Daily News…Advocate.com: Gay marriage ban fails in conservative Idaho

A proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Idaho was defeated Wednesday for the second consecutive year. A statutory prohibition remains in force. The measure was defeated 21-14 after conservative supporters could not muster the two-thirds majority needed to send the measure to voters, who would have decided whether to write the ban into the state constitution. Eight Republican senators joined with six Democrats to vote against the measure…. Proponents have argued they are trying to protect traditional marriage from ‘activist judges’ who want to expand the definition of marriage. Opponents say the state should not discriminate against an entire class of people based on their sexual orientation, and they also argue that the legislation is unnecessary and mean-spirited because gay marriage is already prohibited by state law.

While this might sound like great news, look at it this way. Idaho only failed by three votes to present to voters an amendment to ban something that is already illegal, in a place where the chance of an “activist judge” declaring a gay marriage valid is close to nil. Gay marriage is so scary that it can’t just be illegal, it must also be unconstitutional

The Advocate article notes that Idaho may be the most Republican state. Here’s some stats to back that up:

Senate: 28 Republicans, 7 Democrats (80% Republican)

House: 57 Republicans, 13 Democrats (81% Republican)

Governor: Dirk Kempthorne (R)

Lt. Governor: Jim Risch (R)

Bush overall support in 2004: 69%

Bush victory in Idaho counties: 43 out of 44 (My home county went 75% Bush… 2 counties had 90%+ Bush support.)