Minnesota's Marriage Amendment

Another Minnesota Legislative session is about to begin and the right wing is getting ready to try to force another vote in the House and Senate on a bill that would get the ball rolling on a constitutional amendment to limit marriage to a man and a woman. Nevermind that there is already legislation in place that defines a marriage in this way, the institution of marriage in Minnesota is in such jeapordy that it can only be saved by a constitutional amendment.

In the last session, the Republican Governor and House backed a constitutional amendment bill, but the DFL-led Senate blocked it. The same will happen again. Republicans seem to think this helps them on election day by motivating the right-wing base to turn out. They may be right that it turns out their base, but in the last election it also turned out moderates and liberals -- who still hold the numbers in Minnesota -- and they in turn "turned out" 13 Republican Representatives. It was a colossal failure as a legislative strategy (and it wasn't the only issue as Republicans also were systematically dismantling public education in the state and that cost them, as well).

So I say, let them go after their amendment. It will remind voters once again of their bigotry, intolerance, and willingness to waste time on issues that don't matter while they ignore schools, infrastructure, and jobs. One more election ought to be enough to give us a Democratic Governor and Legislature.