It will be interesting to see how having the Minnesota Marriage Amendment on the ballot this November will impact other races. In particular, I’m curious about how the Catholic Church’s open and unequivocal support for the amendment might influence Catholic voters in those other races. Because from what I’m seeing in our parish, this is one fight that the leaders of the Church are not shying away from. There are regular mentions of it in the weekly bulletin as well as separate sheets inserted in them that explain the Church’s stance on the amendment and why it’s important for Catholics to vote for it. Speakers are being brought in to give parishioners first hand opportunities to learn more about the matter and address any concerns they might have. The push is definitely on.
So will this effort not only get Catholics in Minnesota to support the amendment, but also cause some to reconsider their support for candidates standing on the other side of the issue? It’s going to require a certain level of cognitive dissonance to pull the level in favor of the Minnesota Marriage Amendment and then vote for a slate of candidates who openly oppose it. Not that many Catholics haven’t already proven themselves perfectly capable of dealing with such dissonance in the past. Just wondering if there’s any possibility of a few more scales being lifted from eyes this time around.
Perhaps my angle on this subject is off course. After all, as Governor Emmer reminded us time and time again in the 2010 campaign social issues just aren’t that important to Minnesota’s voters. Oh yeah, that’s right...
