Quote of the Day

How did [the] collapse [of the National Organization for Marriage] occur so quickly? I have three theories. The first is that casual donors grew weary of NOM’s execrably hateful campaigns and craven refusal to face public censure. In 2013, the group’s anti-gay rhetoric sounded barbaric and, at a fundamental level, simply impolite. Even if you didn’t like gay people, you probably didn’t want to associate with such a rabid crowd.

My second, related theory is NOM’s donors are increasingly terrified of being unmasked. For years, the group flew under the radar, and donors could give anonymously. But since the Prop 8 debacle, the indefatigable Fred Karger and his merry band of campaign finance lawyers have been fighting in court, successfully, to force NOM to disclose its donor lists. As the Brendan Eich controversy illustrates, having your name linked with an anti-gay cause can irreparably tarnish your public image. For anti-gay Americans without the backbone to weather harsh criticism, a NOM donation simply isn’t worth the risk.

My third theory—and probably the most likely one—is that NOM’s former donor base has simply lost interest. The battle is over. They know it, and they’re moving on. Gay marriage is here to stay. . . . [A]nyone not totally blinded by bigotry can see pretty clearly that NOM is waging a war against the inevitable.

– Mark Joseph Stern

Excerpted from "The National Organization for Marriage
Has Collapsed Into Debt"
Slate
November 19, 2014

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Exposing NOM's "Shameful" Behavior in Minnesota . . . and By Extension the Shameful Behavior of the Roman Catholic Clerical Leadership
• A Message for NOM (and the Catholic Hierarchy)
• Misplaced Priorities: Knights of Columbus Donate Big to NOM
• NOM's Minnesota Battle Plan
• MN Sen. John Marty Responds to NOM's Gay Marriage Attack Ad
• Quote of the Day – April 8, 2011
• Marriage Equality: Simple Answers to NOM's Complicated Lies
• At UST, a Rousing and Very Catholic Show of Support for Marriage Equality

Related Off-site Links:
How the National Organization for Marriage Doomed Itself to Collapse – Mark Joseph Stern (Slate, June 6, 2014).
NOM, In Secret Partnership with Catholic Archbishop, Other Elites, Forms New Group – David Badash (The New Civil Rights Movement, June 18, 2014).