For Tom Minnery, it was an election year of mixed blessings

Colorado had the longest ballot in the country this year, and among the numerous propositions that failed was one that would have lowered the minimum age of serving in the state Legislature from 25 to 21. As Tom Minnery, the vice president of public policy for Focus on the Family put it, “No, thanks. We have enough immaturity in the Legislature already.”

The proposal, Referendum L, was endorsed by nearly half of the members of the current Legislature, but still failed statewide 46-54 percent.

Minnery, the longtime government wonk for the Colorado Springs-based Christian ministry and media empire, didn’t fare as well with several of his other poll picks, which were advertised as “Tom & Deb’s Picks” on the ministry’s Web site.

Among the election outcomes that the Minnerys were not celebrating on Nov. 4 included the following:

46 YES. Ends preferential treatment in government hiring based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Hiring becomes truly “color-blind.” (The Ward Connerly-proposed anti-affirmative action measure failed.)

47 YES. Prohibits mandatory contributions to a union in order for a person to be hired. (The anti-union measure failed.)

48 YES. States that the unborn are persons from the moment of fertilization. (The sometimes-called egg-as-a-person amendment failed.)

49 YES. Prohibits automatic paycheck deductions for union dues. (The anti-union measure failed.)

50 NO. Allows casinos to stay open all night, to vastly increase the size of bets, and add roulette and craps. Can you say “Las Vegas in the Rockies?” (The gambling measure passed.)

BONUS: Watch a video of Tom Minnery talking about the shocking image of Rudy Giuliani in drag strutting across the stage on the set of Saturday Night Live.

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