Election

This November 5^th the election will place in office people from President to local dog catcher (if an elected post!). congresspeople – house of representatives and senate – plus governors, state reps and senators, mayors, county officials, and so forth. It is an awesome responsibility to vote. On the surface it looks easy, but if done well it takes work to research all the candidates and positions in order to vote intelligently.

This election is clear to me at the top of the ballot. For president and vice president, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are my choice. The Trump/Vance ticket is mind bendingly wrong. The Harris/Walz ticket is for vibrant democracy, involvement, engagement and human rights on many levels. Theirs is the ticket that supports the constitution, the American heritage and way of life we have supported for most of our lives. It is a no brainer.

Up and down the ballot are similar candidates who will support the constitution. Each elected official swears an oath to the US constitution, and usually the state’s constitution as well. Did you know that? Each election is part of an entire system based on the American constitution. Not living up to that oath is grounds for impeachment. Clear and simple.

Republicans have clearly turned their political party over to a view of history inimical to our history and values. Their candidates throughout the ballot must be assumed to support the national party and its policies. I refuse to do that and will vote straight Democratic.

This has been a difficult campaign season for me. It has been an ugly reminder of how messy democracy is and can be. It doesn’t have to be this way. If we believe in the system, let it work. Let the candidates make their own reputation based on the transparency of their thinking and statements. On that basis alone I am voting straight democrat.

And this has been a long transition for me because I began as a republican, worked for the party and at many levels but gave it up as unthinking boobs played political games rather than attend to the principles that guide our nation. I have been a reluctant democrat for many years now, but the trajectory of the party has been much more aligned with what I believe the American value system is all about. It is shocking to me to see how low the republicans have stooped.

Shocking and wrong. By the way, I go to church for religious practices and work on my theology. The ballot box is not the place for any of that. Nor in our government.

October 30, 2024