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Date Posted: 20:41:30 10/27/08 Mon
Author: Frank Mullen
Author Host/IP: 74.32.240.237
Subject: Thanks for your honesty, Rick.
In reply to: Rick 's message, "I am voting Democrat because..." on 15:34:54 10/27/08 Mon

And, of course, thanks for your vote, too. I think you've made the right choice for the right reasons.

I will vote for a Republican or two in the local elections. This is a big deal for me--I've never intentionally voted for a Republican.

(The Commonwealth of Virginia does not identify candidates by party on ballots. When I lived in Fredericksburg, I once accidentally voted for the Republican assistant commissioner of animal control, or something like that. I felt unclean for weeks.)

My knee-jerk aversion to voting for Republicans was bred into me from childhood. My uncle was a high-ranking officer of the DNC and my father served as an alternate delgate at at least one national convention. I have often said that for me to vote for a Republican would require candles in a dark room, incense, a medium to conjure up the shade of my father so I could beg his forgiveness, and a cyanide pill so I could end it all quickly if my self-revulsion were to become intolerable.

Locally, the Republican Clerk of the County Court, who has held the position for 12 years, is challenged by a Democrat. The Democrat has no experience in any related field, and can't make a case for her own election. ("It's time for a fresh face in the courthouse" is not a convincing slogan.) The local Democratic Party doesn't realise that when you can't field a reasonable candidate, it's less embarrassing to leave an office unchallenged. In this case, I will vote for the Republican.

Part of my reasoning is that a court clerk doesn't set policy. I have more trouble deciding on the election for Superintendent of Schools. Again, the Republican is an incumbent (appointed to the position after the death of her predecessor) with experience and education (almost finished with her Ph.D.) and the Democratic challenger has little relevant resume to offer, aside from willingness. The problem is that this is a policy-making position, and I'm decidedly unthrilled about how Republicans, nationally and locally, are euthanizing childrens' inborn curiosity (another screed for another day).

I could simply not vote for either candidate, but that's a feel-good excuse to pretend I'm keeping my hands clean by not voting. I know damn well I should vote for the Republican--I'm just having a hard time dealing with it.

You'd think that someone pushing 60 would have developed clearer, less-biased methods of decision-making by now. I have to admit that I've been impressed to see so many conservatives and Republicans announce their support for Obama. To see a Colin Powell--or, for that matter, a Rick the Liver--cross party lines clearly has forced me to rethink my own rigidity. Neither the General or the Liver have changed their political leanings or altered any ideology to which they may subscribe. They're voting for whom they consider the better candidate.

Thanks for thinking out loud here, Rick. It's made a difference. In 2007, Clerk of the County Court. In 2012, who knows?

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