Polls show the people of Massachusetts are for a proposal to ban gay marriage -- so why is the state's governor trying to make sure they never get their say?

Gov. Deval Patrick has dangled job offers in front of anti-gay-marriage lawmakers to persuade them to switch their votes and kill a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex nuptials, sources said.

Two sources close to the gay-marriage debate said Patrick has used the controversial tactic as lobbying has intensified in recent weeks. The Legislature adjourned a Constitutional Convention yesterday without voting on the proposed ban, tabling the matter until a session scheduled for June 14.

Supporters of gay marriage said Patrick has worked extremely hard behind the scenes to defeat the proposed ban, and the sources said those efforts have included approaching lawmakers believed to be amenable to a vote switch and telling them they would be considered for administration jobs if they helped defeat the ban.

One can argue the merits of gay marriage -- but there is no legitimate basis for strangling the voice of the citizenry. It is interesting that Patrick, whose Clinton Administration job was focused on ensuring that people were allowed to vote, wants to disenfranchise an entire state -- unless he places the will of a core constituency above the will of the people as a whole.

Posted by: Greg at 10:04 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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