Voting against the Person but for the Principle?

This election season seems a bit different to me. The idealism that seemed to permeate this season just two years ago seems to be gone. Messages of hope and can do politics are no where to be found. All we seem to hear is mud-slinging and ad-attacks. Many of these ads insult my intelligence. About this season of votes and elections, WC Fields once commented:
"I never vote for anyone; I always vote against."
Sadly, I find myself in this strange place of not feeling great about either senatorial candidate in Missouri. They both are seasoned (read that career) politicians who have been spraying slop on each other in their TV ads for months. Most of the folks I talk to here in KC are pretty sick of it. So I wonder if I will vote for the proverbial lesser of two evils in this race.. hmmm.. even though WC might approve, I have never liked voting that way. Times like these remind me of what President John Quincy Adams once said:
“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”
So I am wondering if I can vote against a person and still vote for principle. I think that I can. I think that voting against a senator that is at odds with my principles is probably a good thing.. even when I am not thrilled about the person that I would be voting for. Maybe voting for principle doesn't always mean voting for a candidate you like? Maybe this is the way that many people vote these days. I guess we will have to wait a few weeks to see how it goes?

1 comment:

  1. Hi Bob,

    The late author Robert Heinlein once said we should always go to the polls. He said even if there's nothing you want to vote for, there will always be something you'll want to vote against. I think your idea is very similar.

    I hope Ann is continuing to do well. :)

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