It’s time for Minnesotans to take notice of what the other side is planning from a strategic standpoint in their efforts to pass the marriage amendment in November. I’ve highlighted a couple of those points:

• Encouraging religious leaders to speak out, despite the separation of church and state. Lawyers believe that religious leaders have a lot of leeway in what they can say, but many are too fearful. Key message: Speak up and let your parishioners know they they need to vote for the measures that match their stated faith
• Take the focus off of “gays and lesbians” and instead focus on marriage being about procreation. This technique will do a lot of good for proponents of this measure – and they know it is needed to pass in our land of Minnesota nice. If we can convince voters that this doesn’t actually impact anyone (which is completely not true), people won’t feel as bad voting for this measure. One word: Shady
• Focus on the message that Minnesota voters should have the “right” to speak their mind. Regardless of what the measure may be, this technique will focus on pointing out that Minnesota voters should be able to decide themselves. Scary when you start letting the majority dictate the rights of a minority, but most proponents won’t see it like that

Overall, proponents of this measure will employ some smart and powerful techniques as they work hard to pass this amendment in Minnesota. Remember, this amendment has passed in every state that it’s been proposed in; when I read articles like this, I worry for what NOvember brings…