WWKRD?

Kenny Rogers, in my favorite of his songs, quoted the gambler – “You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em – Know when to walk away – know when to run…” Where the song was a metaphor for life, I doubt he’d ever imagine his words would sum up my feelings about Election Day.

Ok. Today, I had the following choices for Governor:

The democrats present their incumbent: the smart, experienced Villanova lawyer-turned-mayor-turned governor. Yeah, he’s savvy – but he has no moral conscience that I can testify to. He also has a 79-year old lieutenant governor whom his advisors could not convince to leave office (I always thought governors could choose their running mates each election – but apparently – not so…). Also, the governor – might I add – seems to be about one Philadelphia Cheese steak away from a heart attack himself…

On the other hand, the republicans handed me a sports hero with no prior political experience. They forced the other candidates out of the primary race so they could push the sports hero. Ok… I might vote a sports hero with no experience to be the Mayor of Catty… but Governor of Pennsylvania? Our previous governor left PA to pursue a short tenure as Director of Homeland Security… I don’t see the wisdom in putting a plebe into the capitol.

So – how to choose?

Before I get any further, I want to talk about voting in general. There was a time when I believed my vote didn’t really count. When I was in college, I voted via absentee ballot. About a month after the election, I got a letter explaining that my ballot arrived ONE DAY too early to be counted - and they just wanted me to know that my vote was not involved in the election that year. I resented that. I really felt that my right had been stripped away over an efficient postal service. – I began to wonder if my vote ever counted… I didn’t vote for some time after that.

I was young and naïve… and have since changed my mind. Where I suspect that - practically - my vote only REALLY makes a difference if my candidate wins, I believe the whole situation runs a bit deeper. I think my vote counts because I’ve been given the responsibility – and the right – to be a part of the democratic process. I think my vote counts because it validates my status as an American… I don’t have a lot of regard for those who don’t bother voting… because they’re behaving irresponsibly. There, I said it, and I won’t apologize.

None of this seemed to matter much while in the booth today…

By the way, as an aside, I miss the old lever/curtain voting booths…. Mostly because they made me feel like I was part of a historical process in a way a touch screen can’t… well, touch. Also, I remember doing election coverage at the TV station I used to work at. One of the newbie reporters was interviewing a candidate live, on-air, and asked, “So what’s it like to walk into that booth, close the curtain, and pull on your own lever?” – No kidding. Today marked the end of the POSSIBILITY of such entertaining television…

Today, I left the voting booth depressed – because I felt that I had no really good choices for governor in my state – and my state NEEDS good governance right now. We’ve got all kinds of new issues creeping up – and I want a leader I can depend on. It went beyond voting for the lesser of two evils. Each was equally unappealing for different reasons, but in neither of the candidates’ final words have I found an ace that I can keep… (Sorry, I couldn’t resist)

Seriously though… somehow –the first time in my voting history - I honestly didn’t know what to do… How sad is that?