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| Distribution of Approve 71 donors from Washington |
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Microsoft made a big splash a few weeks ago by donating $100,000 to the Approve 71 campaign. Indeed it was a significant and much-needed contribution by a major Washington employer. But the really big story is that Microsoft’s gift was only one of 4,175 donations made by Washingtonians from across the state (see map). In fact, 85% of all cash donations to Approve 71 have been made by Washingtonians for a total of $1.16 million. Excluding the Microsoft gift, 89% of WA donations were for amounts below the average donation of $253. In the main, the Approve 71 campaign has been funded by small Washington donors.
In stark contrast, only 34% of donations to the anti-domestic partnership campaign totaling $104,233 have come from Washingtonians. The other 66% comes from James Dobson’s Colorado-based Focus on the Family (FOTF) and National Organization for Marriage. FOTF made two cash dumps into Washington state. The first was $200,000 into the PAC Vote Reject on R-71 via the local FOTF affiliate Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW). The second was last-minute direct independent spending of $91,852 on radio ads, etc. by Focus on the Family Action. Is it fair to say that James Dobson is the reject campaign?
The anti-domestic partnership campaign has also received an undisclosed amount of in-kind assistance from the undisclosed entity that paid for Protect Marriage Washington’s signature gatherers.
~~~Reminder from WAFST: Only 20% of voters have mailed their ballots. Your vote and those of your friends can make the difference. Don’t hold onto your ballot, mail it today. Remind your friends. VOTE APPROVE ON REFERENDUM 71
Related:
* Voices for equality from across Washington state
* Federal judge rebukes Reject 71 but can’t stop wave of Colorado cash
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| FOTF’s Tom Minnery and FPIW’s Joseph Backholm |
*Methods: I downloaded the cash donation data from the Public Disclosure Commission’s website for the five PACs involved in the Referendum 71 campaign. On the Approve 71 side we have Washington Families Standing Together and Human Rights Campaign Approve Referendum 71 PAC. On the anti-domestic partnership side we have Protect Marriage Washington, Vote Reject on R-71 and Faith & Freedom PAC. I pooled all the donations into either the “Approve” or the “Reject” bin.
3 Comments
Undisclosed in kind donations = MORMONUndisclosed is what those sneaky folks do BEST!
Poor FOTF employeesOver 200 employees of FOTF were laid off at its Colorado base weeks after Prop8 was overturned. I wonder how many people will lose their jobs after Maine, Iowa, and Washington? God must be really proud.
An idea is percolating comparing Mormons vs Quakers as a diaryBoth small minorities in the bigger Christian community and they treated gays almost the exact opposite. Quakers were very engaged in Civil Rights social justice, and Mormons fought Civil Rights for each liberation movement.
Both are primarily White congregations, didn’t inter marry often, and both fairly strict about women’s roles and gay relationships.
But Quakers stepped way out of their comfort level to be welcoming to MCC, and shared their churches with us. In Minneapolis after a Quaker church (which shared it’s space with gays) got hate graffitti sprayed on it the MCC folks felt horrified and guilty and wanted to pay for all the damage, the Quakers said NO, we were their guests.
FRIENDS is an accurate word for Quakers, and even if they don’t embrace gays in their own church,(or didn’t in the 70′s), they shared what they had openly and without reservation.
Maybe LGBTs raised in LDS and raised Quaker could do a better diary, than I could, just related to Mormons, and only knowing Quakers from the church we shared.