With the exception of the NYS Comptroller's race, I'll be voting for Democrats across the board tomorrow. In that particular race, I'll be voting Green since the incumbent Democrat is a crook. (I may actually vote Green for Governor as well, seeing as how Elliot Spitzer can't possibly lose but the Green Party would benefit from getting as many votes as it can, but I won't make that decision until I'm standing in the booth.)
Lots of people say that voting a straight party ticket is bad, but I don't really see that, except in extreme cases (if there wasn't a Green candidate for Comptroller, I'd probably abstain). When confronted with an incompetent Democrat versus a competent Republican, I either abstain or vote for the nearest convenient liberal party, and for me, I don't think my interests are served if I help elect someone whose stands on the issues don't mirror mine. So for me, primary day is the time to exercise my distaste for incumbency.
And besides, I'm generally of the view that the national Republican Party is a cesspool, and my antipathy towards them extends downward, since today's local Republicans are tomorrow's national Republicans. So it's all Democrats for me. I don't put a whole lot of stock in independence as a voter. I'm a Democrat because there are certain things I believe and certain things I value and certain things I want my country to do and to be, and I cast my votes accordingly, and with the full knowledge that I'll never get everything I want, because nobody ever does.
The personal blog of author Kelly Sedinger, chronicling the adventures of one overalls-clad wanderer.
2 comments:
I can't do it. Can't vote for Clinton, who's been wrong on the war. Can't vote for Cuomo, who irritated me four years ago in his expensive run vs. McCall. Of course, it's easier that I know they'll win anyway, and I'm CERTAINLY not voting for their REPUB rivals.
You're right about Spitzer's ads. Eliot becomes governor and Willis Reed will win a title for rthe Knicks again!
...I cast my votes accordingly, and with the full knowledge that I'll never get everything I want, because nobody ever does.
Me, too. Imagine my surprise when I actually did get just about everything I wanted this time -- McCaskill defeated Talent in the Senate race, the Dems took control of the legislative branch, the stem cell research initiative passed, and KC even voted for light rail -- finally -- after almost ten years of light rail plans on ballots with mass-media campaigns, this one had virtually no advertising.
I have always been a proponent of a rail system in KC, but I've voted against the plans before because they were always so underwhelming and disappoinging. This one didn't exactly do it for me, either, but it's the most extensive and well-thought-out version so far, and I thought I was casting a vote to reinvigorate further discussions of rail initiatives most of all.
Now KC is faced with a real possibility of not being able to implement something which had passed by something like a 7:3 landslide. The people have demanded something, and it might be something better than what was on the ballot for once.
I'm still in shock, but I like it.
I saw a blog post paying tribute to Rush Limbaugh for giving the Dems control and influencing the swing voters to pass the stem cell research initiative because of his ridiculous criticisms of the Michael J. Fox ad. Again, what could be better than that?
-Mark Cuthbetson
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