A recent poll suggests that a majority of Minnesotans now oppose the DOMA law (Defense of Marriage Act) being pushed by religious conservatives and their Republican lackeys. This is a change from a year or two ago when voters were afraid that gay marriage might be forced down the state’s throat.
Today it looks like the religious conservatives are the ones pushing DOMA down Minnesota’s throat and Minnesotan’s are spitting it back out.
There is, of course, no guarantee that DOMA would lose in a referendum. Having it on the ballot will drive social conservatives to vote and and possibly defeat less motivated voters. Stalling is probably the best defense that Democrats who oppose DOMA could pursue. Time is on their side as even religious conservatives rethink their opposition to the granting of civil rights for gays.
Republicans pushing for this referendum are in a death spiral on this and other subjects. Voters who object to gays being treated with some measure of legal protection are becoming more scarce. Yes, if this were on the ballot these voters would feel impelled to come out and vote but they will continue to shrink election by election until the Republicans get very little milage out of DOMA.
Additionally the Republicans are pushing hard on a very strict anti-immigration policy. While this might be good tactic for the next election it will have the long range result of scaring away hispanic voters who were poised to become part of a permanant GOP majority for years to come. Any party reduced to such short term strategies is foreclosing on its future.
Oh, and I heard Governor Pawlenty’s appraisal of Iraq on the radio today. Boy, was he ever subdued. Maybe he’s a traitor too, which seems to be what the most ardent Republicans think of anyone who expresses any doubts about Bush’s success in the middle east.
