Little information about the group that is hosting the GOP debate tonight

[NNN0LHI]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Organization_for_Marriage

National Organization for Marriage

NOM has said that it has a wide base of grassroots support, but the majority of its funding is from a very few large anonymous donors. In NOM's IRS filing for 2009, three donations of $2.4 million, $1.2 million and $1.1 million made up 68% of NOM's contributions and grants income of a little over $7.1 million, and just five donations made up 75%. In 2010, Jesse Zwick, then a reporter for the Washington Independent, said he uncovered a 2009 donation to NOM—$1.43 million from the Knights of Columbus—that reporter Luke Johnson later said was apparently not reported to the IRS by NOM.

Gay rights activist Fred Karger gave his opinion that NOM is connected to the Latter Day Saint movement, with large private donations coming from Mormon sources. Gallagher responded by denying any connection to the LDS movement "except that a Mormon serves on NOM's board." Former board member Matthew S. Holland is a Mormon as is his replacement Orson Scott Card, and Catholic board member Robert P. George has served since August 2010 as an editorial advisor to the Deseret News, a Mormon newspaper. Reporter Zwick demonstrated that at least one major donation in 2009 came from a Catholic group, the Knights of Columbus.

Activity

NOM has been involved in ballot measures, legislative elections, judicial elections, and issue advertising in various states. NOM was involved in the briefly successful Proposition 8 campaign in California in 2008, as well as a similar successful campaign in Maine one year later. NOM was also involved in unsuccessful efforts to pass an amendment eliminating same-sex marriage in Massachusetts in 2007. NOM participated in efforts to block same-sex marriage in New Jersey, and has unsuccessfully attempted to block same-sex marriage legalization in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and the District of Columbia. On June 16, 2009, NOM announced the formation of NOM PAC New York, a political action committee with a goal of providing $500,000 to fund primary challenges against any Republican New York state senator who votes for gay marriage. NOM stated that they were "also looking to aid Democratic candidates who want to buck the establishment on the marriage issue, and to help in general election contests." In 2010, NOM was involved in successful efforts to oust three Iowa Supreme Court judges who had concurred in a decision that effectively legalized same-sex marriage there.

California Proposition 8

NOM was first formed to support the passage of California Proposition 8 in 2008, which amended the state Constitution to discontinue same-sex marriage ceremonies. The amendment defined marriage as the union between one man and one woman. NOM contributed $1.8 million to the Proposition 8 effort, and has been described as being "instrumental" in the success of the initiative. Proposition 8 was passed by voters 52% to 48%, and involved an estimated $83M by both sides of the issue. The amendment was in force until United States district court Judge Vaughn R. Walker overturned it in August 2010, in the case Perry v. Schwarzenegger, ruling that it violated both the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the United States Constitution.

[Philosopher King]

1. "large anonymous donors."

That is the problem.

Unlike many people, I do not object to rich people or corporations spending their money to effect the political process. However, I abhor the notion of anonymous donors in the same way that I abhor anonymous sources. Both represent acts of moral cowardice.

[pacalo]

4. You don't mind rich people like the Koch brothers & corporations buying our congresspeople

in order to pass laws that would benefit those big donors but create economic hardships on the lower 99% of the citizenry?

[Philosopher King]

7. As long as I know who the donors are, I can stop the purchase with my vote.

[MH1]

6. I might be able to accept large non-anonymous donors to the political process IF

the so-purchased politicians were required to wear the stickers showing who bought them, like NASCAR drivers. :evilgrin:

(not my original idea, copied from someone else on the internets.)

[Philosopher King]

8. Something like that--perhaps a ticker or scrolling list whenever they are speaking on television...

particularly during the debates.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

2. Sounds like this will be a Santorum and Bachmann showcase

I assume social issues will be stressed, given the sponsorship. Cain and Gingrich will be fun to watch if they prattle on about "family values."

[and-justice-for-all]

3. NOM!!! what pieces of shit...

National organization of fuckers who can not mind their own business.

[starroute]

5. Odds are Howard Ahmanson is one of them

He's obscenely rich, has dominionist ties, and his company gave $1.395 million to the Proposition 8 campaign in 2008. He's also been meddling in California politics for decades.

[The Genealogist]

9. National Association of Micromanaging Peoples' Private Lives

is more like it.

I keep hearing from the right that they want to get the government out of private people's lives. No, no they don't.