If you can't change your mind, are you sure you still have one?

[ckd]

One of the key parts of the story of yesterday's Massachusetts Constitutional Convention is the part played by those legislators who changed their minds, and their votes, between January's vote and today's.

In a representative democracy, laws are affected by two separate but equally important groups: the representatives, who serve in the legislature, and the voters, who elect them. These are their stories. (Bomp bomp.)

The nine lawmakers who switched sides on gay marriage yesterday came from both parties, different parts of the state, and they traveled different ideological paths to their decisions . But in interviews yesterday, they seemed to share something in common: a desire to listen to all sides and a concern about hurting gay couples and families who they believed in many cases had experienced discrimination. The lawmakers spent hours, even days at a time during the last five months, meeting gay couples and their friends and relatives. Their personal stories made the difference more than anything else, the lawmakers said.

Voters who had supported the amendment also changed their minds:

Some constituents wrote saying that they had changed their minds, like the elderly woman who said she previously asked Candaras to support the ban.
"But since then, Gale," the woman wrote, as Candaras told it, "this lovely couple, these two men, moved in next door to me, and they have a couple of children and they're married, and they help me with my lawn. And if they can't be married in Massachusetts, they're going to leave -- and then who would help me with my lawn?"

One of the important numbers from yesterday is 151, showing that even with all seats filled and all legislators present there were not 50 votes; the other important number is nine.

Comments

[melted-snowball.livejournal.com]

I'm curious what extent party discipline was relevant in yesterday's Massachusetts vote. Here in Canada, I think part of the success at the federal level came from leaders of parties making clear statements in favour of equal marriage, and in 2-1/2 cases, using whips (NDP and Bloc Québecois, as well as the Liberal Cabinet). Did the Governor matter much yesterday in MA?

[ron_newman]

I'm sure the Governor helped, but we don't have ironclad party discipline here. Some Democrats voted for the amendment; some Republicans voted against it.

[cos]

We don't technically have "party discipline" the way Canada and the UK do. There's no official party line, and no official consequence for voting against it. However - our governor, speaker of the house, and senate president, all lobbied very very hard against this amendment, and they do have a lot of clout. It made a big difference.

[melted-snowball.livejournal.com]

I really should have written that comment differently. I'm an expat American; I actually vote (federally, only) in Medford.

But I'm thrilled to hear that Patrick was lobbying that heavily.

[cos]

Here's a video of Patrick's brief remarks outside after the vote. Very classy, and just right.

[mplsvala.livejournal.com]

This was great. Thanks for posting it.