And simple as it seems:
vote for the candidates you like best
Tuesday is primary day. If you didn’t vote early, remember to stop by the polls tomorrow.
I want to encourage everyone to vote for the candidates they like the most. Despite calls by some for Democrats to vote in the Republican primary to derail Gov. Rick Perry, I think this is a terrible idea. Democrats should cross party lines to vote for Medina or Hutchison only if they would like to see one of them as governor.
In 2004, Democrats chose John Kerry as the nominee for president. While all the passion was for Howard Dean, the primary votes went to Kerry.
Asking people why they voted for Kerry, the most common answer I heard was, “Because everyone else likes him. He has the best chance.” His campaign lacked volunteers, money and enthusiasm.
Getting elected takes more than being the person everyone else likes. No one is going to work for a candidate someone else likes and a successful campaign takes many volunteers. Many will just not even bother to vote.
Earlier this year Annise Parker was elected mayor of Houston. Her opponents had more money. She had more volunteers than all of her opponents combined and she won.
In that 2004 race, I had interviewed most of the candidates. Kerry was aloof and his campaign staff was obnoxious. Kucinich had some interesting ideas but was one of the most difficult people to interview. Questions were treated like challenges rather than, well, questions.
Another candidate was engaging, funny, had great ideas and didn’t make it onto the Texas ballot. Even though her campaign ran short of money, I voted for her in the caucus portion of the primary process. And I was about the only person in Dallas County who did. Did I waste my vote? No. I voted for the candidate I liked.
In the primary, I encourage people to vote for the person you like best in each race and let the chips fall where they may. If enough people agree with you, that person will be the nominee. Changing parties or voting for a candidate you don’t like to hurt another candidate is a strategy that has never worked.
Why on earth would we want to vote for Kay Hutchison to derail Rick Perry? She wouldn’t be any better and Rick Perry is easier to beat.
I suggest you do your research, find out about all the candidates and make the choice based on facts and findings. Know who you are really voting for. I did that in 2004, I did a lot of research and reading and I found out that Senator John Kerry was the one candidate who was qualified and had the leadership skills needed to be president. I found out how much he cared about America and its people and i discoved a true patriot. I even had a chance to work with some staff and meet the Senator and his wife once. I found everyone to be very nice, and I could really sense Senator Kerry’s caring about people. No, he didn’t win, but sometimes that is the way it goes- the best man doesn’t win. And the reason is many times people just vote for a name or a phony promise.
The establishment convinced people Dean couldn’t win and look what we have six years later we have been sold out once again
Mark, if you voted for Kerry because you felt he was the most qualified, you voted for him for the right reason. If more people voted for him for that reason, I believe he would have won. More people would have been passionate about his campaign and encouraged their friends to get out and vote for him. A few votes in a few states would have changed the outcome.
Doing research on the candidates is the right answer. Stonewall endorsements is one place to start. They’ve spoken to each of the candidates who sought endorsement. You might find that you disagree with an endorsement and vote for another candidate, but it is a good place to start. And certainly, not all of their endorsements are unanimous. If voting Republican, check with Log Cabin as a good starting point.
I voted for Dean anyway in 2004. It was my first Democratic primary, having finally made the final switch from the dark side. He was also the first politician I ever donated money to. Whether or not he could have won the nomination made no matter to me. He had a message and stuck by it, and still does to this day.
Nice post, David.