Continental promo
|| Politics > Prop. 8  ||
< Back Comments (9)Post a Comment Bookmark and Share   Page: 1 | 2
 

Patrick Guerriero Lays Out No on 8 "Path to Victory"

The No on 8 campaign’s new director, Patrick Guerriero, laid out a “path to victory” during a weekly phone call with LGBT reporters, calling on every one of the roughly one million LGBT Californians to donate money to defeat Proposition 8, which would amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
An Advocate.com exclusive posted October 15, 2008
Patrick Guerriero Lays Out No on 8

The No on 8 campaign’s new director, Patrick Guerriero, laid out a “path to victory” on Tuesday during a weekly phone call with LGBT reporters, calling on every one of the roughly one million LGBT Californians to donate money to defeat Proposition 8, which would amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

"If every single LGBT adult would, over the next couple of days, make a donation to this campaign, we will win,” he said. “And if they don't, we will lose.” He noted that California has roughly one million LGBT folks and only about 30,000 California residents have given to the campaign to date.

Guerriero, who said he had been asked to step in during the final weeks of the drive to defeat Prop. 8 and was temporarily on leave from the Gill Action Fund, delivered a classic good news/bad news conference call.

On the positive side, donations have been pouring in at a rate of about $1 million per day ever since No on 8 sounded the alarm bells last week that the campaign was $10 million behind the opposition in funding and about five points down in the polls.

“That's a remarkable feat," he said. “But the challenge is, we literally need to keep that pace up every day. In order to win, we need to raise $1 million a day through the election to be up on air [and] to be competitive."

Another plus: Internal polls indicate that when voters get equal exposure to the pro-Prop. 8 ads and “Vote No” ads, they come down on the side of defeating the anti-gay marriage amendment.

“Our messages are working,” he said. “Voters move to no on Prop. 8 when they see and hear our TV ads, but we simply need to be in more places and have greater penetration in our TV buys, and we need to also ramp up not just on TV but on radio.

"Getting the resources to be on TV and radio and match our opponents in an air war is the path to victory, it's that black and white," he concluded.

In addition to seeking donations from ever-day folks, Guerriero said he and everybody else associated with the campaign were making fund-raising calls fast and furiously to big-dollar donors. “I can tell you that I think you're going to see some breakthrough gifts in the next couple of days," he said, adding that some people may have been unclear about the urgency of the campaign after being lulled into complacency by early polls showing voters supported marriage equality.

Page: 1 | 2
Eleveld is the Political Editor for The Advocate
Keywords:  California marriage  Prop 8 
Related stories from Advocate.com

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: sharone
    Date posted: 2008-10-21 3:08 AM
    Hometown: san francisco

    Comment:

    The donations for the defeat of prop 8 are "as much as you can afford to donate". No one is expected to make David Geffen amounts of donations. But this is a crutial civil righs issue not only for the gay community but for the nation at large and the outcome of this propostion will affect many generations to come.


  • Name: Jack
    Date posted: 2008-10-17 5:55 PM
    Hometown: Los Angeles

    Comment:

    On this afternoon, monitoring ch. 9 in LA, I heard/saw 5 Yes on 8 spots between 1pm & 3pm- & not one no on 8 commercial. We have to do a better job of getting our message out. On a bright note, Joe Biden came out against Prop 8 on Ellen de Generes (will be broadcast on 9/20).


  • Name: Todd
    Date posted: 2008-10-17 3:47 PM
    Hometown: Los Angeles

    Comment:

    I think it's incredibly irresponsible to say that if every LGBT person in California doesn't give money to defeating this proposition, that it will pass. Perhaps the organizers of the No on 8 campaign should figure out how to better leverage the existing funds rather than asking us all to empty our pockets. Additionally, not all of us have the resources to give like the David Geffen's of the world - where is he? Our community delights in shaking each other down and squandering resources. There has got to be a better way than throwing money at it, and if we can't find that way, then we shouldn't win.


  • Name: mike
    Date posted: 2008-10-17 9:48 AM
    Hometown: sacramento

    Comment:

    I think prop 8 will pass, unfortunately. Obama will bring out the socially conservative blacks who oppose gay marriage. So much for Obama being on our side.


  • Name: frank
    Date posted: 2008-10-17 12:30 AM
    Hometown: Jackson, CA

    Comment:

    I, for one, am a little tired of reading comments about what either of the presidential candidates are doing or not doing to defeat Prop. 8. It diverts the focus of our efforts on this initiative and is not useful at all. If you really care about thier participation, then directly challenge them to do so. However, as someone who has fought for our rights for more than 30 years, I can tell you that it is up to us to demand and secure our rights and not wait for others to give them to us. It is also up to us to defeat this proposition and expose those who put it on the ballot as the hypocritical bigots that they are. California's Proposition 8 will be a big win for the christian right. They know it, and we should too. Let's keep the focus on defeating this proposition and others like it. We can all do something. Donate, write, blog, undermine the opposition, display a sign or sticker. Pick one or more. We all need to get busy and not lose our focus on the goal here.


  • Name: Merle
    Date posted: 2008-10-16 8:58 PM
    Hometown: Birmingham

    Comment:

    How much money have McSame and Palin given to defeat Prop. 8 ? Oh wait, they support it. How silly of me.


  • Name: Philip
    Date posted: 2008-10-16 3:38 PM
    Hometown: West Hollywood, CA

    Comment:

    How much money has Barack given to the defeat of Prop 8 in California and Ammendment 2 in Florida. He wants change, change, change, but is not willing to stand with us in public and fight with us?! Come on Barack, show us the money and public support!!


  • Name: Jeff
    Date posted: 2008-10-16 2:51 PM
    Hometown: Cincinnati

    Comment:

    We did, and we don't even live in California. I believe it has been said in the past that as California goes, so goes the nation.


  • Name: Bill
    Date posted: 2008-10-16 12:34 PM
    Hometown: Sacremento

    Comment:

    Everyone get involved no matter where you live. You can donate to NO on PROP 8. Call friends in California and discuss why it is important to vote NO. Send emails to California newspapers. Make a video and post it online. Write messages on forums, news stories, etc. Don't wake up on November 5th wondering what more you could have done.


Back to top

Submit a comment for this story:

*Type your comment here (Required, 1000 characters max. HTML formatting and hyperlinks are NOT permitted.):

*Name (Required): 

*Hometown (Required): 

*E-mail address: (Required, but will not be displayed)

Is this comment for publication? 
Yes   No

Daytime phone number: (Required for print publication only and will not be displayed)

Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

  

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above. 

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives
  • View From the Hill: The End of DADT?
    Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed that lawyers are exploring ways to ease enforcement of the military's gay ban, but cautioned that the law doesn't leave much wiggle room. He need look no further than DOD history for a lesson in altering the policy.
  • Hot Sheet: Week of July 5
    When you get back from that big 4th of July barbecue, unwind with Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno and your favorite B-movie-mocking, basic cable robots.
  • Hungry Like the Wolf
    A master of viola, ukulele, piano, and harp, Patrick Wolf is a music prodigy -- one who, the night before this interview, spit on a cop and got himself arrested.
  • Soapside: Advocate's Guide to Daytime
    Forbes March talks about playing gay, Otalia fans outraged, update on One Life to Live’s Patricia Maurceri’s firing over gay plot point, Phillip Chancellor III big reveal, and Erica Kane goes to Africa.
  • The Faces of Federal Prop. 8
    With the federal challenge to Prop. 8 moving full speed ahead, Advocate.com sits down with the two couples named as plaintiffs in the suit.
  • Mommy, the Gays Are Coming
    After a year of advancements and celebration for gay and lesbian Colombians, the community takes to the streets of Bogota for the country's biggest pride ever.
  • The Pride of Antwerp
    Advocate.com hits the gay-friendly streets of Antwerp with openly gay police commissioner Serge Muyters.
  • Excerpt: Mean Little Deaf Queer
    In an excerpt from her humorous and harrowing new memoir, Mean Little Deaf Queer, Terry Galloway recalls her early childhood, describing feelings of ugliness, confusion about gender, and being one of the boys.
  • Top Political Blogs
    From Joe.My.God to The Daily Beast, Advocate.com spotlights a few of the best blogs that cover politics, inside and way outside the Beltway.
  • The Diva of French Television
    A hot young screenwriter who has made gay OK for millions of French viewers, Nicolas Mercier sips champagne, dons a feathered hat, and says he wants to see Colin Farrell and Jude Law go at it.