I am so ashamed...

[jmowreader]

Last night I voted in our town's city council election. And I broke a long-standing tradition and voted for The Enemy.

The reason I did it is very simple: Ron Edinger, a Republican city councilman and by all accounts a decent-enough person, is running against a teabagger whose stated goal is to eliminate, among other things, the funding for Public Art installations that are of utmost importance in a tourist town like mine.

If the teabagger wouldn't have been on the ballot I wouldn't have voted for the Republican. But he was and I had no choice. I atoned by voting for a good Democrat on the same ballot and by immediately rushing home and washing my voting hand in rubbing alcohol - the most aggressive solvent I have in the house right now - to remove the taint.

[villager]

1. But this is what they do, and they're doing it to our own party, as well....

"You've got to vote for 'us' because they are even crazier/worse...!"

So everything gets more debased, and more skewed rightward....

[Squinch]

2. Sometimes you DO have to vote for the lesser evil, and not to do so is irresponsible.

Sucks, but there it is.

You did the right thing.

[cantbeserious]

3. It Is Always This Way When Voting For The Lesser Of Two Evils

eom

[olddots]

4. this may be the theme of politics now

The rulers select a cast of crazy suits to entertain the base then at the last minute everyone votes for the Kaich turd .The media makes out better with the highly entertaining crap and the people remain docile slaves to materialism .

[BlueJazz]

5. You're very lucky. When DU was in it's infant stage, it was common for people who voted..

...for a republican to be forced to find a very large bug and eat it. That changed shortly after a Lady named Skittles joined the flock.
Now she just kicks your ass.

[bigwillq]

6. The two-party system has made me do something similar

in the past.

[JI7]

7. that's pretty much what voting and elections are about

[virgogal]

8. I think you are being a tad dramatic.

I've voted for Republicans 3 times.

So what?

[jmowreader]

9. I never vote for them

This is no mean feat when you live in an area that's completely infested with them. I've filled out ballots that had twenty races but only drew three votes from me - the other races were either (1) a republican running uncontested or (2) two of them running against each other.

[gwheezie]

10. Same here, GOP or indie

Frequently the indie is a deranged teabagger. I don't automatically vote for anyone but gop because I can't let the anti American extremist win instead.

[madinmaryland]

11. How about a choice between a liberal CT republican and a nutjob CT democrat...

Lowell Weicker (R) against Joe LIEberman in 1988, and then again Lowell Weicker for governor of CT in 1990. Oh, and I voted for LIEberman twice in 2000 (he actually won both elections), but one was against a pedophile (R).

[gwheezie]

13. Sadly we have no dems locally

For Senate and House we have a choice but for very local elections we have no dems running for things like county or state legislature offices. Luckily every dem I have voted for has been clearly a better choice. But we have a county office election coming up this 11/3 there is one GOP and 4 Indies. One og the Indies seems more liberal but since dems don't win here he's running indie. 2 of the Indies are stark raving mad teabagger. And this is the danger here. These low level county jobs don't have lots of political clout, they basically make sure the codes are being followed but they are the 1st rung on the ladder. So after being county clerk they run for delegate using their experience in government and the connections they've made. They run against an idealist with no political experience. And they win because they are honing political chops. And then they can vite to close diwn abortion providers or cut services. Then they run fir the house My rep in the house started as the elected fish inspector for the county fisheries agency. He's now in the house. He's GOP through and through.

[jmowreader]

17. That would be rough...

...especially since we're talking about the prototypical RINO in Joe Lieberman.

[etherealtruth]

12. I had to do the same for the Spotsylvania Sheriff in the 1990s

I was convinced that the incumbent running as an independent was what Barnie Fife would be if he were also a member of the KKK. No Democrat was running and the Republican running at least seemed "sane" .... that was my one and only republican vote (and iit was a "good" one given the choices before me)

[gwheezie]

14. Right

Is witless, oops wittman your rep? He's mine.

[etherealtruth]

15. Nah, left Virginia in 1999 ....

Lived in Delaware for a few years, got divorced and moved back to Michigan.

My reps are all strong Dems .... but, we have a right wing Governor and a state legislature generally comprised of far right nut jobs

[Oneironaut]

16. I've voted for Republicans many times in local elections.

I probably will in the future too. Why? B/c they were better candidates, or the Democratic candidate was a nimrod. Big deal.

I would rather look at what a candidate stands for than just assuming they're good b/c they're a Democrat. It doesn't always work that way. Luckily, there are no tea bagger candidates here, though. That is an exception - being a tea bagger is reason enough alone to probably be a horrible candidate.

[Nye Bevan]

18. You don't need to be ashamed, you can hold your head high.

You voted the best way you could under our system.