As a reminder to folks, Knox County’s early election started on the 17th and will run through until the 27th (1100-1900 M-F, 1100-1700 Saturday, closed Sunday), and then again 29OCT through 01NOV (1000-2000). I think I want the full “election day experience” this time around, but I am wavering on just getting it done and over with.
Not sure what the hours are going to be for voting locations on 06NOV, so you are on your own for those.
The Knox County Election Commission was kind enough to put up a sample ballot, which actually reminded me of something rather important: due to his cosponsorship of SOPA, I will NOT be voting for current Senator Bob Corker this time around. So for whom will I be voting?
For President of the (mostly) United States of America: Gary Johnson.
If you do not have a reason to vote against Our Glorious President Barack Hussein Obama, you have not been paying attention for these past four years, and if you do not have a reason to vote against Romney, you have not paid attention to his own words and his record as Governor of Massachusetts (a state whose name I can never spell accurately on the first try). Virgil Goode fails on wanting to not only save Social Security but keep it running indefinitely, opposing homosexual marriages and civil unions (including supporting the Amendment banning them), being adamantly pro-life, supporting the PATRIOT Act, supporting a Constitutional Amendment banning flag-burning, and various other details. Jill Stein fails for being a bugfraking nuts greenie, and for being so historically tone-deaf as to propose something called the “Green New Deal” (because the last one was so great). Rocky Anderson supports “universal” health care, has bought into the cult of anthropomorphic global warming, thinks you can balance the budget through “fair taxation” (methinks he has no clue what that word means), and so forth. And while Merlin Miller has an awesome first name, I cannot bring myself to pull the lever for someone who says “white Americans need their own political party to fight this discrimination” (plus he incorrectly refers to America as a “democracy”).
On the other hand, I can vote for competitive, not-government-run healthcare, balancing the budget through slashing the crap out of spending and auditing the Federal Reserve, taking a serious look at how Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security run and cutting them if we have to (and we probably do), abolishing the IRS, enacting a Fair Tax (note the capitalizations), getting rid of the PATRIOT Act, defending our Constitutionally-protected rights, and so forth. I am not sure about yanking our troops entirely out of Afghanistan right now (announced, scheduled withdrawals from hot combat zones almost never end well for the people in reverse), and I could use some more fleshing-out on his proposed plans for illegal immigration, but with Gary Johnson, I am at least voting for something, rather than against something.
I can live with that.
For United States Senate: Dr. Shaun Crowell.
Senator Corker is right out due to his support for SOPA. The ’90s called Mark Clayton; they want his website back (also, he is Big Government enough to think that it is Congress’ job to “make jobs”, he is pro-life, and his entire campaign pretty much boils down to “I hate Bob Corker”). Kermit Steck sounded superficially appealing until I ran head-first into the Constitution Party of Tennessee’s platform of God, pro-life, God, abolish the Electoral College, God, opposing homosexual marriage, and God (though I do give them credit for wanting to repeal the NFA, getting rid of fiat currency, and a few other details). Martin Pleasant further substantiates the hypothesis that the only thing the Green Party can produce is bugfraking nuts. David “None of the Above” Gatchell is tremendously appealing, simply because he is running only to get NOTA added to our ballot. And James Higdon, Michael Joseph Long, and Troy Stephen Scoggin do not appear to have cared enough about the election to put together webpages, so I cannot say as though I care to vote for them.
Dr. Crowell says he supports laissez-faire economics, downsizing the government (though he is a bit hand-wavy as to how), and repealing the 2011 NDAA, PATRIOT Act, and Obamacare. His religiosity shines through, but that seems unavoidable here in Tennessee, and at least it does not come across as “God tells me to…”
For the Representative of the Second District of Tennessee: Hell if I know.
Currently-sitting Representative Jimmy Duncan has been in that seat since 1988; it is well past time to get rid of him and move on, especially since he thinks/thought it would be a grand idea to amend the Constitution to outlaw homosexual marriages and flag burning, fund the Cash for Clunkers idiocy, regulate tobacco as a drug, and a few other odds and sods. He has some good points, and some bad points, but I am generally disinclined to vote for incumbents regardless. Unfortunately, that does not leave many options. Brandon Stewart started great with reducing Congresscritters’ salaries and endorsing term limits, and then it all went to crap by him supporting the “fairness” doctrine, the Occupy morons, and higher taxes. Norris Dryer does not appear to have bothered with his own webpage, so I can only assume he is happy to ride on the Green Party’s nutty coattails. For a Democrat, Troy Goodale is not so bad, but he endorses Our Glorious President, thinks governmental gridlock is bad, and blames “Big Money” for our government’s / society’s ills. Which leaves us with Greg Samples, who comes across as Ron-Paul-light, with all of the associated looniness.
Gotta love Morton’s Forks.
When it comes to your local and state representatives in your respective districts, the homework is left to you. In any case, though, vote for the person you believe will best do the job to the best of his ability; the only surefire way to “throw away your vote” is to vote for someone because someone else tells you that only they have a chance to win – that is circular reasoning at its very worst.
And would you look at that… when the chips are down, I will be voting party line, all the way across the board – Independent. I guess I need to point at this post the next time some moron or liberal on Twitter (but I repeat myself) tries to pigeon-hole me as a Republican or conservative…