowing our side is being outspent, and that straight stars are donating.

I don't know. It really bugs me.

[Maat]

6. I'm bugged by that also (Ellen not donating).

This PFLAGer will be working on it for all of this weekend (handing out information cards).

I donated again.

AND, I'll be dedicated to overturning it if it passes.

[JackBeck]

8. She purchased $100,000 of air time to show her ad.

I believe that's $100,000 less that No on 8 now has to spend on advertisements, so shouldn't that be considered a donation?

[dickthegrouch]

7. Grrrrrrrrrrr

This sort of report really gets me angry.

Last week I was beginning to despair as there were only 10 of us on the Tuesday evening phone bank (which really needs 30) to prevent marriage rights from being eliminated.

However, Tuesday night there was 58 of us!!!!

Finally people are getting involved. I have been an activist for gay rights since I was 19 and learned even back then that far too many gay people are perfectly content to go to the bar and get laid, but won't lift a finger to help themselves. Those people still make me very angry!

About half the people on Tuesday night were straight allies which is even better.

I think the bars, gyms and other meeting places should start collecting, or donating their cover charge to the campaign. I wish on election day they would only let people in who can produce a receipt for voting.