today's ticket

cookie · November-7th-2006, 01:49 PM

3 Democrats
2 Greens
1 Libertarian
and an unopposed Republican

No Clinton or Cuomo. The first because I don't like what she's becoming, and the second because it appears he's being weasle-y with his tax returns

Root Doctor · November-7th-2006, 01:53 PM

4 Republicans
4 Democrats
1 Socialist

Left a number of unopposed races blank.

Squaredancecalling Steve · November-7th-2006, 01:56 PM

I sent mine in two weeks ago. iirc,

2 Dems
2 Greens
1 Peace & Freedom
1 Libertarian

Brian Olewnick · November-7th-2006, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Root Doctor

Left a number of unopposed races blank.

Ha, I used to do that routinely in Manhattan. Unopposed or, worse, listed on every party line got an ignore frm me.

I'll vote when I get home. The only real race is Menendez/Kean and I'll likely clasp a large vise over my nose and go for Melendez, striking a simultaneous blow for a Democrat Senate and an increasingly corrupt Jersey political system.

Root Doctor · November-7th-2006, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Olewnick

striking a simultaneous blow for a Democrat Senate and an increasingly corrupt Jersey political system.

A corrupt political system is a Democratic tradition, Brian.

Brian Olewnick · November-7th-2006, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Root Doctor

A corrupt political system is a Democratic tradition, Brian.

Especially here. Ex-governor Brendan Byrne said, "I want to be buried in Hudson County, so I can remain active in politics."

Root Doctor · November-7th-2006, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Olewnick

Especially here. Ex-governor Brendan Byrne said, "I want to be buried in Hudson County, so I can remain active in politics."

That's a great wisecrack.

Gary Sisco · November-7th-2006, 02:29 PM

1 quasi-socialist independent (if you think LBJ was a socialist, so is he.)
1 repub

Couldn't bring or even force myself to vote for any others.

Al in NYC · November-7th-2006, 03:59 PM

Perhaps the only time in my life I've voted a straight ticket. I even voted for Hillary, despite my deep reservations. It's just too damned important not to try to inflict the biggest loss possible on the radical right crypto-fascist wholly corrupt scoundrels that the Republican Party has become.

Gary Sisco · November-7th-2006, 04:03 PM

I figured the best I thing I could do from here to fuck with them is to help put Sanders in the Senate. The dim and repub candidates for the House seat he opened were equally unpalatable to me, for different reasons. Couldn't vote for either one.

The repub I voted for is a longtime figure, reasonable guy, running for his first statewide office. One good thing about living in a small state is that you can know who people are beyond political advertising and propaganda.

I didn't vote for anyone else on the ballot and there weren't any questions to vote yay or nay on.

Captain Hate · November-7th-2006, 04:57 PM

The codgers were having a *real* hard time with the voting machines; these are the same fossils that write out checks at the grocery store. Seriously, one of the more lucid ones that started significantly before I did was still plugging away when I left and the ballot wasn't even that difficult. There's no doubt in my mind that some of the AARPsters were so confused that they'd have voted for their own euthanasia if given a chance. To make matters worse there wasn't any hot trim to gape at while I was waiting.

Gary Sisco · November-8th-2006, 07:57 AM

Cormac McCarthy has a character who, after listening to a woman's tirade about the right, at a conference, raving about how she wants her daughter to be able to have an abortion, say, "She'll not only be able to have an abortion; she'll be able to put you to sleep." End of conversation. ;-)

I can't for the life of me understand what's wrong with simple, make-your-x here ballots. It's what we use here. The get run through a simple counting machine but the paper ballots are all available for recount if someone deems it necessary.

What could be easier?

Hence, make it more complicated.

Duh.

Monte Smith · November-8th-2006, 08:41 AM

I had two Republicans and two Dems and some assorted also rans on the ballot. It looks like my Republican Senator has run into trouble, but the GOP House incumbent is fine. Now let me take the opportunity to complain about ballot initiatives, which I always do:

Ballot initiatives are wrong. At least they are wrong for the purposes which I have always seen them used, putting decisions that should be made by politicians in front of the people. Don't get me wrong, all power rests with the people, but the sort of questions usually on ballot initiatives are technical things that need to be studied by individual, responsible policy makers and not by voters like me who breeze by on a Tuesday in November with a necessarily limited grasp of the issue. For instance, from yesterday's ballot, "should the county take on a debt of x amount to build a road at y juncture." Well, roads are nice. But is x the right amount of money? And is y the right place? And is the road proposed the right road? And is it the county who should be paying for it? All these questions have answers, but with ten similar items on the ballot, what voter has studied the problem well enough to make a correct decision? None. No voter has. That's why these decisions should be made by the guys we hired to make such decisions. Another one: "should the VA constitution be amended to allow the incorporation of churches, since the clause that currently prohibits such incorporation has been held to be unconstitutional?" Huh? Well, I like freedom of religion. Almost as much as I like roads. But is my first, broad impulse really the arbiter of this question? What kind of churches are being incorporated? The Monte Smith Church of Blow Up Dolls, Inc? Incorporate why? What the fuck is this about? Did I get a heads up on this question coming down the pike? Did anybody? What does the governor have to say about this? Isn't this his job and the General Assembly's?

Gary Sisco · November-8th-2006, 09:27 AM

I dont entirely disagree with you about ballot intiatives, esp the way they are used today.

For me, democracy -- such as in a town meeting (at least the way *they* used to be; it's a fading institution) -- has several more important and prior aspects, than mere voting. The debates, face to face in the meeting and prior to the meeting in people's daily rounds, are the most important things to me. Without them, mere voting yes or no can be mindless and the results often display exactly that. One quick example: Because our elementary schools have the budgets that get discussed at town meeting, which is also where the officials and boards are held to account at the same time, the elementary school budgets receive by far the most focus. In the meantime, the high school budget, which is the larger, gets voted on by ballot like a standard election day, and so goes by without any meaningful debate, nearly no accountability (different school boards involved) -- and rotely passes almost every time. I can't remember when one didn't. The former, with the public debating, is by far preferable from a democratic point of view, and far less manipulable than ballot initiatives as they are used today most of the time.

Monte Smith · November-8th-2006, 10:31 AM

There were five initiatives for schools on the ballot yesterday. $165,000,000 up for grabs, total. I don't have any kids in school. I have no idea what is needed, if anything. All I can do is reflect, do I like schools or not? That's an iteration of democracy, partially good, but I am appalled at them letting an ignoramus like me have a say. And pardon me if I hint that I may not be the biggest dope at the polls. Ballot initiatives, feh. We had two for roads. One for money to buy land for a fire station. One for renovation of a building to house an agency on aging and the library services administration. Library services administration? Hey, how about I vote you the money to buy some frigging books.

Gary Sisco · November-8th-2006, 10:37 AM

Well, at least you don't live in California.

Gary Sisco · November-8th-2006, 10:42 AM

Hey, Roots -- Free Press is silent on it. Do you know who won the state auditor race? I'm wondering if my choice, Randy Brock, won or not.

Monte Smith · November-8th-2006, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

Well, at least you don't live in California.

Used to. We also had an initiative on gay marriage and tax breaks for certain real estate improvements. It's ballot-o-mania.

Gary Sisco · November-8th-2006, 10:46 AM

Well, as I've said. I don't consider such things aspects of a democracy, which is to me a face to face thing. It might be a relatively democratic practice, but democracy it's not.

Most people don't even know what they're voting for or against most of the time when there are so many. It's not a democracy when people don't know what they're voting for or against. It's just a mindless exercise most of the time.

Root Doctor · November-8th-2006, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

Hey, Roots -- Free Press is silent on it. Do you know who won the state auditor race? I'm wondering if my choice, Randy Brock, won or not.

It's still too close to call. Salmon ran big in the southern part of the state.

Looks like bovine boob Susan Bartlett remains our state senator.

Gary Sisco · November-8th-2006, 10:51 AM

She'll be there so long they'll have to install larger seats in the Senate room for her ass.

She's one thing I'll not miss when we leave Vermont.

hornplayer · November-8th-2006, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al in NYC

Perhaps the only time in my life I've voted a straight ticket. I even voted for Hillary, despite my deep reservations. It's just too damned important not to try to inflict the biggest loss possible on the radical right crypto-fascist wholly corrupt scoundrels that the Republican Party has become.

yeah... that's why I held my nose and voted for Menendez...

walto · November-8th-2006, 01:51 PM

Let's see, A Dem for Gov. (but one I wrote in, not Patrick), and Dems for U.S. Sen., Atty Gen., State Rep., State Sen., and Register of Deeds. A Green for Sec'y of State, and a "Working Families Party"(?) candidate for State Auditor, I blanked Cong. Markey (as usual, since nobody ever runs against him). I blanked a couple of other races (like Gov's Council), since I didn't know who anybody was. Not too many Repubs running for things around here....I'd certainly have voted for anybody who ran against Galvin, DeNucci or Markey.