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John Aravosis:
On Log Cabin Republicans and GW Bush

The Gay Vote Could Have Swung It

Dr. Laura—Yep, She's Still Around, but…

By John Aravosis
The List

On Log Cabin Republicans and GW Bush

Well, it's looking more and more like the Log Cabin Republicans are finally going to get their big opportunity to show the gay community why they endorsed George W. Bush for president.

Will they be able to stop Shrub from eliminating the office of the AIDS czar? Will they be able to get him to not rescind the executive order protecting gay and lesbian federal workers from job discrimination? Will they be able to get him to endorse ENDA, and hate crimes legislation, and make political appointments of openly gay advisers?

John Aravosis
Photo: By Rex Wockner

I'm not holding my breath, but I'm willing to give Log Cabin a fair chance. You said it would be good for gay America to get a GW Bush presidency, well here's your chance to prove it.

The Gay Vote Could Have Swung It

And speaking of the White House, imagine what would have happened had 500 more gay people voted in Florida... Bear with me a moment:

Gay voters are typically around 6% of the electorate (this number is pretty firm, as that's been our consistent number in the past several elections, according to Harris polling).

Now, in Florida, the number of people eligible to vote is around 12 million or so, give or take.

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6% of 12 million is 720,000 gay people eligible to vote in Florida.

Now, half of those eligible to vote usually don't vote, but let's say that being the super-citizens we are, 75% of eligible gay voters actually voted. That would mean 540,000 gay people voted in Florida this election.

That also means 180,000 gay Floridians were eligible to vote and didn't.

Usually 75% of the gay vote goes Democrat, so that means 135,000 gay voters in Florida did not vote this election. Yet Gore lost, at least by the most recent recounts, by a mere 500 or so votes.

Kind of makes you go hmmmmmmm....

Dr. Laura—Yep, She's Still Around, but…

drlauranew1.jpg - 10.65 K Yes, I hate to break the news, but Doc Laura is still around and kicking. Well, ok, she's not exactly kicking. America's favorite kicking post has been relegated to the wee morning hours on the majority of TV stations (her show's been moved from like 10AM to 3AM in most markets), and her advertisers are still staying away (apparently, she's been relegated to selling potted plants or something). And in addition to the CBS station in Philly, the Seattle station carrying her TV show has also dumped her now. Amazingly, Paramount is still hanging in there, insisting they'll stick with the show (even though its ratings keep plunging).

At this point, I'm half tempted to hope that Paramount keeps the show forever. That way it can be a daily remember to the company's chief executives how much money and credibility you lose when you value profits more than civil rights.

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