Posted on 06/01/2010 12:54:59 PM PDT by Onelifetogive
I just voted in my local GOP primary.
I voted against my Senator and my Representative (Richard Shelby and Spenser Bachus). Both are reasonably solid Conservatives, and both will win their primaries easily.
I voted against them to encourage others to run against them in the future. By my calculation, every vote against an encumbent is a vote to encourage potential candidates in the future.
Thoughts?
Ads have been run against him on Christian radio saying that he "believes in evolution and he believes that the Bible may not be completely true." That seemed a bit creepy to me.
So, are we to understand you voted for people more conservative than your current representatives, or you protested them by voting more liberal?
I basically like Shelby and Bachus. Wouldn’t want to see them look weaker in the general because of votes against them in the primary. That might encourage the DNC to spend money against them.
I voted for people I know next to nothing about. I met one of the guys at a local candidate event (He reminded me of Chris Farley's "living in a van down by the river" character.) He spoke very conservative, but he will likely lose 90-10 (or so). I have met my Rep (Bachus) on several occasions. He strikes me a pretty conservative and a bit scatter-brained. I was turned off to him a few years back when I had a Kiwanis breakfast with him and he 1) treated his assistant like a butler ("Get me some butter.") and 2) indicated that he only voted for the horrible Farm Bill because it was going to pass anyway.
Is that a bad thing? It would be wasted money.
I voted for Roy Moore too—otherwsise, against Shelby and Baucus as our poster.
Voted for Dale Peterson.
Cowboy Dale? I voted for him. He had ba!!s. Came to our local event (Shelby County) and accused his opponent of criminality right after the other guy spoke.
I voted for him, but almost didn't because the cowboy hat, boots and belt buckle were almost over the top for Ag Commish.
Good Lord...this may be the dumbest post ever on FR.
Any particular part of it?
Yeah, vote out the conservatives! WOO HOOOOOOOOO!
Morons, all of you!
Irony.
It's a primary! I voted against somewhat conservative people (who WON'T be voted out) to encourage real, solid conservatives to run.
At least as far as non-trolls go...
Vote against the conservatives, because we'd rather have.... ???
Well, given that even you concede that both Bachus and Shelby will win the GOP nomination, you just threw away your vote.
All the mental gymnastics to ascertain the message your vote will send is a waste of time and brain cells.
Yeah. How's that working out for ya?
Neither is on conservative.org's list of "standouts" and Shelby has a lifetime conservative rating of 75! That is not good enough. Alabama will elect real conservatives if we have the opportunity.
As I said, I voted against the guys (both of whom will win anyway) to encourage real conservatives to run in the future.
But I suspected that this would be controversial. That is why I posted it for discussion. I respect the opinions here at FR (except the one where this is the dumbest post ever. I'm still considering that one.)
The primary is the time to vote for who you truly want, not for who seems “electable”. You don’t have to compromise in the primaries.
In Oklahoma, we have 2 conservatives, Mary Fallin and Randy Brogdon running in the primaries.
Randy Brogdon is definitely the more conservative, and a strict constitutionalist. I will definitely vote for him in the primary, but if Fallin wins I’ll vote for her in the general.
Hope & change?????
I consider that almost an endorsement!!!
I totally agree. That's why I voted (in the primary) for "someone else". I'll vote for both encumbents in the general and both should win handily.
Listen to what everyone is saying before just posting crap if you know nothing about the race:
Bachus and Shelby are to rock-solid conservatives - they get so-so scores from the ACU etc. Their opponents are much more conservative even if they don’t have a chance in hell of winning.
The poster voted for the more conservative candidates. THAT IS WHAT HE IS SAYING!!!
I did the same thing, I voted for the most conservative candidate, I am not in Bacchus district but I did vote against Shelby. amd I voted for Roy Moore for Governor as Byrne (likely winner) is on the same par as those two, and Tim James while Conservative is somewhat of a froot loop.
You are almost a prophet! You foresaw the slamming I was about to receive...
UGH that should say ARE NOT rock-solid Conservatives — My Dyslexia got in the way
Very close to what I meant. Their opponents may or may not be more conservative, but getting some votes in the primary will encourage people who are much more conservative to run against these entrenched encumbents in the future.
And I will support B achus and Shelby in the general election.
“You are almost a prophet! You foresaw the slamming I was about to receive...”
Hmmmmm...I knew you were going to say that.
Candidate A in race X getting votes has no predictive qualities regarding any other candidate in any other race.
I understand the message you were trying to convey and the result you’re expecting that vote to yield, but there’s no cause/effect relationship there.
Your point is valid about pseudo-conservatives (broadly, if not specifically in these races), but you’re trying to affect an outcome that has no relation.
FOR STATE TREASURER
(Vote for One)
YOUNG BOOZER
GEORGE C. WALLACE, JR.
I have to tell you, between Ole George Wallace's son and a Young Boozer, I had to go with the politician with the more honest name!
Dang! You are good...
I'm not sure about that. If a Rep wins his primary this year by 80-20 against anyone, then any future opponent will be discouraged. If he wins against his generic opponent by 55-45, then an opponent will have more opportunity to raise money and build support. No one likes to throw money away on someone who will likely lose 80-20 in a primary.
That was a tossup for me. I think I went with Wallace.
This is something you’ve obviously given a lot of thought to, but the entire premise is built on your assumptions of what will/might happen.
Referring to earlier posts in this thread, the primary is not the time to experiment with election theories.
I support your conservative views, but I’d encourage you to vote for the most electable candidate in the general elections—absent other policy reasons, of course.
Hmmmm....Isn't that how we get RINOs? Should we vote for the most conservative person who is electable?
Is that how you chose a mate, select a babysitter, buy a car or house, suggest your daughter date... ??
Allow me to rephrase...don’t piss away your freaking vote like you did this time.
Zat make sense?
I’m out of this one. Take care and good luck.
I do the same thing.
I went with Byrne and Wallace and I voted for Ponder for Lt. Governor.
I’m sorry, but Hurricane Hank and PACT Kate are both unacceptable. I wish their way a way we could just bar them from the ticket and have the State Committee put in someone who won’t piss off large swaths of Alabama voters because neither of them deserves to be elected, especially not Kay who managed to royally screw up in a job that is really hard to royally screw up in.
The reason I voted for Wallace is because the likely Dem candidate is Charlie Grimsley I don’t think Boozer will be able to beat.
If Roy Moore and Tim James are in the runoff that increases the chances by several hundred percent that the next governor will be a Dem.
Byrne is our best chance against Sparks, especially since Sparks has the advantage of having the most popular position on the most important political position in the state, a strong rural and North Alabama identity politics think and his childhood friend who will go around every campaign stop in the state singing Mountain Music and Dixieland Delight to help get him elected.
Thx for the input. I enjoyed the debate.
R. Bentley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,858
R. Moore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,635
B. Byrne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,238
J. Potts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
T. James . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,174
C. Taylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
B. Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
U.S. House Dist. 5 (GOP) - 3% reporting
1. M. Brooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,229
2. P. Griffi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 957
3. L. Phillip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607
Governor (GOP) - 7% reporting
1. R. Bentley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,950 5. R. Moore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,165
2. B. Byrne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,075 6. J. Potts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
3. T. James . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,802 7. C. Taylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
4. B. Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
I heard him at a Shelby County strawpoll event. If you ever thought Howell Heflin made Alabama look bad, he had nothing on Shelby’s opponent. I was not interested in making that guy a representative of this state on a national level.
Keep in mind, when you vote out these awful incumbents, guess who gets seniority positions on committees and such?
Luther is doing pretty well so far. Rumors that King is actually a Queen could not have helped him...
Good grief!!! I was there too. It was MCMILLAN who accused Grace of wrong doing.
King is under investigation, and that is not helping him either.
Ping
Actually I was there, too. That is why I posted this earlier:
I met one of the guys at a local candidate event (He reminded me of Chris Farley's "living in a van down by the river" character.) He spoke very conservative, but he will likely lose 90-10 (or so).
I really had to check your sign up date, and cannot fathom that you live in Shelby County.
By the way, you were right, and I was wrong about Davis. :-)
OTOH, please give Hank a break. Go listen to him in person and then make a judgement call on the Hurricane statement. Ponder is actually a AEA sponsored candidate. You voted for the screaming lib candidate.
Funny name, seriously leadership.
What a great campaign slogan.
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