Absentee Ballots and the Second Presidential Debate

I got my Hennepin County absentee ballot today; seems like pretty fast turn around, considering that I only faxed in my application for a ballot last week. There are two important elections for me: the obvious one, and my U.S. Representative. Jim Ramstad (R) is up for reelection. I’ve met him, and he’s one of those total slick politicians, so I’d vote against him no matter his party.

I also have several judges to vote for, three soil and water conservation district supervisors, some council members, and my state representative. Unfortunately, there aren’t any MN Green Party candidates running in any of these elections. I want wind power in southern Minnesota! I’ll probably get Jacqui to witness my ballot again, and I can witness hers.

For what its worth, John Kerry finally earned my vote (although he had it along with his nomination) with his answers to two questions at the second debate, which I watched while in Orlando:

On Supreme Court nominees…

Now, here’s what I believe. I don’t believe we need a good conservative judge, and I don’t believe we need a good liberal judge. I don’t believe we need a good judge of that kind of definition on either side.

I subscribe to the Justice Potter Stewart standard. He was a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. And he said the mark of a good judge, good justice, is that when you’re reading their decision, their opinion, you can’t tell if it’s written by a man or woman, a liberal or a conservative, a Muslim, a Jew or a Christian. You just know you’re reading a good judicial decision.

…and on abortion…

But I can’t take what is an article of faith for me and legislate it for someone who doesn’t share that article of faith, whether they be agnostic, atheist, Jew, Protestant, whatever. I can’t do that.

The latter is particularly important to me as a Christian, and the former just makes sense from a checks and balances perspective. I think both of these are issues we’re losing in the US right now, and I hope that Kerry takes a really strong stance on both of them in the third debate.


Comments

One response to “Absentee Ballots and the Second Presidential Debate”

  1. I think Minnesota is more of a swing state at this point than Pennsylvania (which is “leaning Kerry” now in most of the recent polls I’ve seen), so huzzah for votin’ Minnesotan :-)

    Kerry has had my vote since the summer, but reluctantly (as a vote against Bush/Cheney/Rummy/Rove) until the recent debates. He’s starting to earn that vote now, through the points you quoted and others, which makes me feel better about it.

Nurd Up!