Public Policy Polling is out with (what I think is) the final round of results from their May poll: Governor Dayton’s approval rating is still hovering near 50%, the DFL in the Legislature is, while unpopular, a whole lot better-looking than their GOP counterparts, and Minnesotans appear to be coming down on the DFL side on most issues.
Money quote:
“Mark Dayton’s approval numbers have declined over the course of this legislative session,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “But he still looks like a pretty clear favorite over any of the Republicans contemplating the race.”
Voters support the legalization of same-sex marriage by a 49%-45% margin. Only 46% approve of the job DFL legislators are doing to 49% who disapprove. Minnesotans dislike Republican legislators even more, at 23% positive to 59% negative. The DFL leads the Republicans on the general legislative ballot by 47% to 41%.
Minnesotans favor paying back the school shift as soon as possible by a margin of 50% to 13%. However, 44% think not raising taxes is more important than quickly paying back the school shift. 50% of Minnesota voters oppose allowing in-home child care providers to unionize, to only 31% who support letting them do so. A majority, 54%, support raising the minimum wage to $9.50 per hour, compared to 37% who are against that proposal.
The care provider unionization vote effort has always been a touchy issue, with lots of cross-cutting concerns. It’s doubtful that it’s going to be a major campaign issue come October 2014, though. More important are going to be the DFL’s efforts on education (all-day kindergarten funding), economic opportunity (raising the minimum wage — ARE YOU LISTENING, SENATE LEADERSHIP?), and marriage equality, all of which are supported by fairly huge majorities of voters in this poll.
Interestingly, check out those numbers on the school shift — 50-13 in favor of paying it back, but 44% say not raising taxes is more important than paying it back. On the original question, 47% of 2012 Romney voters said they weren’t sure, but on the second, that number dropped to just 12% while the “low taxes > school payback” number jumped to 71%.
…Meaning that this group of voters don’t know what the school shift is all about, but they just know that it can’t be more important than keeping taxes on the very richest Minnesotans low.
The marriage equality bill was officially unveiled yesterday, marking the beginning of what should be a pretty successful run of progressive lawmaking in St. Paul. Naturally, the first thing that happened in response was a bunch of know-nothing bigots coming out of the woodwork to spread the same old tropes and mouthspew they’ve been spreading for years.
Dan Hall, a Republican from Glencoe Burnsville, for example. This is a guy who’s a clergyman in his life outside the Capitol, and thus probably has promised at least once not to lie or mislead or be mean, said he “will go to jail before I will ever perform a marriage to a homosexual.” Good thing too, since the bill contains language designed to protect clergy from solemnizing marriages with which they disagree. That was a piece pushed in there by Republican Senator Branden Peterson, which makes perfect sense and absolutely in keeping with the spirit of the bill’s goal: to make marriage as a civil arrangement, with civil benefits and responsibilities, something which any law-abiding pair of citizens can achieve.
And then there’s Glenn Gruenhagen. Good thing we have such upstanding, charming people representing huge swaths of our state in our halls of power.
If you wanted to get married but the pastor you asked to perform the ceremony refused, would you really want to force the issue? Nevertheless, as protection from trolls goes, it’s fine, and obviously Mr. Hall cares more about the fact that TEH GAYZ will be able to kiss for the cameras than he does about the fact that he won’t be forced to smile in the background.
Several states have already achieved full equality through various means — the courts, ballot initiative, legislation are all moving in the direction of full equality. And lo and behold, the sky has not fallen, nor has anyone been turned into a pillar of salt. It’s high time Minnesota got on the right side of history. Let’s get this done — sign our petition, and let’s see how many voices we can add to the chorus.
Let me mention one other cause, which is controversial, but consistent with my faith and my principles. And, more importantly, consistent with this country’s founding principles and its Constitution. I believe that every Minnesotan should have the freedom to marry legally the person she or he loves, whether of the same or other sex.
Last year, Minnesotans began a conversation about why marriage matters, and we found our common belief that it is about love, commitment, and responsibility. I want Minnesota to be a state, which affirms that freedom for one means freedom for everyone, and where no one is told it is illegal to marry the person you love.
(Mark Dayton, 2013 State of the State Address)
Everyone knew that Gov. Mark Dayton was going to address marriage equality during his State of the State address yesterday. He kept it simple and clear. He reiterated that he will sign the bill if it appears on his desk.
“I agree with the Governor’s assessment on this important issue at this historic event,” said Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls). “Minnesotans spoke clearly last year about this issue and told us the values that unite us are more important than those that divide us-that marriage is about love, commitment and responsibility.”
“The state budget and our economy are the focus at the start of this session, as they should be,” continued Dibble. “There is also room at the right time to have this conversation, which, consistent with everything else the legislature is working on, is really all about helping families do well.”
So once the budget has moved past it’s initial stages, expect to see DFLers introduce marriage equality bills.
by Susan Allen on January 27, 2013 · 1 comment
Apparently, Minnesota’s DFL leadership is reluctant to take action to repeal the state’s DOMA law and legalize same-sex marriage, because they fear losing the majority if we focus too much on “social issues” as the GOP did last session. The only promise made by DFL leadership is that we will continue to “talk” about this issue.
Although “talking” led to the defeat of the anti-marriage amendment and changed some minds about gay marriage, I don’t think that it’s appropriate for the legislature to label gay marriage as purely a “social issue” and wait until same-sex relationships become socially acceptable before taking action. Discrimination against the LGBT community is partly a social issue and talking may help to alleviate prejudice, but denying gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry is unequal treatment under the law. In his inaugural address, President Obama called for action when he spoke about equality under the law for gay and lesbian couples. He stated: “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.”
President Obama’s speech reminded me of Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” in which President Lincoln (or Daniel Day-Lewis) states, in part: “Euclid’s first common notion is this: Things which are equal to the same things are equal to each other. That’s a rule of mathematical reasoning and it’s true because it works – has done and always will do. In his book Euclid says this is self-evident.” It’s also blatantly obvious that marriage should be redefined to include same-sex couples.
I believe that we have waited long enough for legislation that treats gay and lesbian couples who choose to get married as equal under state law and that “talking” about our prejudices is important, but it is not enough. We need to act now. Talking is something that will need to continue long after we repeal the state DOMA law and legalize same-sex marriage. In Spielberg’s Lincoln, Thaddeus Stevens ultimately concedes that he could not change the hearts of his fellow legislators, but he could change the law by proclaiming: “I don’t hold with equality in all things, just equality before the law, nothing more.”
Rep. Susan Allen
District 62B
As Minnesotans United for All Families gears up to lobby for marriage equality in the coming legislative session, we also learn what the opponents will argue.
But opponents of same-sex marriage are already lining up to defeat the legislation. John Helmberger, who is the CEO of the Minnesota Family Council and chairs Minnesota for Marriage, sent an e-mail to supporters today saying he doesn’t think there’s support to pass the amendment.
“First, understand that the defeat of the marriage amendment was not an endorsement of gay marriage,” Helmberger wrote. “Far from it. The amendment was defeated by a narrow margin. And, it passed in 75 out of 87 counties across Minnesota. That means that legislators did not receive a mandate from their constituents to redefine marriage.”
Congratulations to the Minnesotans for Marriage campaign! They won! And they’re going to remind the DFL legislators who campaigned for marriage equality that it was the gay-hating bigots that won in November. Great plan.
That’s the best you can come up with? Seriously?
Is your backup plan to roll out Bishop Nienstedt to threaten DFLers with eternal damnation?
by The Big E on December 21, 2012 · 1 comment
After a week’s worth of horrible news, idiotic responses to the horrible news, news about horrible behavior and etc and etc, finally I can report something good — New Gingrich now supports the freedom to marry.
Gingrich, that staunch defender of traditional marriage [snicker], has finally seen the light:
On gay marriage, meanwhile, Gingrich argued that Republicans could no longer close their eyes to the course of public opinion. While he continued to profess a belief that marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman, he suggested that the party (and he himself) could accept a distinction between a “marriage in a church from a legal document issued by the state” — the latter being acceptable.
“I think that this will be much more difficult than immigration for conservatism to come to grips with,” he said, noting that the debate’s dynamics had changed after state referenda began resulting in the legalization of same-sex marriage. “It is in every family. It is in every community. The momentum is clearly now in the direction in finding some way to … accommodate and deal with reality. And the reality is going to be that in a number of American states — and it will be more after 2014 — gay relationships will be legal, period.”
Photo – CBS News
Last Thursday, Don Davis of Forum Communications got a quote from new Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk about marriage equality chances in the upcoming legislative session.
Davis wrote that Bakk was getting lots of calls from “some real liberal constituencies” and that he was “reluctant to get into anything that is of a divisive nature.”
To be fair to Bakk, this is Don Davis of the right wing Forum Communications.
I talked to Richard Carlbom of Minnesotans United for All Families.
“We know there are many priorities, including the budget, school funding and tax reform facing the legislature in 2013,” Carlbom said. “While legislators will focus on their top priorities, we know the conversation about why marriage matters – its about love, commitment and responsibility – has only just begun. This conversation about why marriage matters will continue throughout all aspects of Minnesota life, including the legislature.”
The campaign to Vote NO has become the YES to equality for all Minnesotans campaign. They will do the research and polling. They aren’t going to foolishly rush into pushing their bill. Marriage equality supporters will pick the best time to get the bills introduced in each House of the legislature.
Don’t forget that a majority of DFL legislators support marriage equality and want to do something about it.
After all, which DFL legislator wants to be on the wrong side of history?
Let’s join France and the United Kingdom and pass a freedom to marry law here in Minnesota.
Gov. Mark Dayton said today that he would sign a marriage equality bill if it appeared on his desk. Dayton campaigned against the anti-Marriage amendment. He knows how the amendments got the DFL base excited and what a huge opportunity we have to pass a marriage equality law.
