How I Voted
Nice turn out at the polls. I've never had to wait on a line of any significance before. And during town budget votes I breeze right through. This was a pleasant change.
State Representative:
The choice was between incumbent, Jason Bartlett (D), and Melanie O'Brien (R). Bartlett has been ok, though my concerns about there being too many (veto proof) Democrats in Hartford still holds. O'Brien is a political unknown though she's been town attorney in the past. I was going to give O'Brien my vote until my town's First Selectman went too far.
You see, Bethel's First Selectman, Bob Burke (R), hates Bartlett. The two of them feud constantly. Burke won't even let the guy formally speak at town meetings. He's actually gone through official procedure to prevent him from speaking. While Bartlett is guilty of not informing everyone of his initiatives and being a bit of a showboat and doesn't pass up a photo op, it's hardy worth Burke's wrath. The First Selectman and the town's Republicans willfully broke state campaign law by mailing out material blasting Bartlett for not delivering the money needed for local projects. While a couple of the charges might be true, at least one of them was outside of Bartlett's district (the town is split in its representation) and another one was an outright lie.
So I voted for Bartlett out of spite to Burke for being such a dick. Burke is up for re-election next year. I've voted for him in the past, not anymore.
State Senator:
The choice was between John Hartwell (D) and Boucher (R). Incumbent Judith Freeman (R) is retiring. Boucher has been a state rep for the wealthy W towns (Wilton, Westport, Weston) while Hartwell is new on the scene. His big resume star is working as a VP for Chase Manhattan Bank.
Her attendance record for votes sucks. She missed half of them. She helped to preserve the Danbury train line but Hartwell says she hasn't done enough. The Danbury - Norwalk corridor is finally widening but she worked to prevent the extension of the Super 7 highway past Norwalk, thus keeping traffic running through the retail district of Wilton.
As for solving the state's budget shortfall, Hartwell wants to tap into the Rainy Day fund and increase taxes while Boucher wants to cut spending. In the end, this is what swayed me. This article and the fact that Bethel receives just 42 cents on the dollar from Hartford (Redding gets 3 cents). Connecticut has gone tax crazy. We have a state income tax, sales tax, and property taxes on our homes and cars. I'm going to have to do some research to see where all that money goes. We're a small state, both in terms of size (48th) and population (29th - only 5 representatives). So, I'd like to see spending reigned in a bit especially since we're in a downturn. I held my nose and voted for Boucher, though she'd better work on that attendance record.
Congressman
The choice was between incumbent, Chris Murphy (D), and David Cappiello (R). Murphy is serving his 1st term after knocking off Nancy Johnson (R), a 24-year veteran of the House, despite her very negative campaigning. Cappiello is a state senator representing Danbury and Bethel.
Cappiello is a good guy. He's a fiscal conservative and a man of ethics. When corruption charges were levied against then governor Rowland (R), he was the first to call on him to resign.
Murphy is also a good guy. The guy is constantly roaming around the district listening to what the people want (though maybe not enough). Although he's opposed Republicans on Iraq, he's wrote and got John Duncan, a senior Republican from Tennessee, to sponsor the Government Contractor Accountability Act, a measure drafted to get some transparency into government contractors, Blackwater in particular.
Cappiello has accused Murphy of taking money from special interest groups, but he's done the same. Murphy was initially opposed to offshore drilling but decided to compromise, Cappiello called it flip-flopping. While Cappiello says that he doesn't always agree with the Bush agenda, he certainly didn't mind W attending a fundraiser for him at Kissinger's estate in Kent.
In the interest of time, I'm leaving out a lot. If Cappiello hadn't been so negative he might've had my vote. Murphy voted for the Bank Bailout, something I abhor. He made the excuse that "something needed to be done." Yes, something needed to be done. A long, well thought out debate on the source of the problem and alternative solutions to Paulson's plan was what was needed. Cappiello had an opportunity here to come up with an alternative, to show he was a problem solver, but didn't.
I voted for Murphy. He's done a good job, though not a great one. I can live if Cappiello wins, though I couldn't vote for him because of his negative campaigning, something I never like to reward.
President:
This decision was easy to make as Bob Barr wasn't even on the ballot. I could've written him in if I really wanted to (CT provides that option), but I wasn't gung ho for him. The Libertarian Party is the oldest "3rd Party" out there. They know the game. How they couldn't get their act together and get Barr's name on the ballot is beyond me, and a sign of incompetence.
So I voted for Obama. He has disappointed me with his votes on the re-authorizing of the Patriot Act (though with amendments) and granting immunity to telecoms over federal warrantless wiretaps. Voting for the Bank Bailout goes without saying. And I do have reservations on his lack of experience. However, there's enough "good" in the man that I voted for him without regret.
When I saw Obama give his speech during the 2004 Democratic National Convention, I was moved. I admit it. He possessed an eloquence that, IMO, no one else there had. I thought for sure that he would run for president one day, maybe as early as 2012. He just needed some "seasoning." Little did I know it would happen as soon as it did.
This is the first time I've voted for a major party presidential candidate. Past votes went to: Paul (LP), Perot, Perot, Nader, and Badnarik (LP).
Ultimately, I really want McCain and SheBush to take a pounding for the divisive campaign they ran, the ugly monstrosities that crawled out from the darkest depths of this country to root them on, the lies, and their twisted vision of America and its role in this world. I'm hoping for a landslide that buries not only them but the Republican party, for it must not be allowed to continue in its current incarnation. Only through a total rejection of the authoritarian abuses of the Constitution it has conducted over the last 8 years can we ever hope to see a return to civility in Washington. While I like progressives, I don't always agree with them. I like alternatives. With the failure of the Libertarian Party to amount to anything and the Republican Party reduced to a gibbering mass of hate and corporate welfare, there really isn't any other choice.
\_/
DED
State Representative:
The choice was between incumbent, Jason Bartlett (D), and Melanie O'Brien (R). Bartlett has been ok, though my concerns about there being too many (veto proof) Democrats in Hartford still holds. O'Brien is a political unknown though she's been town attorney in the past. I was going to give O'Brien my vote until my town's First Selectman went too far.
You see, Bethel's First Selectman, Bob Burke (R), hates Bartlett. The two of them feud constantly. Burke won't even let the guy formally speak at town meetings. He's actually gone through official procedure to prevent him from speaking. While Bartlett is guilty of not informing everyone of his initiatives and being a bit of a showboat and doesn't pass up a photo op, it's hardy worth Burke's wrath. The First Selectman and the town's Republicans willfully broke state campaign law by mailing out material blasting Bartlett for not delivering the money needed for local projects. While a couple of the charges might be true, at least one of them was outside of Bartlett's district (the town is split in its representation) and another one was an outright lie.
So I voted for Bartlett out of spite to Burke for being such a dick. Burke is up for re-election next year. I've voted for him in the past, not anymore.
State Senator:
The choice was between John Hartwell (D) and Boucher (R). Incumbent Judith Freeman (R) is retiring. Boucher has been a state rep for the wealthy W towns (Wilton, Westport, Weston) while Hartwell is new on the scene. His big resume star is working as a VP for Chase Manhattan Bank.
Her attendance record for votes sucks. She missed half of them. She helped to preserve the Danbury train line but Hartwell says she hasn't done enough. The Danbury - Norwalk corridor is finally widening but she worked to prevent the extension of the Super 7 highway past Norwalk, thus keeping traffic running through the retail district of Wilton.
As for solving the state's budget shortfall, Hartwell wants to tap into the Rainy Day fund and increase taxes while Boucher wants to cut spending. In the end, this is what swayed me. This article and the fact that Bethel receives just 42 cents on the dollar from Hartford (Redding gets 3 cents). Connecticut has gone tax crazy. We have a state income tax, sales tax, and property taxes on our homes and cars. I'm going to have to do some research to see where all that money goes. We're a small state, both in terms of size (48th) and population (29th - only 5 representatives). So, I'd like to see spending reigned in a bit especially since we're in a downturn. I held my nose and voted for Boucher, though she'd better work on that attendance record.
Congressman
The choice was between incumbent, Chris Murphy (D), and David Cappiello (R). Murphy is serving his 1st term after knocking off Nancy Johnson (R), a 24-year veteran of the House, despite her very negative campaigning. Cappiello is a state senator representing Danbury and Bethel.
Cappiello is a good guy. He's a fiscal conservative and a man of ethics. When corruption charges were levied against then governor Rowland (R), he was the first to call on him to resign.
Murphy is also a good guy. The guy is constantly roaming around the district listening to what the people want (though maybe not enough). Although he's opposed Republicans on Iraq, he's wrote and got John Duncan, a senior Republican from Tennessee, to sponsor the Government Contractor Accountability Act, a measure drafted to get some transparency into government contractors, Blackwater in particular.
Cappiello has accused Murphy of taking money from special interest groups, but he's done the same. Murphy was initially opposed to offshore drilling but decided to compromise, Cappiello called it flip-flopping. While Cappiello says that he doesn't always agree with the Bush agenda, he certainly didn't mind W attending a fundraiser for him at Kissinger's estate in Kent.
In the interest of time, I'm leaving out a lot. If Cappiello hadn't been so negative he might've had my vote. Murphy voted for the Bank Bailout, something I abhor. He made the excuse that "something needed to be done." Yes, something needed to be done. A long, well thought out debate on the source of the problem and alternative solutions to Paulson's plan was what was needed. Cappiello had an opportunity here to come up with an alternative, to show he was a problem solver, but didn't.
I voted for Murphy. He's done a good job, though not a great one. I can live if Cappiello wins, though I couldn't vote for him because of his negative campaigning, something I never like to reward.
President:
This decision was easy to make as Bob Barr wasn't even on the ballot. I could've written him in if I really wanted to (CT provides that option), but I wasn't gung ho for him. The Libertarian Party is the oldest "3rd Party" out there. They know the game. How they couldn't get their act together and get Barr's name on the ballot is beyond me, and a sign of incompetence.
So I voted for Obama. He has disappointed me with his votes on the re-authorizing of the Patriot Act (though with amendments) and granting immunity to telecoms over federal warrantless wiretaps. Voting for the Bank Bailout goes without saying. And I do have reservations on his lack of experience. However, there's enough "good" in the man that I voted for him without regret.
When I saw Obama give his speech during the 2004 Democratic National Convention, I was moved. I admit it. He possessed an eloquence that, IMO, no one else there had. I thought for sure that he would run for president one day, maybe as early as 2012. He just needed some "seasoning." Little did I know it would happen as soon as it did.
This is the first time I've voted for a major party presidential candidate. Past votes went to: Paul (LP), Perot, Perot, Nader, and Badnarik (LP).
Ultimately, I really want McCain and SheBush to take a pounding for the divisive campaign they ran, the ugly monstrosities that crawled out from the darkest depths of this country to root them on, the lies, and their twisted vision of America and its role in this world. I'm hoping for a landslide that buries not only them but the Republican party, for it must not be allowed to continue in its current incarnation. Only through a total rejection of the authoritarian abuses of the Constitution it has conducted over the last 8 years can we ever hope to see a return to civility in Washington. While I like progressives, I don't always agree with them. I like alternatives. With the failure of the Libertarian Party to amount to anything and the Republican Party reduced to a gibbering mass of hate and corporate welfare, there really isn't any other choice.
\_/
DED
Labels: politics
posted by DED at 12:20 PM
2 Comments:
That's about how I feel. Good day today, huh?
Yeah, I feel like we (the USA) dodged a bullet.
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