Mark Ritchie wanted to word the truth into ballot amendment heading language, and the Republican-packed court frustrated the effort. But in pushing things to that brink, Ritchie, deserving much voter credit, put sunshine on contentions about what the Republicans in the legislature and especially the ALEC members such as bill sponsor then amendment sponsor Kiffmeyer were really up to.
Now the post election whining Gary is indulging in seems some form of personal catharsis. I suppose it may be regret, after votes were counted, for backing Romney after publishing much disrespectful stuff during the primary about both Romney and his people when Gary championed Newt Gingrich [no kidding, he did].
The insight is that this whining is letting the cat out of the bag.
All along the spiteful disenfranchisement amendment was targeting at little else but quelling same day registration, or "EDR" as Gary tagged it, "election day registration." Conjured "voter fraud" rhetoric was in contrast to the truth that voter fraud was virtually nonexistant, but the Republicans felt they had to conjure up some clear and present danger nonsense in order to put a figleaf of credibility over the nakedness of their wanting to quell voting rights of people they believed might be expected to vote against their people and policies. Now the whining is an admission that all along the target was to try to gut one person, one vote, by creating unnecessary complications and roadblocks to citizens' exercise of their right and duty to vote.
Now the motive is laid bare. The figleaf has fallen. There never was any real hysteria over alleged fraud, only the manufacturing of the allegation, to sow disrespect of others to the extent it might unfairly advance Republican ballot box advantage.
I think the Republicans misfired with their unpopular disenfranchisement effort. They also had their bigotry amendment; which appears to have backfired. The bigotry amendment polarized toward the DFL a population segment that, absent scapegoating and attack, might have remained apolitical. The gay community was not instigator of the confrontation. The gay community was reacting to an attack on its civil rights, done as a crass and calculated Republican step to energize a GOTV effort among their most rabidly hateful ranks.
And it backfired.
And now the whining among Republicans would be insufferable, if it were not as funny as it is. And as revealing of the true motivation that all along underpinned the creation and advancement of the ALEC inspired try-to-hide-the-motive disenfranchisement ploy.
ALEC should disband, with their sore-head Kiffmeyer personality types told to just go their separate ways, and individually instead of collectively work for mischief. ALEC is nothing but putting sand in the gearbox of the machine. Also, Mitch McConnell should observe and learn, and put America ahead of partisan foot dragging aimed at subsequently wanting to be positioned to blame Obama for nothing getting done.
__________UPDATE_________
Also, it is telling that all the whining is about voter turnout, and from that, losing more than was won by their camp. The insiders seem to care little about the marriage amendment's failure, it was only a GOTV thing anyway, but keening over failure to scuttle the voting rights of the rest of us pins the decibel meter. It pins the BS meter too.
__________FURTHER UPDATE__________
While not the world's foremost authority, others viewed the bigotry amendment as I did, with City Pages having "best in category" coverage, here and here. Close races, reported here.