Michael Brown - The Embarrassed Elites of North Carolina

This past Tuesday, May 8th, was a rough day for the liberal elites of North Carolina, as the people of their home state overwhelmingly passed the marriage amendment. In fact, it was so embarrassing for them that over the weekend, Gov. Beverly Perdue told a reporter, “We look like Mississippi.” For a liberal elite, what could possibly be worse than that?

There was, of course, the expected backlash from those outside of North Carolina, with thousands of people signing the Change.org petition calling for the Democratic National Convention to be pulled from Charlotte, also eliciting comments like these: “As an LGBT Democrat married in Iowa, I wouldn’t set foot in North Carolina,” and, “Move the Convention out of North Carolina, don’t spend any monies in this retrograde state.”

Roseanne Barr, always good for an insightful quote, urged movie studios to “withdraw your productions from NC!” (Note to Ms. Barr: If memory serves me correctly, Hollywood is located in California, a state which has twice passed marriage amendments. Perhaps you should call for all movie studios to withdraw their productions from there?)

And there were the expected headlines from ultra-liberal and/or gay activist websites. The Daily Kos reported, “The bigots win: North Carolina passes Amendment One,” and Queerty.com opined, “It’s a sad day in North Carolina. Actually make that in the entire U.S.”

Some celebrities who hail from North Carolina were especially distraught, with American Idol Clay Aiken stating, “In general, we have always been a state that takes responsible steps and this is an example, the only example in my lifetime, of the state taking a very irresponsible step.”

Actress Evan Rachel Wood tweeted, “Just bent over on set and cried over this outcome. I hope my children see a more peaceful and tolerant world.”

For the liberal elites still living within North Carolina, however, the passage of Amendment One by a 61-39% vote was almost too much bear. The headline to the Charlotte Observer editorial, which was released minutes after the amendment’s passage was announced, declared, “Same-sex marriage amendment vote is just wrong.” And the editorial began by stating, “North Carolina foolishly and shamefully joined 30 states with constitutional bans on same-sex marriages.”

The Observer called the amendment “misguided,” claimed that it “unwisely writes discrimination into the state constitution,” argued that, “The state is on the wrong side of history on this matter,” and closed by stating, “The [voting] result doesn’t show love. It’s wrong and disgraceful.”

Dr. Michael Brown

Michael Brown holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and is the author of 20 books. He has served as a professor at a number of seminaries and hosts the nationally syndicated, daily talk radio show, the Line of Fire.

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