Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal promised this week to block an Iowa Senate vote on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, even if a majority of senators sign a petition asking for a vote. The Republican reaction to Gronstal's comments makes me wonder whether gay marriage will be in the coming decade what the death penalty was to Iowa Republicans in the 1980s and 1990.
Reinstating the death penalty was a major theme in all of Terry Branstad's previous election campaigns. But as governor he didn't deploy his political capital to push that bill through the state legislature, even when Republicans controlled both chambers during his last two years in office. Many Iowa Democrats believed Branstad valued having the issue to run on more than he cared about the policy.
In light of Tuesday's election results, Republicans sound surprisingly resigned to failure on passing a marriage amendment in the new legislature.
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Complete article at Bleeding Heartland: http://bit.ly/9N7o5J
