| In more ways than one, the battle waged throughout the campaign for proposition 71 proved as unique as the proposition itself. While many debates on stem cells on the national stage and within other states raged on the basis of the morality of stem cell research, such was not the case at all in the debate over proposition 71. According to many polls conducted over the past several years, most Californians did not have major moral issues with the idea of stem cell research. So, according to Carol Hogan, director of communications for the California Catholic Conference, one of the main opponents to Prop. 71, “We’re instructed to be wise like serpents. The other side would dearly like to goad us into dividing the state into pro-life and pro-choice because they know they’d win.” While the bulk of the funding for the opposition to 71 did in fact come from the Catholic Church, many members of the opposition coalition were pro-choice and even in favor of stem cell research– their objection was to the great expense the measure would bring on an already debt burdened state.
Towards the beginning of the campaign, the election looked far from certain. A field poll taken mid-summer showed the electorate nearly split over the measure, and a subsequent field poll taken at the end of September again demonstrated that no side held a clear advantage beyond the margin of error. The proposition’s proponents, however, had an almost $25 million advantage in resources to devote to the campaign, and successfully recruited a long list of celebrities, some of whom had a personal stake in the issue, including Christopher Reeve and Michael J Fox, and others, such as Brad Pitt, who merely provided a recognizable name and good face for the campaign. After a barrage of television advertising filled with celebrities and scientists alike, as well as the addition of celebrity Governor Schwarzeneger to the list of supporters, the electorate finally showed strong movement in support of the measure with a field poll indicating 54% of likely voters would most likely vote in favor, versus just 37% of likely voters who were opposed. Ultimately, the proposition won by a sizable margin of 59% to 41%. The proponents of the measure ran a hugely successful campaign that enjoyed the perfect combination of wealth donors, prominent and passionately supportive celebrities, respected scientists, and a well organized campaign structure and organization. The opponents, on the other hand, unable to use the Christian right’s morality card that proved so important in discussing the issue in other parts of the country, proved unable both to raise the large contributions needed to compete with the proponents’ war chest and to provide convincing arguments on economic grounds against the proposition, a point that is particularly salient when considering that the California Chamber of Commerce came out in strong support of the proposition. The campaign for Proposition 71 provides and excellent case for the study of the unique and exciting terrain of politics that could exist nowhere else in the world but in California! |
California Proposition 71