Why I don’t support anyone in CD8… yet

Ted has chosen his horse (Rum, Romanism and Rebellion: Why I Am Supporting Gabrielle Giffords) and I respect that, and think that he has made an entirely defensible choice.

But I won’t be doing that. Unlike Ted, nobody I’m aware of gives a crap what I think. And, frankly, that’s probably wise, cause sometimes, upon reflection, I find that I don’t give a crap for what I thought. Me endorsing a candidate would be like farting in a windstorm, not to mention potentially detrimental to my chosen candidate’s fortunes, given my recent preformance at political predictions. So I won’t be doing that.

I might say that I like a candidate, but that’s just the ol’ ‘would you want to have a beer with him/her test’, not a political judgement. And, yes, candidates, you can have a beer with me and other liberals any Thursday at 6:30 PM at The Shanty on 4th Ave. and 9th St. I positively encourage you to do so (besides you’re more likely to make juicy admissions when under the influence). I might also say I agree with a candidate’s positions, but I’ll also say when I don’t, and neither circumstance is a sinecure of my affection, nor a bar to my support. If I think a candidate is a nitwit, a crank, a mediocrity, or a sleezebag, or a liar, I promise to tell you such because sterling personal qualities are the sine qua non of public service IMHO.

I don’t imagine people come here for me to tell them how to vote; but I do hope they come here to find information that will help them decide how to vote.

So there won’t find my frolicking on any bandwagons when there is a contested Democratic primary. My ticket to ride is only good following the nomination party. We’ve got a long way to go before voting, and I, for one, still don’t know nearly enough about any of these CD8 candidates for my taste.

To that end, I’m going to start interviewing candidates at a fair clip in coming weeks to try tease out some things the stump speeches, policy statements, and the traditional media interviews are not catching. My first interview was with Patty Weiss last week. As soon as I straighten out my notes, I’ll be posting my impressions of the candidate. I would like to have a followup with Weiss, but I would like to see some reader feedback first. I’ve got feelers out to both Gabby’s and Jeff’s campaigns, and I welcome any candidate who lets me ask whatever I want, doesn’t try to pre-screen questions, and gives me at least on hour.