If you’re reading this blog, chances are, you don’t need to know that the elections are tomorrow. I thought I’d share my philosophy. Nationally, any vote I have is going against the Republicans. Bush is arguably the worst President we’ve ever had. The federal budget is a tsunami of red ink. Our foreign policy is in a shambles. Civil liberties are eroding quickly. The Bush administration has made a fetish of secrecy in government administration. Bad policy is coupled with incompetent execution — see Iraq, and Katrina. Add to the mix a dash of wanting to legislate morality — Schiavo, stem cells, gay marriage, etc. and you have a horribly toxic brew. We need to clean house. I’m so disgusted, I think I’ll even vote against Dick Lugar, who I happen to like, and in favor of the Libertarian candidate even though such a vote will be futile.
My hope is that an electoral train wreck will cause some serious reorganization in the Republican Party that sees the ascendancy of the fiscal conservatives and foreign policy realists along with the demise of the neocons and the social conservatives. Then maybe there will be some real choices to be had come election time.
At the state level, the Republicans are much, much saner, but they’re headed in the wrong direction. They’re headed toward the social conservatives, but there are plenty of level headed Republicans with sound policy goals currently in power. I’m thinking of legislators like Luke Kenley and Richard Bray. Even aside from the Daylight Saving Time vote, upon which I’ve made my views clear, I do not like legislators like Woodruff and Bosma who champion the intermingling of religion and government and rubber stamp the Governor’s agenda. The Governor has some good ideas from time to time, but he is impatient with the legislative process. He needs a Democratic House to teach him some patience and, frankly, to have a vehicle for the Democrats to advance some of the good ideas that they have. Plus, I generally (with frequent exceptions) hold to the proposition that the government that governs best, governs least. Having chambers of the legislative body dominated by different political parties has a way of weeding out, or at least subjecting to intense review, the controversial ideas (such as DST and the Toll Road) while allowing good government no brainers to go through. Some folks may disagree with me, and say that gridlock is a bad thing. But, absent a real emergency, I’m not one of those who thinks it’s absolutely essential for a government to “do something” just for the sake of doing something. We’ve got plenty of laws on the books right now. Slowing down the pace of adding new ones probably won’t hurt us unduly.
Locally, party affiliation becomes less important. Politicians at the local level seem less motivated by idealogy and seem much more practical in their approach to tackling problems. They’re also much more accountable to citizens of either party simply because they see them on the street and in the community every day. So, at the local level, just throw party affiliation out the door. Try to talk to somebody who knows the candidates personally and simply vote for the one who seems smartest and most competent.
That’s my two cents. That and about $1.48 will get you a decent cup of coffee.
Unfortunately I will have to waste my vote by voting for the “lesser of two evils” in most races this year…
I have analyzed a lot of races on my blog and here is my short list of who I am voting for and why:
Federal US Senate
I will be voting for Libertarin Steve Osbourne. This is simple for me. Lugar has been in office for 30 years and that is too long. He has become a large government Republican.
Federal 3rd Congressional District
I will be voting for Democrat Tom Hayhurst. This is a “lesser of two evils” vote for me. Mark Souder promised to serve for a maximum of 12 years and is a large government Republican, he needs to go…
Indiana Secretary of State
I will be voting for Libertarin Mike Kole. Mike Kole is the ONLY CANDIDATE who wants to end Gerrymandering and who wants to ensure The State Election Board stops discriminating against 3rd Parties. The election process needs to be transparent and the only way this will happen is to ensure the Dems and Reps are not the only voices…
Indiana State Treasuror
I will be voting for the “lesser of two evils” yet again. Neither candidate is at all qualified for this position if you look at their education and experience. I feel that Democratic candidate Michael Griffin is slightly less under qualified then his opponent so I will vote for him. This post should be held by a CPA or someone with related work experience.
Indiana State Auditor
I will be voting for the “lesser of two evils” yet again in this race. Neither candidate is qualified for this post. This position should definately be held by a CPA. I feel that Republican Tim Berry is slightly less under qualified and I will vote for him.
I hope that each and evey person who reads this blog will go out and vote. I hope that you research each race and vote for the better qualified candidate rather then a specific political Party.
Mike Sylvester
Fort Wayne Libertarian
I was going to vote for one Republican in a local election. However, the usual widespread b.s. being funded by the national party, (including robo-calls designed to sound like they’re from democrats and annoy the crap out of people to the detriment of the democratic candidate, and the usual telling people the wrong poll place, etc) cost the party even THAT vote. I can’t vote straight-ticket republican though, because I do have to vote a protest vote against Lugar. His timid little protest statements here and there against Bush foreign policy have been too weak to be of any use. It’s long past time for him to be out of there.
I just had my traditional “there’s so point to voting so why bother” conversation, which happens are regularly as dandilions and the ‘flu. I always want to scream about democratic privlege and all of the people in the world who do not have this option (isn’t this theoretically the reason for going to war in Iraq?) but I know from sad experience that it’s pointless.
Yet there I’ll be in the booth tomorrow morning and they’ll be asleep and in bed and each of us will think we’re right.
I forgot to mention Mike Kole. I’ll be voting for him because: a) I think he’ll do a good job; b) He’s put together an excellent campaign, particularly given the inherent challenges of running as a Libertarian; and c) I’d love to see the chaos if he was the Secretary of State and there was a 50/50 split in the House of Reps.
I agree with you that government runs best when both parties have power and have to debate ideas and come to some sort of middle ground. Think of the six years that Clinton was in office with a Republican Congress. Those were great years. A Bayh/O’Bannon in office with a Republican legislature. Good years. Less legislating is good for all of us. To quote architect Mies Van Der Rohe in saying: “Less is More”.