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Mass. Constitutional Convention report
Jul. 12th, 2006 01:23 pmI walked up to the sate house on my lunch break today to see what was to be seen.
-Supporters of same-sex marriage outnumbered opponents by 2-1.
-Signage was the most striking difference between the groups. 90% of signs carried by opponents were the same, mass-produced sign (a green one saying "Let the People Vote"). In the time period I was there I counted 12 distinct signs in that camp.
-Something like 3/4 of the supprters' signs were hand-made. I counted 95 distinct signs. Draw your own conclusions there.
-My favorite sign said "The Homosexual Agenda: 1) Spend time with family. 2) Be treated equally. 3) Buy Milk."
-I counted 6 reporters interviewing people or talking to cameras. 5 out of 6 were on the supporters' side of the street while I was there, including all 3 cameras.
-I listened in on an update from a Mass Equality organizer while it was beginning to sprinkle. She said there's no closed-circuit TV this year for them to keep track of what's going on, however the state house had not filled up -- people could still organize in the flag room if they wanted. She said the convention would start at 1pm, and "no matter what happens etc etc". That says to me they expect that the same-sex marriage ban could very well come to vote today and pass, and they don't want people to lose heart.
-There are 20 items on the agenda; the citizen's petition to amend the constitution to ban same-sex marriage is the last of them. Travaglini has not said he will maneuver to avoid a vote on the issue (as they did in 2002 before the watershed SJC decision). Instead he said that all items on the agenda would be debated. We'll see how that plays out.
-While a majority of the legislature now supports same-sex marriage (or at least the status quo), there is not the 3/4 majority that would be needed to sink the amendment should it come to vote. If it passes it will need to pass in the legislature again next year with the same criteria -- which gives elections another opportunity to demonstrate to the legisltors how their stand plays in the polls. Last year no same-sex marriage supporter lost their seat, and several opponents did, including some long-serving incumbents.
-Personally, I'd rather the matter be resolved by the amendment coming to a popular vote and then failing there. Polls today suggest that it would fail today, but it's too close for comfort. However support for same-sex marriage in Massachusetts has had outstanding momentum in recent years, and said vote would be another 2 years away. I do agree that popular votes on civil rights issues are in general a bad idea. I just don't like for a big chunk of MA citizens who feel strongly about the issue tocome out feeling they were disenfranchised by being denied a vote. I want them to come out feeling they were heard, and still lost.
-Supporters of same-sex marriage outnumbered opponents by 2-1.
-Signage was the most striking difference between the groups. 90% of signs carried by opponents were the same, mass-produced sign (a green one saying "Let the People Vote"). In the time period I was there I counted 12 distinct signs in that camp.
-Something like 3/4 of the supprters' signs were hand-made. I counted 95 distinct signs. Draw your own conclusions there.
-My favorite sign said "The Homosexual Agenda: 1) Spend time with family. 2) Be treated equally. 3) Buy Milk."
-I counted 6 reporters interviewing people or talking to cameras. 5 out of 6 were on the supporters' side of the street while I was there, including all 3 cameras.
-I listened in on an update from a Mass Equality organizer while it was beginning to sprinkle. She said there's no closed-circuit TV this year for them to keep track of what's going on, however the state house had not filled up -- people could still organize in the flag room if they wanted. She said the convention would start at 1pm, and "no matter what happens etc etc". That says to me they expect that the same-sex marriage ban could very well come to vote today and pass, and they don't want people to lose heart.
-There are 20 items on the agenda; the citizen's petition to amend the constitution to ban same-sex marriage is the last of them. Travaglini has not said he will maneuver to avoid a vote on the issue (as they did in 2002 before the watershed SJC decision). Instead he said that all items on the agenda would be debated. We'll see how that plays out.
-While a majority of the legislature now supports same-sex marriage (or at least the status quo), there is not the 3/4 majority that would be needed to sink the amendment should it come to vote. If it passes it will need to pass in the legislature again next year with the same criteria -- which gives elections another opportunity to demonstrate to the legisltors how their stand plays in the polls. Last year no same-sex marriage supporter lost their seat, and several opponents did, including some long-serving incumbents.
-Personally, I'd rather the matter be resolved by the amendment coming to a popular vote and then failing there. Polls today suggest that it would fail today, but it's too close for comfort. However support for same-sex marriage in Massachusetts has had outstanding momentum in recent years, and said vote would be another 2 years away. I do agree that popular votes on civil rights issues are in general a bad idea. I just don't like for a big chunk of MA citizens who feel strongly about the issue tocome out feeling they were disenfranchised by being denied a vote. I want them to come out feeling they were heard, and still lost.
