Phil Kellam vs Thelma Drake

Election day is quickly approaching for me. Due to my occupation, I have to cast my absentee ballot within the next seven days.

Scanning the internet, I came across (this) CQ.com piece that describes the differences between the two candidates in one sentence for each.

For Phil Kellam: "Kellam says Drake sides too frequently with GOP leaders and President Bush."

This seems to be a true statement. Reports sight something like a 98% voting record. I have been watching as often as I can how Thelma votes. While I can not witness to the 98% voting record, I can witness that on the controversial issues Thelma never fell out of line. Her vote was a safe vote for Republican leaders. Thelma was not a leader, she was a follower. Where Republican leaders pointed her to vote is where her vote fell. Evidently 98% of the time. Surely if Thelma was a true leader her vote would have strayed more often then this, but that did not happen. I want Thelma to vote Virginia values, and I do not think the national Republican leadership represents Virginia values. Let Thelma follow disgraced leaders like Tom Delay if she wants to, perhaps this will get her enough campaign money to eventually run for President or something, however it is not going to win my vote.

For Thelma Drake: "Drake has sought to portray MoveOn.org's support of Kellam as a sure sign he is too liberal for the district."

First off, I wish MoveOn would butt out of our politics. Their endorsement of Phil Kellam is actually a negative. Their endorsement of center-right Kellam is only because they look at the victory of a Democrat as a vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House, even if Phil is too extremist toward the right for their tastes. I have read where liberal Democrats have even described Phil as being too right wing to be a decent Democrat. Whoop whoop whoop, the alarm claxon is sounding. Thelma is trying to paint Phil as a liberal through association with MoveOn and that is an extreme stretch. Perhaps we should try to paint Thelma as a liberal because the church she attends on Sunday is Presbyterian?

Truth is that I think our national leadership has swung too far to the right. Our national leadership has swung so far to the right that as qualified a candidate as Harriet Miers was refused by the Republican Party, after George Dubyah Bush nominated her, because Harriet Miers was too liberal to serve on the Supreme Court. Heh heh, and the Republican leadership said we would forget about Harriet Miers. Well I remember. I remember the Republican leadership that torpedoed Harriet's nomination because even Harriet was "too liberal". This proved to me just how extremist the Republican leadership and the Republican Party is. Thelma votes with this leadership 98% of the time.

I am pretty sure I am going to vote for Phil Kellam. There is not a lot of difference between Phil and Thelma on many issues. However, I am hoping Phil will become a lion in the Democrat Party while Thelma has been a kitten in the Republican Party. Perhaps Phil can, by aligning himself with a bipartisan moderate alliance in the House, influence legislation. I want influence from my representatives. Moderate Virginia Republican Senator John Warner has paved the way for the path to influence.

I remember Harriet Miers. Even "born again" Harriet was not conservative enough for the Republicans to serve on the Supreme Court. Thelma votes with the leadership that rejected Harriet 98% of the time. This is too right wing extremist for me. Perhaps with Phil I will get someone reasonable.

I think I am going to vote for Phil.