Election Day Approaches

I have access to the internet today, and I am uncertain if I will have access again between now and election day, so I am going to make one last push for the candidates I support in my state and congressional district.

First let me state that I have already voted. I dropped my absentee ballot in the mail several days ago.

Who did I vote for? Let us go through it race by race.

Jim Webb vs George Allen. My vote - Jim Webb

Jim Webb might not be the perfect candidate, however he will be a definite improvement over George Allen. My vote for Jim Webb is grounded more on who is opponent is then it is what I know about him. You see, I actually supported George Allen last time around. I wanted to see what he could do. Well I have seen enough. George Allen, instead of representing his state, ran to the extreme end of the Republican party. In his attempt to run for President, he grabbed the bull horn, charged to the front, and started being a cheerleader for much of what I dislike about the Republican Party. It is the same Republican Party for which even "born again" Harriet Miers was not conservative enough to serve on the Supreme Court. Well now we have 4 extremely conservative Supreme Court justices, only one vote short of an extremist majority that would end up serving for a long time. I wouldn't mind seeing the court swing a little to the right, however I do not believe I am ready for a mind numbing number of puritanical rulings that we would see if George Allen gets his way. Conservatives only number about a third of our nation's population, and they now are over represented on the court with 4 of 9 seats. I want to see some moderates seated, and I do not see that happening with George Allen serving in the Senate. I want to vote to run George Allen out of office.

Phil Kellam vs Thelma Drake. My vote - Phil Kellam

This was a pretty tough decision, since both candidates' positions are so much alike. Yeah, there are a few differences, but not much. I chose Phil based on his experience working in public finance. Hopefully he can help return some fiscal sanity to Capitol Hill. Meanwhile Thelma is in favor of the "Fair Tax" which is nothing more then a sucker punch aimed at the middle class. Hopefully adding center-right Phil Kellam to the mix in the Democrat Party will help pull the party towards the center. Thelma's 98% party line voting record places her pretty firmly as a staunch conservative and her stance on the "Fair Tax" exposes her as even being an extremist within the Republican Party. No hope that Thelma will help pull the Republican Party to the center since she already is about to fall off the extreme right edge of the Republican Party platform.

Now for some overall Democrat vs Republican in general. I describe myself as a moderate, independent with no allegiance to any party. However if I am honest with myself, over the past 4 to 6 years I have been starting to lean towards the Democrat side. No, I do not like much of what Democrats stand for, however I am extremely worried about Global Warming. Since I am approaching 50 years old, there is a chance I will not even be alive to experience the worst affects of Global Warming. Yeah, I know, it might be caused by increased solar output and there is nothing we can do about it. Well too many experts seem to think that greenhouse gases are at least a contributing factor if not the entire cause. I want to try and do something to save the world. Even if the world remains a tolerable place during my lifetime, I am worried about what kind of world I will be leaving for my children and for future generations. I might have to put up with some bullshit from the Democrats if we give them too much power, but they seem to be motivated to do something about Global Warming.

I have witnessed what happens when you give Republicans too much power, and frankly I was not pleased with what I saw. It's time for a change.