I voted in my primary...finally!

After months of waiting, I finally filled out my ballot yesterday, and will mail it today.

Let me tell you, it was a tough decision. I wavered between 2 of the democratic nominees right up until I sat down with the ballot. It's a crucial contest, though, so I finally bit the bullet and made a choice.




I voted for Steve Novick to take on Gordon Smith in November. Whew!

His main opponent, Merkley, is a good guy, too. I'll be happy supporting and campaigning and voting for either one of them this fall. It feels good to be able to say that.





As far as the other race goes....

there was no democrat on the ticket I'd feel right about supporting in November. I voted for the one who's behind, to do my part to even the score and keep hoping for that brokered convention.

:shrug:

is taking on Smith.

As far as the other? I don't know. I probably won't know until I HAVE to choose, as I really don't like being forced into making a non-choice.

I'm leaning McKinney, but I won't seriously consider my options until after the Democratic Convention.

States control elections. I like the idea of ranking candidates.

More input by delegates at the convention would be good too on policy and our goals. The delegates at the last presidential election were silenced about the war. The leading runner for President decided instead. Now they want everything decided before the convention even started. That is the wrong direction in a democracy. Wrong for a worker's party.

Congressman Charlie Rangle is right about conventions being important and do many things. Policy is one. Party leadership should be another.

It will be interesting to see the outcome.

All of the pent-up frustration I've felt over a presidential primary that gives me no one to support...I've saved it up. I'll spend all that energy and enthusiasm that had no target on the fight to replace Smith. A worthy goal.

It's unlikely that I'll score a double, and be able to replace Greg Walden as well, but that, too, is a worthy goal I'll be working on.

But I just heard something via email which might brighten your day about the 2nd Congressional District. The person who was emailing me said they talked to a super delegate and that the 2nd Cong Dist had gone from 7% Republican to 2% Democrat in registration.

We have a local businessman running alone in the primary. I listened to an extended interview with him on the local community radio station recently. I wondered for a long time if anyone was going to step up to contest Walden at all.

I will contact him this summer and see what kind of help his campaign needs.

has resulteed in a loss for the party that had the brokered convention.

So you voted to lose in November.

Thanks.

I view the nomination of either of the current two as a loss. Which means I've already lost before a single vote is cast in the GE.

At least in that race. Since there's no winning that one, I've chosen to focus my attention on more worthy efforts: replacing my republican senator and house rep with a good Democrat.

I really don't care if you have a problem with that.

I cannot even uderstand why you are on DU if you want the Democratic candidate to lose.

Purity trolling is anathema to your own causes.

candidate the win? It's not over until the convention.

It's not dumb and maybe we might succeed in winning this time. We've lost every election since 2000. We won this last one by a small majority and could have done better but because of poor candidates and bad leadership we failed to get our message across for a better agenda.

Who do they really represent Americans are asking themselves? Certainly not us.

I don't think I'll bother to explain, since you just suggested that I'm a "troll."

But thanks so much for trying to troll it anyway.

Very creative way of calling a fellow DUer, one who has been here for almost 6 years and almost 20,000 posts, a troll.

I don't have to "try" to do anything. I just do it. Sharing a post about my primary vote is not "trolling" anything.

Who is this "we" you speak of? Are you now the spokesperson for DU, or for the Democratic Party? :silly:

He was by far the best choice once again. That being said, do you feel so down on Obama that a John McCain win is not objectionable to you ?

A John McCain win is quite objectionable.

So is an Obama win.

Which is more objectionable? That's one of the questions I'll wrestle with after the convention.

Myself, I have seen 7 plus years of a Republican administration. I don't know if I would continue living here through another. Obama isnt Dennis unfortunately but he does have qualities that we need to succeed. I just hope you and many others not convinced can see that eventually.

I will offer this:

For me, and for other educators, one way to draw us in would be to convince him to drop his support for merit pay, charter schools, and other kinds of public ed privatization, and take a stronger stance against NCLB and high-stakes testing.

and there was no real difference the party has to offer? Build on policy instead of a person's past who is to be the leader.

The 2006 election had a mandate by both parties but they ignored it. How do we convince voters we will bring them something different?

They want out of Iraq and all over the world. They want jobs and out of the WTO. They don't agree with the open borders and lawless government plan in DC. They want clean air, water, and food. They want accountability. They want a strong dollar and economy. It's the economy stupid. They've been asking for that since 2002. Does the party hear them?

The majorities obtained by the Democratic PArty in both houses of the Congress were not enough to overcome procedural difficulties presented by the Republican minority. Combining that reality with the power of the veto pen of the rpesidency meant there was no way for us to leave Iraq prior to 2009.

The only way to ever leave Iraq, even if we extend the Democratic majority in the Senate to 61 seats (a filibuster-proof majority), is to win the presidency.

The Original Poster is opposed to that, thus the original poster opposes the United States leaving Iraq.

for our party how can that happen? The new winners aren't anti-war.

we leave Iraq.

It's that simple.

Win the presidency, leave Iraq.

Congress is not an issue in that.

Lose the presidency, stay in Iraq.

No matter what happens with the Congress, that maxim does not change.

That's not leaving Iraq.

We're back where we started.

You can't have everything you want so you'll hold your breath and let thousands die.

Blood is now on your hands.

The "perfect"? How about the message being twisted to the same ole?

if McCain is elected?

How many if Obama is elected?

There's your answer.

words...like policing. Got it? I'd like to believe different but it's not going to happen under Obama or McCain. Hillary maybe.

if McCain is elected?

How many if Obama is elected?

There's your answer.

I hope they form a Department of Peace. George Washington thought it was a good idea. Dennis would be a good negotiator and visionary if allowed to do so. Intelligence and military use should not be taken lightly. Lies to war found out before we destroy ourselves and the earth.

We are wrong to get involved in other countries fights. Especially those who would like to see us weak and dependent on them. As the leader in the world we have allowed that to happen and it is our downfall. We are less secure and the future with the low dollar and in ability to do anything on our own is frightening.

We should start conserving energy and watch our resources. We are still rich in resources which this administration has plundered and allowed to be burned. We should ban the State Department sale of resources that's for sure. Most those resources belong to the people. We get no royalties and they are almost arrogant in their act to pollute, etc.

I would also suggest a Department of Waste. Waste has uses and should be managed more responsibly in the future. Recycle those those toys laying in people's garages, etc. Build things with the plastic bags and tires.

Allow only glass bottles and storage containers for food which can be stored that way. Paper and plastic items should be reconsidered. We can recycle those plastics are harder to recycle and spend too many years breaking down. New glass is a worry since we use sand which isn't always available in large quantities. They now suspect plastic drinking containers have bad things in them so we shouldn't drink out of it.ETC.

When we produce or buy something we should think what we are going to do with the items later.

FEMA and the Department of Agriculture needs to be managed in a better way too. Thousands of pigs floating in the water to rot after a storm is not acceptable. Load them on trains or in trucks and move them to higher water. We have weather reports which give us warnings. We need our National Guard at home to do this.

The National Guard should not be used to fight other battles in foreign lands for corporate profits. Only when we are attacked within our borders should we use them. Senator Clinton talked about public service to pay for college. FEMA, etc. would be a good use for them.

Etc.

We have the ability to do better in this country but that vision and will is lacking. It's all about destroying and pillaging instead of survival. We aren't prepared and we are in danger because of it. People do want to become involved but are treated as the enemy instead. That is my vision and a better plan for America. Not the same ole, same ole.

It would be nice to shift the conversation into what we SHOULD be accomplishing, wouldn't it?

but hey, thanks for voting for the person who called activists and grassroots not necessary...
im sure thats a sentiment kucinich supports right?

good on you for voting for the person whos done nothing but knock liberals and the base of the party! dennis would be proud! i mean, its not like dennis told his supporters to back obama or anything(oh wait, he did!)..

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and here i thought people like myself who loved dennis would have a lil more logic and reasoning than that ;)

Did you not notice or did you do that on purpose? Judging from your sly remark I guess I answered my own post.

because I think it's the only way to get a Democratic nominee who can unify the party and win in November.

You're welcome.

Dennis should spank you. :spank:

I'm always being told that it doesn't matter what I want, I can't expect to vote FOR something good, I must always vote AGAINST the ultimate evil.

So I vote against Obama because I don't want him, and that's bad, because I didn't choose the RIGHT bad candidate that I don't want. :crazy:

This is exactly why my focus from now until November will be on the Senate race. I get to vote FOR someone, and achieve something great.

As for the other, I voted to do my part to keep it close. Because the only hope I have for a candidate I could actually vote FOR in November, instead of AGAINST, is a brokered convention and a compromise candidate.

Finally!! Wasn't it satisfying to fill in that bubble next to your candidate's name? (Obama, in my case.)

I went back and forth between Merkley and Novick. I finally decided on Merkley, just because I had an inkling that he might have a better chance of knocking off Smith. Who knows, though. I could have gone Novick just as easily.

The Attorney General race had me going back and forth a lot, too. Whew.

That's the best kind of problem on a primary ticket!

I, too, bounced back and forth on the AG.

I'd expect to see a lot of that in the remaining primaries.

even if I like all the choices equally, I'm always a sucker for the underdog, lol.

;)

I think there are many like that... if you notice, the Hillary supporters are digging in their heels around here. And a lot of us who aren't for either candidate are feeling a bit more protective of her supporters because of this too... my guess, anyway.

I don't care who you voted for, but I do have to say I'm disgusted in your reason for the vote. It shouldn't have been hard to choose between the architect of the IWR vote and the one who opposed it.