In keeping with the nationwide GOP focus on job creation social issues, Republicans in Minnesota (my dearly beloved/often embarrassing home state) are taking advantage of their new majority in the legislature to push to get a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the 2012 ballot.

The measure is moving along quickly through the legislative process. But every step of the way some good Minnesotans are speaking out against it. Last week, a 24-year-old, straight, Republican woman argued that “equal rights is not a partisan issue” and basically told the GOP to stop being so old and out-of-touch. Very cool.

On Monday, Representative Steve Simon, with text-book Minnesotan niceness, asked his opponents to just consider this one question:

“How many ...