[Note: bumped back to the top to keep reminding readers that their vote today is important! ~ NanuqFC}
Whichever candidate you support, I have just one favor to ask, one reminder to offer: VOTE in the primary election.
The election is today, Tuesday, August 24.
Democrats, at least, will never have a better chance to pick a competent, principled candidate to carry us into the governor’s office.
And there are the down-ticket races, too:
Lt. Governor: between Steve (“fighting for the middle class”) Howard and Chris (“farm-to-plate”) Bray.
Secretary of State: Charles (“it’s a non-partisan office”) Merriman vs. Jim (“policy is important”) Condos.
State Auditor: Ed (“I’ve done this before and I can do it again”) Flanagan vs. Doug (“thorough and complete”) Hoffer.
Your vote will never matter more than it does in this primary election.
Whatever your choices — make them. Today. Please.
A vote in the primary is every bit as important as a vote in the general election. If you are still undecided, you’ve got less than 36 hours to do your homework. Would you choose a physician based on television ads?
Just to be clear, when we vote in primaries in Vermont, we are voting for a candidate, not a party. Just because you have to choose a candidate, doesn’t mean you are choosing or adopting that candidates party as your own. You are not voting in “your party’s primary election,” but you have to vote in a party’s primary election.
Unfortunately, when the tallying is done, your vote, not your name, will be counted in the party whose primary you voted in. I think that’s a real problem. It’s bad enough I have to choose a candidate from among a slate of mediocre, party faithful; it shouldn’t be assumed that I am endorsing that particular party as well.
I think Vermont should consider, and I’d ask the candidates currently on the ballot to consider as well, a “nonpartisan blanket primary,” or “jungle primary” as it’s sometimes called. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N…
This type of primary may have some kinks to work out, but I’d prefer the option of seeing Dubie knocked out (because he actually had to run) in the primary, and run two other candidates, both dems, or both progs, or however it turned out, against each other in the general election.
Yes, I would encourage all of you to go out and vote in the primary. I would encourage you to vote strategically. Unfortunately, that may mean not voting for your first choice candidate, but the one most likely to beat Brian Dubie.
The democratic party has once again put us in this wretched position. If the party really believed in taking possession of the governorship and bringing fundamental change to the way the Douglas/Dubie administration has been doing business, it would have put up the best single candidate from among its ranks at the start and had everyone rally around and support that single candidate’s efforts to challenge Brian Dubie. Especially since the party has ostensibly given Dubie a reprieve from having to run at all while instead raising money. Dems could do that too, you know.
I think the real problem is, there is no single best candidate. In fact, there’s hardly a candidate among the top five that demonstrates any real insight, inspiration or departure from all the past excuses for change. Not that they’re bad people, or that they too don’t believe we need to see real change in Vermont, but none are really standing by the hard decisions it will take to right this sinking ship.
I could tally the things I appreciate about the few candidates at the top of my list, that is, out of those running. I could also tally all the things the dems have done over the years and during this election that are inconceivably ignorant, short-sighted and weak willed. You can see why I’d be remiss to join the ranks, even as a number, of any particular party apparatus. I’d like to see the end of party politics, especially as we are barreling into an era of unrestrained partisanship and culture wars.
In the end, I will choose a candidate tomorrow. I won’t choose a party. It won’t be the best candidate out there, and it won’t be the governor I wish we would see. I’ll have to wait along with the rest of you for that, and as they say, it’s only going to get worse before it gets better.
..then this might be an accurate statement:
“The democratic party has once again put us in this wretched position. If the party really believed in taking possession of the governorship and bringing fundamental change to the way the Douglas/Dubie administration has been doing business, it would have put up the best single candidate from among its ranks at the start and had everyone rally around and support that single candidate’s efforts to challenge Brian Dubie.”
Unlike the Republicans, who seem to do a great job of taking their marching orders from the top, the Democratic Party believes that people can think and make decisions for themselves. “The party” you refer to is a collection of individuals who do a lot of very independent thinking. As a genuine member of the Democratic Party I can guarantee we don’t believe in “taking possession of the governorship”. We believe in democracy, where individuals decide to run for office and individuals cast votes to decide whom they prefer.
You may prefer a more Kremlin-like approach. But as for the Democrats, you couldn’t be more off base if you tried.
all this back-and-forth and I suspect you’re closer on the issues than you’d imagine.
I’d have liked to have been able to support some progressives myself, but this is the hand we’ve been dealt this time; and I think it holds an embarrassment of riches with which we can handily defeat Brian Dubie. The candidates have drawn no real blood amongst themselves, despite the fervant wishes of the media to see the contrary.
If you see the primary as a lemon, try making lemonade from it. Vote to defeat Brian Dubie.