The ability of a governor to take charge of a state’s political conversation — particularly when legislators are not in session — was never more clear than this morning.

Gov. Mark Dayton stepped up to his bully pulpit and talked about his “symbolic” veto of the controversial constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage.

In addition, he promised vetoes of two bills that would restrict abortions and suggested that he likely will be vetoing the Voter ID bill Thursday.

And once again, he asked Republican leaders to meet him halfway on resolving the budget dispute that is veering toward a government shutdown.

All of this ground was covered in front of the state’s Capitol press corps in less than 30 minutes.

What was most unusual about the event was the presence of Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon.

 She said that when she learned of this morning news event, “I wanted to come in and add my support” to the governor’s opposition to the marriage amendment. She called the amendment “a travesty.”

Dayton seemed surprised that a legislative bill, mirroring the amendment, even would cross his desk. His veto of the bill, he admitted, would do nothing to prevent the proposed amendment from going on the ballot in November 2012.

“Symbolic as it may be, without question, I’m vetoing it,” Dayton said.

Dayton and Prettner Solon were joined by two openly gay members of the Legislature, Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, and Rep. Karen Clark, DFL-Minneapolis.

Both applauded the actions and words of Dayton and Prettner Solon, and both predicted that Minnesotans would defeat the amendment.

Clark described passage of the proposed amendment as “heartbreaking, but we’re gonna love this thing to death.”

Clearly, the governor, lieutenant governor and legislators are perfectly willing to declare the marriage amendment — Dibble describes it as “the anti-marriage amendment’’ — as the “signature” action of the Republican-led Legislature.

“It’s a terrible signature,” said Dayton.

He also said that he will be vetoing two other pieces of legislation inspired by social conservatives in the Republican Party. One of the proposed laws would make it a felony for a physician to perform an abortion beyond the 20th week of pregnancy in most circumstances. The second would prevent any public money from being spent on an abortion.

Dayton also said that he would be meeting today with Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and DFL legislative leadership about the Photo ID bill now on his desk. He didn’t say for sure that he’d veto the bill but did say that Ritchie and such people as Rep. Paul Thissen, the House minority leader, are “persuasive.” Both oppose the bill.

But amid all of this, Dayton said that most of his attention is focused on attempting to bring Republican leaders to “the middle” on resolving the budget issue.

He again said that his position of balancing the state’s budget through a combination of cuts and tax increases on the wealthiest is the position favored by “the vast majority” of Minnesotans.

He said that the Republican legislative leadership is “encumbered by more radical extreme caucuses within their caucus.”

He also said that he was meeting with his cabinet to begin preparations for a potential July 1 government shutdown and that in coming days he would be describing what that means to Minnesotans.