Cathi Herrod, Arizona's top morality dictator, smugly spins today's news about delaying marriage equality fight in Arizona

Cathi Herrod-Arizona's top Morality Dictator

The front page of today's Arizona Republic has an article titled:  Same-sex marriage won't be on 2014 ballot. The article goes on to list the different reasons why 2014 is not the right time, but 2016 probably will be. And those reasons basically boil down to challenges raising money, gathering signatures, disagreements among supporters, and not having the different pro-marriage equality organizations (including the Log Cabin Republicans) on the same page. In other words, they don't have all their ducks in a row ---- yet.

Needless to say, there is a lot of disappointment and disagreement on this decision. And honestly, I am one of those people who would love, love, love to forge ahead. But this is Arizona, and we are a red state, and we do have a strong "family" (cough, cough) advocacy group, the Center for Arizona Policy, led by a vocal and very homophobic president, Cathi Herrod, who receives her marching orders and financing from hideous hate groups like Focus on the Family, and is the main reason an marriage amendment limiting marriage to one man and one woman got enshrined into our state constitution in the first place. And let me tell you, Cathi is not disappointed with this latest piece of news. In fact her statement seems to smack of a forced confidence that she doesn't really feel (and then again, I might be giving her waay to much credit for reading the tea leaves correctly). But regardless, she is still riding high on the fumes of successfully legislating her right-wing ideology and ignorance into our laws, and Ms. Herrod is ready and willing to crow about it.

From the article:

The anti-gay-marriage groups are claiming victory, with the end of Equal Marriage Arizona.

“The so-called equal marriage campaign could not overcome the support for one-man and one-woman marriage,” Center for Arizona Policy President Cathi Herrod said in a statement. “Redefining marriage is a nonstarter today in Arizona.”

But Herrod said the battle will continue as both sides gear up for 2016.

“Our resolve to stand together for our families and our future must remain resolute,” she said.

Yeah, and about those families that Cathi calls "our families"?  That group is getting smaller and smaller (if it ever really existed at all) and has never included families like mine or families like the Hams (their story here and here), or like most Arizona families for that matter. Her "our families" has pretty much been a Leave It To Beaver idealistic wish that resides more in her head than in the average Arizona household.

And me thinks that Ms. Herrod's quote in today's paper is a lot of bravado and spin masquerading as confidence. Ms. Herrod may be an ignorant bigot, but she isn't stupid. She has to know that she won a battle here in Arizona, but she is not going to win the war. The momentum, and a lot of Arizona families, are not in her favor.

So savor your past victories, Ms. Herrod because pretty soon, that will be all you have.