The Minnesota House passed the same-sex marriage ban

[MineralMan]

constitutional amendment, as has the state Senate. Since the takeover of both legislative bodies in Minnesota by Republicans in 2010, the Republicans have pushed through social engineering bills throughout the current session, which ends shortly. They did this instead of dealing with our large budget deficit or any other substantive measure.

In passing this constitutional amendment, which will now go before voters in the 2012 election and cannot be vetoed by our Democratic Governor, they have demonstrated that they do not care in any way about the budget issues, jobs, or anything but imposing their values on all citizens of the state.

That they were enabled to do this is due to a poor turnout of Democrats in the 2010 election. In most races where Republicans took over a seat previously held by a Democrat, the margins were small, and can, I believe, be directly attributed to Democrats staying home on election day. Whether it was due to a fit of pique about President Obama not living up to their expectations or some other reason, the result was this disastrous legislative session.

We must redouble our efforts to get out the Democratic vote in 2012 and overturn this horrible error on our part. That's going to take some serious activism on the part of everyone who supports progressivism. We must put aside our annoyance with President Obama, who was NOT running in 2010. To do otherwise will continue the disastrous trend the Republicans have begun.

It is an imperative. It is not optional.

[ananda]

1. Sounds like Texas.

Reeps take over and women, gays, children, and the poor get screwed.

[HopeHoops]

2. Preventing gays from getting married is *OBVIOUSLY* the most important issue!

What the fuck is wrong with these people?

[MineralMan]

3. What is wrong is that they are Republicans.

That's what's wrong with these people. We should have seen this coming. Well...now we've seen it, so we need desperately to correct it.

[Sal Minella]

4. Really, really painful to see this happening in the state that produced

Paul Wellstone and Walter Mondale.

The three Iowa Supreme Court Justices crowbarred out of office by wealthy conservative financing and misinformed voters will eventually be heralded as the vanguard of sanity, while Steve King R-IA-05 -- (the Prince of the Twin Kingdoms of Xenophobia and Homophobia) fades into well-deserved obscurity.

I hope the Democrats in both Minnesota and Iowa realize that we need to actually get our butts to the polling places and vote.

[elocs]

6. "We need to actually get our butts to the polling places and vote."

Therein lays the crux of the problem: when Democrats get complacent, when they forget that it is as a result of those who choose to participate in the process by voting that laws and policies are ultimately made. No matter how disappointed Democrats may have been with Obama and the Democrats in Congress the Democrats running in any particular state, locally or for the state legislature or governor are not to blame. I wish more Democrats would have understood that concept here in Wisconsin last November because we would not be in the mess we are now.

[Bluenorthwest]

5. It is a fact that Obama is opposed to the equal rights of GLBT

people. He is against our right to marry, and he says so openly. To suggest that there should be no criticism of his opposition is naff. This is about human rights which Obama opposes. This issue is therefore not a suitable rhetorical shield for him. It is offensive to conflate an anti equality politician with a fight for equal rights. Obama's stance on this will be that he is against that law, but also against marriage equality, he will sit on a fence splitting hairs until he thinks it is safe to say one thing or the other. The GLBT community will not be used as human shields for a politician who does not support our basic human rights. And straight folks can not make us.
Not sure what happened in MN, here in Oregon we had a large turn out, historic in fact, and we elected Democrats. Here in Oregon, Obama is also President, and people here are quite critical of his policies when they do not agree with him. Yet we elected Democrats. So the theory that treating Obama with kid gloves leads to victory for other Democrats and issues is not supported by the reality in States that elected Democrats in '10. If your theory worked, wouldn't '10 have gone better there than here?
As always, I ask that straights who are so upset at hearing criticism of Obama policy might think about letting OFA know that they do not agree with the anti equality policy, that the dogma is a turn off. Continue to support, of course, but let them know that the support is in spite of the bigotry, not because of it. Tell them you support marriage equality, and that you think the President is wrong.
So while you think GLBT people should shut up about bad policy for Obama, I think straight people should be loudly telling Obama what they personally think of his views about GLBT people, families and rights. The more people like you speak up and out for us, the better. So you tell us to stow it, I'm telling you to shout it, shout it, shout it out loud.
Silence = Death. Knowledge = Life.

[treestar]

8. this is about the MN house and has nothing to do with Obama

[rusty fender]

9. But, but...Lily Ledbetter, health care reform...

:sarcasm:

This "it's Obama's Democratic critics fault" for the 2010 results is getting old, isn't it?

[MineralMan]

12. This thread is not about President Obama.

It is about state legislature elections and what happens when people don't turn out to vote. The same thing happened in Congress, and for the same reasons. I have supported GLBT rights, including the right to marry since the 1960s, and I still support it and tell elected officials that they need to move toward absolute equality for everyone.

I'm not sure where you got the idea that I held any other view on the matter. I do not, have not, and will not. I have told nobody to "stow it." Perhaps you're confusing me with someone else.

I'm trying to get people out to vote for Democrats in national and state legislatures. That's what this thread is about.

[Shagbark Hickory]

7. Wow whats happening to that state. I thought it was a progressive state.

[Odin2005]

11. The Ventura-ists steal votes from the Dems.

The only reason Dayton won is because the Ventura-ist candidate this time was an ex-Puke, thus splitting the conservative vote.

[Shagbark Hickory]

15. These conservatives are writing this legislation, are you saying the majority of folks don't want it

[Odin2005]

17. Most Minnesotans support same-sex marriage.

[Shagbark Hickory]

18. So they are doing things against the will of the people. Why oh why would they do that?

It's like they're trying to end their political careers.

[Odin2005]

10. This is about getting the RW nuts to the polls in 2012.

[MineralMan]

14. Yes. That's their goal, certainly.

It's our job to stop them from doing that, and to make sure Democrats show up...all of them.

[Zorra]

13. All things Minnesota are now being boycotted by me. nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. And how, exactly, will that help us get rid of the Republicans?