Coda: Maine

During my stay in Maine a couple of weeks back, as I followed the "No on 1" campaign in it's attempt to beat back an effort to strip away marriage rights from same-sex couples, I ran into two young guys producing an online documentary on the last days of the campaign.

Chase Whiteside and Erick Stoll of New Left Media (above) just sent me a message alerting me that they had just posted the resulting documentary on YouTube in two parts. In it, they capture the mood of the campaign, campaign supporters, staff and volunteer during those last hours - and a sense that "No on 1" might win. It also captures the heartbreak when election night results begin to show that a win is not at hand.

Here is part 1...


And part 2...


Blink and you might miss a shot of me at the blogger's table on election night... My photos here...

While in Maine...

So, while still in Maine, we decided that it might be a good idea to do an outing and check out some sights. First we went to Two Lights State Park, via Southern Portland. Can't say we ever spotted the lighthouses that were advertised. But it was pretty pretty.

There were rocky beaches...

Crashing waves, hm, wait! I gotta post that on Facebook!...

Dammit! No cell phone service!

Wait, is it Saco as in 'TACO'? Or Saco as in José CanSECO...

When in Maine... at Point Park.

A sandy beach...

Onward soldiers to Kennebunkport, a/k/a Bush-landia. A little bit past Fall foliage peak in these parts of the country.

Not sure what it was about Kennebunkport but I realized I didn't take any photos of the town, unless you count this picture of Rex staring at the sea, at a stop a few miles away from downtown.

And back to Portland, mission accomplished, for grub at Becky's. Or, wait, was that the following night? Oh, well. It makes a good closing pic.

Heartbreak in Maine: No on 1 campaign concedes

While 'No on 1/Protect Marriage Equality' campaign director Jesse Connolly did not concede defeat at the end-of-the-night address to supporters of the campaign at the Portland Holiday Inn, the faces of the campaign staff behind him told a different story. There was sadness and tears and a sense of the team trying to hold each other together. They seemed to know that the 'Yes on 1' lead was insurmountable and, while it wasn't spelled out at the time, the message reverberated through the shocked crowd.

Well, now it's official. I just received the official 'No on 1' concession --

STATEMENT OF JESSE CONNOLLY, CAMPAIGN MANAGER FOR NO ON 1

Tonight, hundreds of thousands of Maine voters stood for equality, but in the end, it wasn't enough.

I am proud of the thousands of Mainers who knocked on doors, made phone calls and talked to their family, friends and neighbors about the basic premise of treating all Maine families equally.

And I'm proud of this campaign because the stories we told and the images we shared were of real Mainers -- parents who stood up for their children, and couples who simply wanted to marry the person they love.

We're in this for the long haul. For next week, and next month, and next year-- until all Maine families are treated equally. Because in the end, this has always been about love and family and that will always be something worth fighting for.

Some of us at the bloggers' table had advance warning of things turning for the worse. But for a majority of those gathered it must have come out of nowhere. For most of the night, they had been looking at incoming reports and cheering what seemed to be an early lead for the 'No on 1' side. Alas, that was not to be. Below, scenes captured soon after the 'No on 1' team had left the stage for the final time.

Related:

• Wockner: Maine voters 'veto' gay marriage law that was passed by Legislature and signed by governor (Nov. 4, 2009)

Previously on Blabbeando:

• Sorta live-blogging from the Holiday Inn in Portland - Election night in Maine (Nov. 4, 2009)
  
• The back of Nat Silver's head - Day ZERO in Maine (Nov. 3, 2009)
  
• Red is the color of equality in Maine -- 1 day to go! (Nov. 2, 2009)
  
• Pod people take over Maine -- 2 days to go (Nov. 1, 2009)
• Hallow's Eve in Maine -- 3 days to go! (Oct. 31, 2009)

Sorta live-blogging from the Holiday Inn in Portland - Election night in Maine

[November 5, 2009] With 99% of precincts reporting, the Bangor Daily News says that 'No on 1' lost with 47.19% of the vote while the 'Yes on 1' side won with 52.81% of the vote.

[1:13 am] The Associated Press: "Gay Marriage-foes claim victory in Maine"

[1:00 am] For the night: As of 12:53am, with 86% of precincts reporting, The Bangor Daily News says that the the anti-gay 'Yes on 1' has 52.74% to 47.26% from 'No on 1'. There are 4 precincts in Portland that haven't reported which should go for our side but it is unlikely that they will cover the 25K vote difference. So, unless a miracle happens, it looks as if the anti-gay forces won tonight.

[11:30 pm] Seen at the ballroom...

[11:08 pm] Tonight, Mainers were also voting on Question 5 which, if approved would make it easier for individuals with certain medical conditions to have access to marijuana. The New York Times is reporting that the marijuana referendum will pass.

[10:00 pm] Maine Governor John Baldacci was also in high spirits tonight as he addressed the crowd.

[9:38 PM] 'No on 1 / Protect Marriage Equality' campaign director Jesse Connolly just went live on Rachel Maddow. By now the room is full and everyone is in high spirits. People had to be told to quiet down a couple of times for the Maddow live-feed.

[9:16 PM] Mary Bonauto, Civil Rights Project Director at Gay and Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) just gave a rousing speech. As one of the main legal advocates behind the strategy to secure marriage rights in Northeastern states, she said that to win tonight would be that much sweeter. As someone born in Maine, she said, it would be amazing to be able to marry her partner of 22 years in her home state.

[8:41] Second song of the night? Eddie Grant's "Electric Avenue". Those of us on the bloggers' team were asked weeks ago for input on which songs the band should sing tonight. The Awesomes are a well-known 80's music cover band here in Portland. The song I submitted? The Thompson Twins' "Lies".

[8:15 pm] Room is filling up. The band's first song of the night: The Pointer Sister's "Automatic". USTREAM already carrying the live-feed of tonight's shin-digs here.

[8:10 pm] Sitting at the bloggers' table at a ballroom at the Holiday Inn in Portland, Maine, waiting for the procedings to begin. Polls close in a couple of minutes and The Bangor Daily News has already began to post some results. The ballroom is still empty, save a tableful of bloggers, a band doing a live-check, and TV news crews. Campaign manager Jesse Connolly was in the room a few minutes ago. He'll be going live on The Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC tonight. The photo is of the window at campaign headquarters the night I met the staff. The place must be pretty empty tonight. But that's where the heart of the campaign still rests.

Jeremy Hooper is is also live-blogging at Good As You and so is Rex at Wockner. Louise is here also from Pam's House Blend.

The back of Nate Silver's head -- Day 0 in Maine

OhMyGodOhMyGodOhMyGodOhMyGod. The day has arrived and I have to say I feel a bit queasy. It might be my first time in Maine and I may not call the state my home but it certainly feels personal. As it should.

For those pondering whether voters will vote 'No on 1' to protect marriage equality or vote 'Yes on 1' to strip those rights away, there has been some fodder in the last 48 hours that has given hope to those on both side of the issue.

There was that alarming poll released yesterday by Public Policy Polling showing "No on 1" not only losing 51-47 percent but trending down from a previous poll taken two weeks earlier which showed a 48-48 tie. But that came with the caveat that the margin of error still covered the spread and that the actual result might go either way.

And then there was polling analyst wünderkind Nate Silver (right) walking to the plate after the PPP poll had been released their and confidently re-stating his belief that the 'Yes on 1' side is a 5-to-2 underdog *.

Then, there was Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap telling reporters yesterday that he expected turnout to be extremely low - in the 35 percent range - and then, hours later - telling Politico that his predictions might have been wrong and that turnout might actually be over 50% and might even break state turnout records (conventional wisdom says that a higher turnout number means a better chance for the anti-gay referendum to fail).

When it comes down to it, though, little has changed in the last few days: We have polls that show an extremely tight race with few undecideds. The pessimist that I am, I am assuming that those who still say they are undecided will probably end up voting 'Yes on 1', and that means a single thing.

PPP poll or no poll, Nate Silver or no Nate Silver, the answer is turnout, turnout, turnout.

I am a bit hesitant to go by Dunlap's high turnout 'guestimate', particularly because it varied so widely overnight. There have been unofficial reports that turnout in Bangor, Maine - the third largest city in the state - have been high. Some Twitterers have posted information about low turnout in other parts of the state.

But I have been involved in several elections and I have seen it all before. Remember Bush-Gore? Prop. 8 in California? We all thought the win was ours (well those of us who wanted Gore to win and Prop. 8 to fail). And it turned out not the way we wanted.

The big difference with Prop. 8 is that it definitely served as a warning. I haven't seen signals that anyone is resting on their laurels and expecting a 'No on 1' win. The 'No on 1 / Protect Marriage Equality' campaign has a lot to be proud of and deserve to win. They have run a tight ship, engaged more than 8,000 field volunteers, worked day and night to make winning the vote a reality.

And yet, my stomach is still in knots. I don't want to raise my hopes up. I would rather not assume anything. I would rather celebrate if and only it's time to celebrate.

Tonight, I'll be sorta live-blogging and Tweeting from the Holiday Inn in Portland. You are welcome to catch my tweets at twitter.com/Blabbeando. The official 'No on 1' campaign Tweeter address is at twitter.com/NoOn1Maine.

For a vote this tight, it could be a very long night. Results might actually not be in tonight.

And what if it's a 'No on 1' loss? Rex Wockner put it best when he wrote this on his blog two days ago:

If we lose in Maine on Tuesday, the Legislature will just pass the law again and the governor will sign it again. We're not talking about a constitutional amendment here, as was the case with Prop 8 in California. In reality, gays are going to be able to get married in all 50 states, perhaps even very soon if the Olson/Boies Prop 8 case succeeds at the U.S. Supreme Court. And if it doesn't, next up -- very, very soon -- are New Jersey and New York, which will be added to Iowa, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and, starting in January, New Hampshire. Where all this is headed could not be clearer. But until then, there will be days like this Tuesday when bigots might force a backward step in the inevitable, unstoppable march to equal treatment under the law for GLBT Americans. The next generation will remember "Yes on 1" voters the way we remember people who believed black folks should drink from separate water fountains. I absolutely guarantee you that.

Rex will also be sorta live-blogging at the Wockner blog. He won't be Tweeting but he will be also filing live and taped reports for POTUS on XM radio and OutQ on Sirius radio. So tune in!

Less than four hours until polls close. Cross your fingers.

* Photo credit: The back of Nate Silver's head, taken by yours truly earlier this year on the way to the Pittsburgh International Airport from Netroots Nation. We both got on the same airport shuttle. Let's hope that what's inside that head is right about tonight's chances.

Red is the color of equality in Maine -- 1 day to go!

Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it to today's big "No on 1" campaign 'Get Out the Vote' rally for marriage equality here in Portland. I'm pretty sure other bloggers were able to make it, though, so let's take a look at the internetz and see what we can find.

Jeremy Hooper of Good As You finally made it to Portland and already posted two videos featuring speakers at today's rally (click on "Twas the night before..." to watch them). A bird pooped on him while taping. Yes, you read that right: Jeremy got pooped on - and didn't seem to appreciate it. In my neck of the woods, that's considered good luck. Perhaps a good omen?

John Aravosis and Joe Sudbay of AmericaBlog are also here. Joe has actually been here for a few days and has been posting great stuff over at the AmericaBlog offshoot AmericaBlogGay. He's got some photos from today's rally and a video as well (go to "Scenes from today's GOTV Rally in Portland" to watch them).

Louise from Maine who blogs for Pam's House Blend and has a personal blog at Louise's Snack Bar was also there! You guessed it! She took pictures and video (click on "'No On 1' Final Rally today in Portland..." to watch). I swiped the code for her video ans posted it above. I hope she doesn't mind! If you see people wearing red shirts or sweaters ut's because people were asked to wear red.

GayinMaine.com has some great pics as well (click on "NO in 1 Rally - Portland")

Thank you guys! Made me feel as if I had been there!

Finally - That last minute urgent call for donations from the "No on 1 / Protect Marriage Equality" campaign? The original ask was for $25K. The haul as of right this moment? 1,340 donors have given $74,550 dollars to the "No on 1" campaign. Here is campaign manager Jesse Connolly giving thanks earlier today (via Adam Bink of Open Left):



Will the added economic muscle ad up to a win tomorrow? I certainly hope so but we are all on pins and needles here.

Pod People take over Maine -- 2 days to go!

UPDATE #2 (11/2/09 at 12:30am) - ALARMING NEW POLL OUT

A new poll is out and the news is not good. Public Policy Polling, which had the 'Yes' and 'No' tied at 48-48 just two weeks ago, has the 'Yes on 1' side leading the 'No on 1' side 51-47.

From the Public Policy Polling press release:

The measure's fate could be determined by the age composition of the electorate on Tuesday. Senior citizens support it by a 59-40 margin while voters under 30 oppose it 51-48. Last year exit polls showed more voters under 30 turning out for the Presidential election than ones over 65 but we expect seniors to turn out at a much higher rate than younger voters this year, as is often the case in off year elections. If the electorate ends up being younger than we anticipate the fight could be even closer.

Pollsters surveyed 1,333 likely voters between yesterday and today and, while the difference is within the margin of error, it does show a trending move towards the 'Yes' side in recent polling. For the complete press release and access to full poll go to Public Policy Polling.

UPDATE #1 (11/1/09 at 11:59pm) - DONATE!

The anti-gay "Yes on 1" campaign sent a message out to supporters today asking for a last minute donation drive to raise $25,000 for a brand new television ad. It would be their last minute push to poison the airwaves and turn the key 'undecided' vote to their side. More than likely, it will feature Don Mendell, a public school counselor who appeared in one of their earlier campaign ads. The amazing Jeremy Hooper, who blogs at Good As You, has a post today on Mr. Mendell, a breakdown on the facts and myths behind the last minute push by "Yes on 1", and a copy of the "Yes on 1" solicitation letter (read "Don, we now are gays in peril, and we're the ones worried about getting decked in the halls").

Our ask? DONATE TO 'NO ON 1': Blabbeando's message tonight is simple. Please help deflect a last minute poison pill from the 'Yes' folks. Please CLICK HERE and donate to the "No on 1" campaign RIGHT NOW! It will help 'No on 1' raise their ad buy power in local media and help them to counter any last minute surprise move by the anti-gay camp.

Original post from earlier tonight:

Today we headed to the "No on 1 / Protect Marriage Equality" campaign's Get Out the Vote headquarters in downtown Portland. It was the last full weekend of door-to-door canvassing before Tuesday's vote and we got there in time for the volunteer debriefing on their experiences in the field.

Teams were separated into "pods" depending on the neighborhood being covered. As they returned to the office, each of the volunteers handed in their canvassing clipboards and sat down for a well-deserved meal. Once again, I was struck by the number of younger people involved, gay and straight alike, as well as the range in ages represented in the room.

When asked if today was their first experience ever volunteering for a voting canvassing effort, approximately half of the volunteers raised their hand. A few volunteers then stood up to share their experiences on the field, as expected, and spoke of meeting people on both sides of the issue. A young woman spoke of having her preconceptions challenged when she knocked on the door of a young married couple in a wealthy suburb who she expected to be an ally, and instead finding out that they would be voting 'Yes' on 'Question 1'; while an older man in a white collar suburb with a truck parked outside enthusiastically told her that he would vote in favor of marriage equality. There were a lot of unanswered knocks and more than a couple of volunteers saying that they met some voters who were fed-up with the constant ads, knocks on the door and telephone calls and couldn't wait for Tuesday to be over - whether or not they were voting 'No on 1'.

As in the last couple of days, I took a few pictures. Accordingly, my "No on 1" campaign photo album has been updated with new pics. You can see the full album here.

Two days to go, folks! Tuesday night comes and that's it! If you can help by calling voters from your own state, please click here now. If you can make a donation, please click here now as well.

As usual, Rex (above) has his latest take as well. For his latest thoughts, click here.

Hallows' Eve in Maine -- 3 days to go!

And three days to go...

There was a little bit of sunshine this morning here in Portland but by evening the drizzle and rain had returned. Last night was a late one so I didn't get up until fairly late. Today we didn't make it into the "No on 1 / Protect Marriage Equality" campaign offices until the late afternoon.

There was blood on the doors.

OK, it wasn't really blood and it looked a bit too gell-y and gooey, but it was Hallows' Eve and staffers had decorated the office here and there.

A few people even wore something Halloweenish, if not full costumes. One volunteer, for example, was wearing a cap in the shape of a red lobster head. They do love those red lobsters here in Maine. The best costume of the night, hands down, definitely went to Jenna Lowenstein of the National Stonewall Democrats who was dressed as... drum roll please ... a blogger! (check her out above). You see, she is wearing an exact copy of the t-shirt I had on yesterday except that yesterday wasn't Halloween so it was simply a shirt and today was Halloween so it served as a costume. You see, the t-shirt has this Twitter RT and hashtag thing going on which, eh, OK, this is taking a bit long to explain. Just take it from me. It was the best disguise of the night. Plus! She had horns.

When it came down to it, though, today's Halloween motifs served as mere background to the hard work being done to get people to the polls on Tuesday. Bowls full of candy, lollipops and M&M's set up for the staff and volunteers were left mostly untouched. And people of all ages - gay, bisexual, lesbian, straight and transgender - were sitting around placing calls to make sure people turned out at the polls on Tuesday to protect marriage equality in Maine.

The campaign says that it has registered more than 8,000 volunteers. Of those, there are about 100 to 125 incredible individuals who decided to take a "vacation" and travel from other states to volunteer their time. One of them was Pam Perkins of Hendersonville, North Carolina, sitting next to Rex. From today's edition of The Bangor Daily News ("Maine marriage law has nation engaged"):

Perkins said she first heard about the “volunteer vacation” program after she and her long-time partner were legally married on the top of Mount Mansfield in Vermont in September. The couple was honeymooning in Maine and decided to get involved.

“I fell in love with Maine and wanted to come back and help all Mainers” seeking marriage equality, Perkins said.

Perkins, a professional gardener now enjoying her “off season,” returned to Maine earlier this month with the help of donated frequent flier miles and lodging provided by a “No on 1” supporter. She has spent most of the month working full time helping coordinate the volunteer efforts out of the campaign’s Portland headquarters.

Yup! It's crunch-time at office headquarters and elsewhere but there are certainly some great people on this team. And, if Pam Perkins can volunteer a whole vacation, so can you, even now - and you don't even have to travel! How? Click here and find out.

Of course, it's crunch time for the other side as well. Above are two door hangers produced by the opposing sides to be distributed this weekend. Yes, the battle is so heated that the smallest detail counts. As long as those details work for our side and translate into a victory on Tuesday, I'll be more than happy.

• Of course, Rex Wockner has his own version of what we saw at headquarters. For his take, click here.

Update:

• Pod people take over Maine -- 2 days to go (Nov. 1, 2009)

Something big is about to happen in Maine -- 4 days to go!

The leaf-strewn winds of October have brought me to Portland, Maine. I've been here less than 48 hours and I've already had my first Maine lobster and checked out both of the local gay bars, Blackstones and Styxx. Yes! Styxx! Like the 80's band. I almost have gotten the hang of the city's layout and, though it's been mostly grey and rainy since I arrived, the temperatures have been rather mild for this time of year. With some luck, I'll get time to visit some of the local federal parklands as well.

What brings me, here, mostly, is my friendship with Rex Wockner, a San Diego-based journalist who I've known, like, forever. He has been here for a few days covering a referendum on Tuesday's ballot that would strike down a law allowing same-sex couples to marry in Maine. Recent polls have been too tight to predict whether anti-gay forces will prevail and Question 1 will pass or if Maine will respect equality for all by voting "No on 1". Rex, who has been sharing up to the minute commentary on his blog, said it best on the update he posted yesterday:

Maine doesn't have a lot of people (the same number live in the San Diego city limits) but this battle is hugely important as the first voter referendum on gay marriage since Prop 8. If the gays win here, they knock the wind out of the opposition's sails, they go on to win same-sex marriage in New York and New Jersey later this year, California votes again and Prop 8 dies, and that's the end of same-sex-marriage culture war. If, on the other hand, the opposition wins here in Maine, they prove that they can continue to take away gay people's marriage rights by blasting the airwaves with hateful ads claiming that gay marriage melts kindergartners' brains -- and they prove, for the first time, that they can take away gay people's marriage rights even when the Legislature passed the gay marriage bill and the governor signed it into law. There were no "activist judges" involved here in Maine. So, what happens here Tuesday: It matters, no matter where you live in the U.S. (Scroll down to learn how you still can volunteer to save the gay world, even without leaving the comfort of your La-Z-Boy, from anywhere in the U.S. Or just click here.)

So, yes, the second reason that brings me to Maine is to experience what hopefully will be victory on Tuesday when the ballot results come in -- for all Mainers in particular and for all the other reasons indicated by Rex above.

Having said that, tonight was my first visit to the "No on 1 / Protect Maine Equality" headquarters. I loved it! And not necessarily because they offered brownies (sorry, folks, I don't like brownies -- the thought is what counts, though). We must have gotten there around 9:30pm, or so, and the place was a-buzzin'. There were staffers and volunteers aplenty and the place was still rockin' when we left around 11:00pm.

As closely as I've been following the campaign from New York, it also felt surreal to walk in and see the gang. Ooh! There's Campaign Manager Jesse Connolly! Ah! Karin Roland of the Communications Team! Hey! There's Jenna Lowenstein from National Stonewall Democrats! We also ran into Joe Sudbay of AMERICAblog. He is based in DC, but grew up in Portland, Maine, and has been putting his heart and soul into it as well (that's Joe on the left and Rex on the right in the pic above). "4 days to go!"

My favorite thing tonight, though, was walking into the Communication Team's office and have Julia Rosen, who I had actually met at this year's Netroots Nation in Pittsburgh, show us a brand new ad that the campaign had just launched tonight. Probably the best ad I have seen from the campaign...



Truth be told, though, the vote is now up to whoever mobilizes the most voters on Tuesday. And, in that respect, everyone can help out. Even if you're not in Maine. You can sign-up for a call-only shift from anywhere in the United States here.

A great bunch of folks, I say. And I'm here to stay... at least until Tuesday, when I will probably be blogging from campaign central and hopefully sharing the joy. More pretty pictures here (photo album to be updated as the days go by).

Updates:

• Pod people take over Maine -- 2 days to go (Nov. 1, 2009)
• Hallow's Eve in Maine -- 3 days to go! (Oct. 31, 2009)