It’s been difficult enough to wave my Democratic pom-poms lately, but now my feelings are even more divided than before–this time, about my local vote for governor.
John Kitzhaber, the Democratic candidate running for re-election as governor of Oregon, has found himself in the midst of exploding scandal over the past few days. It has to do with his fiance, Cylvia Hayes, and various revelations about her–that she was paid $5,000 for a “green card” marriage to a young Ethiopian immigrant, and about her one-time plans to run a pot farm. I don’t care about either of those very much. These are the actions of the fiance, not Kitzhaber himself. What does bother me is that she was employed as a consultant to the governor and landed some plum contracts as a result, possibly in breach of state ethics. When it comes to Kitzhaber, I also can’t forget that CoverOregon–our state version of the Obamacare exchange–was bungled as badly as it was. Kentucky did a better job on its website. I’m a big supporter of the ACA, but the CoverOregon site didn’t work for months and cost the state millions of dollars.
I want to vote for the Democrats. I’m glad that Oregon is a blue state. But I get the sense that the Democrats who have been running the state for so long have gotten a little too comfortable. They know that people are going to vote for them, almost no matter what. (I’m pretty sure Kitzhaber is going to win his fourth term this year.) They have become a ruling clique. We need fresh liberal blood in this state.
But with that being said, I’m not excited about voting for Kitzhaber’s Republican opponent, Dennis Richardson, either. His values don’t match mine. We’re talking someone who opposes both Obamacare and marriage equality.
So what do I do now? Is there some Green Party/Socialist Party candidate I can throw my vote away on? (The only third party candidate I see in my voter guide is the Constitution Party guy, which…ugh.) Should I just abstain from voting? Seriously, somebody advise me. I’m no longer a voter divided at this point–I’m a voter torn to shreds.
eurobrat 
10/27/2014 at 3:49 pm
This sounds like yet another prime example of the myth of democracy. Do you ever actually have a choice in a First Past The Post system, never mind a 2 party system?
First, you have solid Blue & Red states. Add to that the gerrymandering of districts to achieve a pre-determined outcome. These “already decided” races actually cover a large majority of voters. This nullifies the already limited options a voter gets.
Even at it’s best, the 2 party system gives you only 2 options. That usually means the main criteria for winning is “not being the other guy”. This often leaves voters with a Sophie’s Choice.
The 1991 Louisiana Governor’s race is my favourite example of this. In one corner, Edwin Edwards,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Edwards , a corrupt politician who really should have been in jail at the time and who would go on to spend most of this century in prison. In the other corner, former KKK Grand Dragon and unrepentant racist, David Duke. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duke Curiously, Duke also wound up going to jail for fraud.
Crook verses racist crook. That was the choice in Louisiana in 1991.
Oh, and then there’s the sad reality that, more often than not, the winner winds up supporting the same bullshit the last guy did. (See: Obama)
10/27/2014 at 6:34 pm
Well, the choices are very limited, to be sure. Since I will indeed be voting for a third party candidate this year, I’m basically stepping away from the choice altogether. I’m not always capable of doing the “voting for the least of two evils” thing.