Regardless of your political views, as long as you can legally do it, EVERYONE needs to vote Tuesday, November 4, 2008. I’ll be disappointed if you vote against my opinions, but I would rather see you vote and disagree with me than agree with me and not vote. Whatever your inclination, you need to vote! I can’t stress this enough – VOTE!
Vote of Confidence
Speaking of voting, Precinct 6 voters came out on Thursday in a show of strong support for Town Councilor Janet Joakim. Joakim’s supporters easily foiled the COG-backed recall effort by over 100 votes. Congratulations to Councilor Joakim and the residents of Precinct 6!
Endorsements
Before I give out my yearly endorsements and the reasoning behind them, I do have a small rant to make. Cape Cod’s Republicans should be ashamed of themselves. That they were unwilling or unable to find candidates to run against US Rep Bill Delahunt, State Senators Rob O’Leary and Therese Murray (who is the Senate President) or State Rep Demetrius Atsalis is a travesty to the concept of a two-party system. I know that this is liberal Massachusetts, but the Cape is one of the few places in the state where people consider voting Republican. Not bringing candidates to the table in these races is a disgrace.
Now, on to the good stuff… Contested seats and ballot questions discussed from local to national…
State Rep (2nd Barnstable District)
Demetrius Atsalis (Incumbent) vs. Carl Yingling
Atsalis has served for many years in this seat. He is a wonderful person who gets more grief than he deserves from the local blogosphere. Granted, Atsalis has not helped himself with incidents that have earned him bad airtime on the Howie Carr Show. However, credit goes to Demetrius for calling in to the show and defending himself.
Local resident Carl Yingling deserves an award for doing something the local Republicans could not do – have the guts to run against Atsalis. The problem is that Yingling is not qualified to be State Rep. He should have some time on local boards or maybe the Town Council before considering a run for State Rep again…
VERDICT: All in all, Astalis has been fine as State Rep. However, he hasn’t been exceptional or note-worthy. Sometimes the best thing politicians can do is nothing, but in Atsalis’ case, it seems that he has little to show for his time in the State House. I have to agree with The Barnstable Patriot that Demetrius Atsalis should be a leader in the State House with his long incumbency. I also have to agree with the Patriot’s bold and unorthodox decision to recommend a blank ballot in this race.
Barnstable County Register of Probate
Anastasia Welsh Perrino (R) vs. Eric Turkington (D)
Eric Turkington is a name well-known in Cape politics. He has been around for a while. Anastasia Welsh Perrino does not have Turkington’s name recognition, but she has something more valuable – experience.
While Turkington has a wealth of experience in the State Legislature, he has no experience in this office. On the other hand, Welsh Perrino has had a career working in and around the office. Welsh Perrino can hit the ground running and already has plans to do so, but Turkington would need help to get the job done.
VERDICT: Anastasia Welsh Perrino is the candidate with real experience dealing with this office, and she deserves the opportunity to prove it.
Barnstable County Commissioner (2 seats)
Ric Barros (R) vs. Brad Crowell (R) vs. Mary Pat Flynn (D) vs. Sheila Lyons (D)
Barnstable County’s government is larger than most residents realize. Barnstable County’s 3 elected County Commissioners make up the county’s Executive Branch. Two of those seats are up for election with a clean slate of candidates, as soon-to-be-former commissioners Lance Lambros and Mary LeClair are leaving.
The four candidates (2 Republicans & 2 Democrats) for the seats all have excellent qualifications and experience.
VERDICT(s): Brad Crowell’s experience as chairman of the Cape Cod Commission has given him excellent insight into the Cape’s needs. He is able to look ahead to the future and plan with precision, while preserving the present. Ric Barros’ passion, fiscal responsibility and insistence on accountability will help the County in this economic downturn.
The 3 Massachusetts Ballot Questions
Income Tax repeal, Decriminalization of possession & Greyhound Racing initiatve
I'm not going to bother giving a history on these questions, so on to the verdicts...
Question 1 VERDICT: Send a message to Beacon Hill and vote YES. Will the State Legislature dare defy the people?
Question 2 VERDICT: is ILLEGAL. We should not be making it easier for people to get it and possess it. Vote NO.
Question 3 VERDICT: This blogger takes a hard line against gambling in all forms – from the Lotto to Casinos. Greyhound racing has managed to somehow survive in this state. Now is the time to end it… not for the dogs, but for the families destroyed by gamblers addicted to betting on racing (horses or dogs). Vote YES.
U.S. Senate
John Kerry (D-Incumbent) vs. Jeff Beatty (R)
If there was ever a case of needing a change, simply for change’s sake, this is it. Other than running for President four years ago, Kerry has accomplished little of note during his extended tour of the Senate. With rumors that he is seeking a Cabinet position, should Barack Obama be elected, re-electing Kerry is an even worse idea (if that is possible).
Jeff Beatty is an excellent candidate to serve our state. His combination of military, CIA/FBI and business experience make Beatty a well-rounded option. His ability to think outside the confines of normal politics is a breath of fresh air in today’s partisan politics.
VERDICT: 24 years is more than enough time to serve as Senator. Serving as a US Rep or Senator was never supposed to be a career. It’s time for John Kerry to move on. Whether now, or later, Jeff Beatty is an excellent choice to serve in the US Senate.
President & Vice-President of the United States of America
John McCain & Sarah Palin (R) vs. Barack Obama & Joe Biden (D)
John McCain is known for being “mavericky” and Obama is known for wanting “change.” The fact of the matter is that neither of these buzz words describe these candidates or their views at all.
John McCain has been a “maverick” during his career in the U.S. Senate. He has broken from his Republican ranks repeatedly and worked/voted with Democrats. However, this version of McCain has been non-existent on the campaign trail, as he has pandered to conservatives in an attempt to convince them that he is one of them. Count me among the unconvinced…
Barack Obama continues to talk about “change”, but, other than NOT being George W. Bush, Obama truly offers little change from business as usual in Washington. He lacks any true experience, and would have been a much better candidate in 4-8 years. Obama also has some highly questionable character issues. Whether really bad people as family friends (Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers) or family members living in the USA illegally, Senator Obama has been unable to show that he is trustworthy for the job.
VERDICT: One year ago, anyone who thought about the Presidential race, wondered whether they would vote for Hillary Clinton or Mitt Romney. It’s amazing how things change. I am forced to reluctantly endorse McCain/Palin, but sure that Obama will be a major player in the political scene for years to come.
8 comments:
Bugsy closed his blog tonight any idea why?
Excellent choices for a registered Republican or Republic - but it is the year of the Donkey young man.
The choices are the winners - the D's are taking over and the middle class will come up from under the thumb of the big banks that keep them struggling!
Call it socialism, but those of us who have found themselves moving from the middle class to the "struggling class" will rise again and we deserve the tax cuts and benefits we give the rich.
Wall street big shots were worried they might have to give up their home on the sound and downgrade to a lesser model BMW, so we printed them a little money, while families are finding themselves out in the cold, litereally, while the same banks scoop up thier home-sweet-homes and let the likes of JJ, list them and sell them for the next sucker-for-a-good deal.
Evil doings eventually come around. Liberals all it Karma, my friend.
Today is a good day. Things will get better from here on out.
To Anonymous 10:37 PM -
I don't know (nor do I care) why he closed his blog down. However, he is starting up his OTHER blog again, so don't think that he is going away.
To Anonymous 9:16 AM -
Maybe the Dems will win the day today, maybe not. However, your post is an excellent example of the class warfare used to divide this country. Everyone should pay taxes, but when we start penalizing people for being successful, then there are major issues. Who defines who the "struggling class" is? Spreading the wealth around is not a governmental duty listed in the Constitution.
I don't want people to misunderstand, but most of my endorsements were based on who the experienced and best candidates were, not the letter after their name. Experience is a good thing... as long as it is a well-rounded experience, not a life-long career as a politician.
We need to ignore that little dog's "other blog" and see to it that these idiots don't get any more attention. We all need to move on to bigger and better things.
These guys have not had one success! Their mark on the charter commission might mean any changes that are needed won't happen.
They cost the town money and cross every ethical line.
Ignore them and tell our newspapers to ignore them too!!!!
*Found the below post on the seven villages blog. How many of these people do you think are out there, who only now realize that they were lied to?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dear Mrs. Joakim,
unfortunately, we too were misled in this unsavory petition. Caught WAY off guard, and only half understanding what it was we (regretfully!) were even signing(shame on us),we (unknowingly)supported the recall. Shortly after, it became clear to us someone with a personal agenda was driving this. We have since been treated in a manner that could almost be considered stalking us, for signatures and deliveries of unwanted newsletters and information. We even had an unauthorized “vote Yes” sign posted on our private property when we were not there. We were horrified and threw it away. We have been harrassed into signing things and now realize that we absolutely do NOT agree with this recall party, and certainly do not want to be involved with this conspiracy. We feel we were tricked into signing as we were HEAVILY distracted and honestly, not the least bit interested in what this person wanted to convey. It was almost a means to just make them go away. We have both learned a valuable lesson about ‘giving away” your signature without properly understanding what it is your signing! I am going to try my best to have our names removed from any petition or the like the other party may have. I’m not sure if that’s possible, and if that’s the unfortunate case, PLEASE know not everyone who signed ANY paper at all, is even against you. In fact, both my husband and I voted FOR YOU in the past. And we WILL do so again this time by voting NO on the recall. And keep in mind, this vote is all that really matters, not misguided signatures. We do not believe that the state of affairs, be it the town, government, or economy, is because of you! We believe you are doing the very best you can. Afterall, this IS YOUR town too! Your home. Your family. Your friends, and your neighbors. We will be toasting you at the news of your victory! Sending you my heartfelt and most sincere apologies, and truest, very best wishes…
Comment by Home-owners in Precinct 6 — October 28, 2008
7:01 has the stench of Janet Joakim all over it. People do not sign things these days without reading them. I read the petition and signed it, because I agreed with the charges. The person asking for my signature expressed no type of vendetta, and this vendetta that Joakim keeps using as an excuse for her recall has yet to be defined. What vendetta? What did she do to make someone want to spend an entire summer recalling her?
I was alarmed at the mass resignations of the zoning board of appeals, and I had initially voted for Joakim because she said she would honor the wishes of her constituents. 80% of us wanted the split tax, and we still do.
The letter she wrote to the ZBA along with her appearance over the Blanchard's matter was highly unusual. I shop at Cape Cod Package store, and I do not care if Joakim is related to the owners or not.
The issue for me was what happened to the ZBA and what caused it. While Joakim may not have acted alone, she appears to have led the charge, along with Klimm. Klimm is appointed. Joakim is elected. To me it was a no brainer to hold Joakim accountable for the ZBA disaster.
The activist at my door was not arrogant or aggressive like Joakim. She did not discuss anything other than the issues printed on the petition, stamped with the town seal. I asked her if she thought she had a chance of winning such a David and Goliath undertaking, and she responded "probably not, but that is not the point of the exercise".
I told her to be careful, because I have seen how retaliatory Joakim can be when she is crossed.
Joakim's survival of the recall was by no means a "victory". It was more of a stay of execution. Frankly I was impressed with a 41% turnout for a yes vote on a Thursday in a different polling place for the national election that was held four days later.
I received letters, phone calls and a personal visit to my house from Joakim and/or her supporters asking me to vote NO on the recall.
I told them I was undecided.
Joakim's image has been tarnished, and if the voters adopt a new charter with councilors at large, Joakim will be history. That said, I still want some answers about the mass resignations of the ZBA. I have heard that the planning board is unhappy with the council for similar reasons, and that Councilor Crocker got into a fist fight at a local pub with a planning board member over some sort of political power struggle.
I applaud the recall organizers for raising awareness of the need for accountability in our town, and I encourage everyone to address the charter commission to employ measures to see that the buck will eventually stop somewhere in town hall.
Remember the ZBA!
I am just reading this today- I am saddened that McCain did not win and that there was not much Repubican opposition to Delahunt and O'Leary. But, Question 3 has much for effects on the state beyond the gamblers-who can easily go to RI for dog racing. Bye bye to $5 mil in tax revenue-which I think we now need and what about the soon to be unemployed workers and their families- many of whom have dogs...what about the businesses that support the industry. The economic effects on Massachusetts are pretty substantial.
WHo knew we had so many pot smokers around? If someone was caught with an oz. of pot, I think they were probably doing something a bit more illegal to allow themselves to get caught...
Doggone those voters with all their pesky K9 compassion!
GO-BAMA!
PASS THE BONG!
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