Tuesday, August 17, 2010

At the polls, Democrats are switching over in large numbers

I worked as an election judge today at my polling station in Cheyenne. A half day, thanks to legislation sponsored in the Wyoming House by my District 8 Rep Lori Millin. Still, I was one of the few judges taking a short shift.  I like working the polls. Public service, and all that. Congenial company. Community. We have five precincts in one spot. A good thing that it's a very large spot -- the Kiwanis Community House in Lions Park.

Polling was light today, at least while I was there. Only a third of the eligible voters had shown up, with six hours to go. Primaries play second fiddle to the general election. This seems a bit backward, as it's the primaries wherein you get to make big and interesting decisions.

Democrats were switching party affiliation in large numbers. How large I'm not sure, but I saw a lot of it. This allowed Dems to vote against right-wing gubment-hater Ron Micheli and for a more moderate candidate. In my book, here's the order of moderation: Matt Mead, Colin Simpson and Rita Meyer.

Can't wait to hang out with the LarCoDems tonight to see the results.

I voted the Dem ballot. I wavered several times, thinking I might change affiliation. But in the end I stayed with my party. I understand the motives of the switchers, having watched Micheli in action the past three months or so.

The problem is, I wanted to vote for in the Dem District 8 race. That pits Ken McCauley against Bernie Phelan. Both worthy candidates, but Ken wants it more and I like his dedication. I also wanted to vote in the Dem Gov's race. I did.

Now I have the rest of the day off, thanks to my vacation leave as a state employee. I enjoy my government job. Work hard, too. Several reasons why I have no use for the gubment-haters such as Micheli, who used to work for the gubment.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

As another election judge who witnessed much of the same, I cannot imagine a more damning admission on the part of the loyal minority party here in Wyoming. They know they cannot elect a liberal, so they intentionally skew the Republican primary to rob Micheli of a truly conservative victory.

Had they simply been honest as you were and voted in their party primary, it would have left a stark contrast Nov 2 between liberal and conservative.

What remains now, sadly, is not much of a choice - between a liberal democrat or a liberal republican.

That's the "cowboy way" evidently. Lie and cheat and rob and then gloat.

Michael Shay said...

"Liberal" is an odd term to use when describing any Wyoming politician, be they D or R. Do you consider Gov Dave a Liberal? I don't. I voted for him because he's a Democrat and had some real ideas, unlike his loony Repub opponents (in both elections).

Petersen describes herself as a "Freudenthal Democrat," which is to say "a Wyoming native who is moderate on most issues." Mead basically describes himself the same way. If that's Liberal in your book, so be it.

Face it -- Micheli was too right-wing for most Republicans and almost all Democrats. Dems in the state chose to insure that the Tea Party did not claim the Republican Gubernatorial nomination. They did you all a favor too. With Micheli as the nominee, Petersen most certainly would have won.

Wait a minute -- maybe we should have switched parties to vote for Micheli. Drat!

Anonymous said...

It is pretty disgusting to see "the cowboy way" being contaminated by those who don't care about crossing moral lines. Unfortunately it is leading to the voice of the people being completely disregarded. While it may be legal for the changing of party affiliations on the day of the primary, it is not morally right. Unfortunately this is the way of DC style politics, or even Chicago style politics. The election process here in WY needs to be fixed to keep these kind of shenanigans from happening all over again.

Michael Shay said...

I like Wyoming because people accept you for what you can do rather than who you're related to or where you went to college. It's an acceptance you don't find in a lot of places.

I don't give two hoots about the so-called cowboy way. It's a myth created in Hollywood.

bart said...

do you think people come to wyoming because of the great liberal-ness of this state and what it has to offer?

Isn't that what people leave and escape? liberal failures of their 'home states' to come to Wyoming ... the state that really is the only "cowboy" state - even if it is a so called Hollywood, very liberal by the way, created myth.

Michael Shay said...

Not everyone who moves to Wyoming is fleeing a "liberal home state." Nor do they want to celebrate "the cowboy way" or even care about it. They come for good jobs or follow spouses with good jobs or are in the military just passing through. Cheyenne will soon be seeing a new growth spurt due to the supercomputer and oil and gas exploration. My guess is we'll see some new Dems but it probably won't put a dent in the "one-party state" attitude.

Anonymous said...

"I like Wyoming because people accept you for what you can do rather than who you're related to or where you went to college. It's an acceptance you don't find in a lot of places."

It is this so-called "cowboy way" that defines people's attitudes that you were referring to in the above quote. You may not "give two hoots" about it, yet you still like it.