I can’t help but wonder if somebody’s twisted sense of humor was the reason for Halloween and Election Day being so close together.
There’s a lot to ponder this season. The news is full of the tragic death of Senator Paul Wellstone and several members of his family and staff. Everyone who knew anything about him seems to agree that he was a rare species, a successful politician with a conscience.
One issue that gets mentioned repeatedly was his vote against a bloodbath in Iraq, even though it was a risky and unpopular move when he was facing a close election.
This raises a couple of interesting questions. One is the issue of someone elected to represent his constituents reconciling the differences between their wishes and his own conscience.
I’m sort of playing devil’s advocate here, since I agreed with his position. But is it always noble for a Senator to risk his career doing what he feels right, or should he feel some obligation to those who voted for him to represent them?
Maybe in Wellstone’s situation, the answer is that the people who kept sending him back to Washington knew that he was the type to give more weight to his own conscience than an opinion poll, and elected him because of that principle.
Another, more troubling, question is why does it so often seem that the right vote is also the unpopular one? What’s wrong with the people in this country?
In our own Senate race here in Kentucky, we have the incumbent King of Sleaze Mitch McConnell facing not much of a challenge from the daughter of a well-respected former governor. Mitch’s claim to fame on the national scene was his role as the leader of the Republican fight against campaign finance reform. Even in the wake of Enron, while his party members were trying to pretend to have some morals, Mitch was not ashamed to boldly fight for the idea that government should remain for sale to the highest bidder.
As sleazy as he is, its hard to get excited about his opponent. Getting desperate as the election draws near, she’s started attacking Mitch for the one thing he has done right (although I’m skeptical about his reasons): opposing a Constitutional amendment to ban flagburning.
As Attorney General Ashcroft and his minions are shredding the Constitution in the name of homeland security and patriotism, it’s frightening to see the First Amendment under attack from someone who should know better.
I can’t figure out whether Lois really thinks restricting freedom of speech is a good idea, or whether she just thinks it’s worth a few votes from the Bubba crowd. And I’m not sure which is scarier. I feel like she’s selling out her true supporters, knowing there’s no way they could switch to Mitch.
Oh well, at least there’s some levity in our Congressional race. Gatewood‘s always good for a laugh. I actually thought he might have a good chance this time, since the Democrats didn’t bother to run any candidate at all, and Gatewood’s views get him support from both ends of the spectrum, potheads and gun nuts. But nobody else seems to think he has a chance.