One more time: the data doesn’t support the notion that banning marriages and civil unions for gay couples made any difference at all in Bush’s victory. Money quote:
In states that voted on the gay-marriage ban, Bush increased his vote share from 53.33% in the 2000 election to 54.17% in the election just past. That’s an increase of 0.84%. In states where gay-marriage bans were not on the ballot, Bush increased his vote share from 48.82% to 50.78%. That’s an increase of 1.96%. Bush’s vote share rose more than twice as much in states where voters didn’t have a chance to ban gay marriages.
Rove’s smart enough to know this.
The Dish 