Commentary

Can a small stone make a big ripple as it rolls forth?

Here’s the first advertisement I’ve seen for either side of the 12 propositions on the California ballot right now that has any libertarian resonance. Sure, it’s a one-liner, but it is the one-liner we love: “Keep government out of all of our lives.” Proponents of the gay marriage ban have been about 10 points behind in numerous polls since May, but a poll by CBS 5/Survey USA last week showed a sudden atrophy of points from the opposition column into the undecided and supportive categories. It could be a fluke, but it could also mean that somewhere in California are voters who are cool to this otherwise quintessentially hot-button issue. Who are they? The polling suggests that the least galvanized voting block on this issue is young people in the greater Los Angeles area. Appropriately, while Proposition 2 has a good showing on YouTube, and the proponents of Proposition 4 have posted their singularly creepy ad, no other California proposition is better represented on YouTube than Proposition 8. (Do a search for any other proposition, and you’ll likely receive a prompt to view Proposition 8 opinion pieces instead.) It looks like there’s 10 hours or more of videos on this one issue. Finally, if you’re wondering:

Can a small stone make a big ripple as it rolls forth? Are Mormon contributors a significant source of money and manpower in this election?

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