Today was Election Day in most parts of the US, and while there aren't any big national races going on, there were a number of local contests-- town boards, county legislatures, state judges, and so on. I stopped by the local elementary school on my way home, and did my bit for representative democracy, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank George W. Bush.
Thanks to our intrepid President, it took me about six seconds to vote. I was in the booth for a little longer than that, just to look at the cross-listings of candidates (most of the candidates on the ballot were endorsed by more than one party, which I understand is a quirk of New York's system), but flipping the actual levers took almost no time, for one simple reason:
As long as the current leadership of the Republican party holds power, I will not vote for a Republican candidate for any office at any level.
It's kind of nice, really. I don't need to read up on the issues, or watch campaign ads, or even look at the mailings I get from the local parties. Come election day, I'm voting for Democrats across the board, because I will not do anything to support the political ambitions of crazy people.
If they ever get around to cleaning house, and starting to act like a sane and responsible political party fit to hold power in a civil society, I may have to start paying attention again. For the forseeable future, though, my time is better spent talking to the dog.
So, the most important question in Schenectady politics is of course: Did Sparky win?
How would the system handle a dead cat winning a mayoral race, anyway?