Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Still No Evolution, Governor?

As we discussed earlier, today's been a big day for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). Another Senate hearing has been scheduled for next week, an actual bill is supposed to be revealed any day now, and many thousands nationwide are now rallying for CIR. So of course, Governor Brian Sandoval (R) tried to make news by giving KINC, the Las Vegas Univision affiliate, an exclusive interview detailing his extensive flip-flopping evolution on the matter.

And Governor Brian Sandoval has indeed made news today... Just not in the way he intended. Instead of highlighting his evolution on one issue, he ended up shining a rather bright light on his refusal to evolve on another major civil rights issue of our time.

(The interview below is in Spanish.)



As the national media continues to regularly chronicle some national politician "evolving" on gay marriage, Nevada's governor is not joining the supposedly Darwinian progression on the issue: Brian Sandoval remains opposed to gay marriage, he told a Spanish-language interviewer in an exchange posted this week on the station's website.

Sandoval twice told Martha Saldaña that he opposes gay martriage, saying when she followed up, "As I said, marriage should be between a man and a woman." [...]

Exit polling last year showed nearly six in 10 Latinos [nationally] back gay marriage.

And not only that, but February's RAN poll commissioned by the conservative/Republican aligned firm Public Opinion Strategies showed Nevadans support marriage equality by a 54-43%. That's much higher than the razor-thin 45-44% result that the progressive/Democratic aligned firm Public Policy Polling showed in August 2011. So Nevadans are clearly evolving in favor of marriage equality along with the rest of America. So why on earth is Governor Sandoval still fighting against equality?

As we noted here before, even other Republicans are leaping at the opportunity to change their image on matters of equality. And it's even been happening quite close to home. In a major surprise late last month, (State) Senator Ben Kieckhefer (R-Reno) appeared at the SJR 13 hearing to testify in favor.





Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson (R-Henderson) made an appearance at the same hearing, and he later announced his support for SJR 13. And again, several other Republicans across the nation have suddenly announced their evolution on marriage equality. So what is Governor Sandoval waiting for?

Why no evolution, Governor?

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