Primary Day

Jun. 1st, 2010 01:07 pm
shipperx: (gas)
[personal profile] shipperx
Voted in the primary this morning.  (It's an either/or here as you don't have to be registered to any party but can only vote in one of the two, so you have to choose between the Dem primary or the Republican Primary.  In this case it was a fairly easy choice because the only democrats being primaried were on the state level, and to be honest, I'm okay with either of the Dem candidates for governor and for Senator (and the chances of any of the four being elected in the fall is, admittedly, slim.)  Meanwhile, for board of education, sheriff, etc. there are only Republican candidates. 

Plus, some of the nutjobs running for state office have been nutty enough to become national embarrassments.  

I have to say, it's rather saddening to vote in a primary primarily in an effort to combat the bat-shit crazy people who are running {Folks, I have real resentments of the Tea Party.  They have spent months agitating the crazy folks and now some legitimately scary loons are running for office.  I've never seen it this bad in my life.  And I'm from Alabama!  

The ads running in this state are INSANE.  And ugly.  And ugly insane.  And those are the ads the Republicans are running against each other! 

I shudder to think what they'll become once it's Republicans running against Democrats.  It will become insane times eleventy.

Basically the entire campaign has broken down to this:

Candidate A:  I'm a Conservative.  I have Conservative Values.  I am a Christian.  A CHRISTIAN!  A CHRISTIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    And I will never, ever raise taxes under any circumstances whatsoever.  Not ever.  Not even with a gun to my head.  Not EVER.  (Not even acknowledging that rhetoric like this bankrupted California.)  Meanwhile, my opponent is a godless, heathen LIBERAL.  He's a sooper secret liberal!   Don't believe anything he says.   He's a crook.  He's a big ol' crook.  He's in bed with _________ (fill in blank with A) Gambling B)Lawyers  C) Oil )   You see! My opponent is a CROOK!11!!!1!!!!!

Candidate B:  I'm a Conservative.  I have Conservative Values. I am a Christian.  A CHRISTIAN!  A CHRISTIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And I will never, ever raise taxes under any circumstances whatsoever.  Not ever.  Not even with a gun to my head. (Not even acknowledging that rhetoric like this bankrupted California.)  Meanwhile, my opponent is a godless, heathen LIBERAL.  He's a sooper secret liberal!   Don't believe anything he says.   He's a crook  He's a big ol' crook.  He's in bed with _________ (fill in blank with A) Gambling B)Lawyers  C) Oil )     You see! My opponent is a CROOK!11!!1!!!!
 

So the lingering impression of every candidate is that he is a self-righteous Christian conservative intelligent-design proselytizing... CRIMINAL!  

I mean, that's what all of the Republicans are saying about each other!    (And yes, all but one of these candidates are men except for one woman... who, if possible, is even worse.  Frankly, in that specific race I couldn't find a 'least crazy option' and so opted not to vote.  And one of those loonies will win because there isn't a democratic opponent at all.)

Crazy-pants.

That said, I felt an obligation to vote in the primary in the vain hope of voting for the least crazy option, because, let's face it, one of these dingbats is going to win this fall. I should at least make some effort to try and lend my vote to  the least crazy, less embarrassing of the available abysmal options.  That and to vote for absolutely anyone other than Richard Shelby (it's a wasted vote, but even the batshit crazy would be better than so ensconced in power that there's no hope of unseating him. Ever.)  

It's really, really depressing. 

And if you think I'm exaggerating, here is one of the ads that have been running: 


 

 



And a couple of other 'are we sure these aren't parodies?' ads below the cut

And this one:


And of course this creepy one (all his ads have this creepy quality):



On a slightly less depressing note, there is this:

Primary for first African-American Candidate to Seek Party Nomination to Run For Alabama Governor


But, like I said, I have some degree of liking for both Dem candidates for gov and senator, an no other office will show up on my county's ballot, so I went with the Rep primary.

For the time being, I thought it was more important to try to vote anti-crazy.

Date: 2010-06-01 06:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] queenofattolia.livejournal.com
Heh. That's rather like Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman here in CA: "I HATE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!" "WELL, I HATE THEM MORE THAN YOU DO." "NO YOU DON'T - YOU LIKE PRESIDENT OBAMA!" "NUH-UH - YOU'RE INCOMPETENT AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT!" "BUT I TRULY HATE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!" And so on.

So far Jerry Brown has just been on the sidelines, shaking his head incredulously. Unfortunately both Poizner and Whitman are sharpening their razors for him in between bouts of illegal alien hatred. It's fun to see.

Date: 2010-06-02 01:46 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shipperx.livejournal.com
It's like a competition to see who can become fascist the fastest. Really, it's both hilarious... and rather frightening.

Date: 2010-06-01 06:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] petzipellepingo.livejournal.com
Tell me about it, I can't wait until our November Governor's election "sighs". Whatever happened to sane candidates.

Date: 2010-06-02 01:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shipperx.livejournal.com
Hell what about just quietly insane. Our current governor is far, far, far from wonderful, but at least he doesn't try to be a public embarrassment (except where gambling is concerned).

Now it's like they're trying to win the crazy sweepstakes.

Date: 2010-06-01 06:57 pm (UTC)
rahirah: (Default)
From: [personal profile] rahirah
I feel your pain. The ads here have been insane, between the McCain/Hayworth lunacy ("I'm WAY more of a conservative nutjob thatn you are!") and the guy who's running for governor on the "Magical Tough Decision Fairies Will Balance Our Budget With No Tax Increases!" platform. :P

Date: 2010-06-02 01:49 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shipperx.livejournal.com
Yeah, they all seem to think they have that magical balance the budget wand. Whenever I see the one that they will balance the budget and never raise taxes I translate that in my head as being 'cutting services and firing people.' Because that's really what it translates to being, isn't it?
Edited Date: 2010-06-02 02:10 pm (UTC)

Date: 2010-06-01 07:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] deborahw37.livejournal.com
Thes are really real ads??

Yikes 0-0

Date: 2010-06-02 01:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shipperx.livejournal.com
Unfortunately, those are real ads. And I could just as easily provide a half dozen more that are just as batshit and/or creepy.

At least the horse is cute. At this point, I'd vote for the horse.

Date: 2010-06-02 02:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shipperx.livejournal.com
THIS is the fake ad. LOL

We're Better Than That, Too!!!! w/ Dale Peterson (http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ea0f0bfaf2/we-re-better-than-that-too-w-dale-peterson) - watch more funny videos (http://www.funnyordie.com/)
Edited Date: 2010-06-02 03:00 am (UTC)

Date: 2010-06-01 09:16 pm (UTC)
ext_15392: (Default)
From: [identity profile] flake-sake.livejournal.com
Oh my god...O.O

I really don't envy you having to choose between those clowns.

They should be laughed off the stage. Are there any independent joke candidates, because in that situation I'd deffinitely give them my vote.

Date: 2010-06-02 01:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shipperx.livejournal.com
They should be... but they won't be (albeit the guy on the horse is currently third in results so hopefully, he's done). As for the creepy guy and the other guy, that one is currently in a three way tie of crazy people and we can anticipate a run-off. *head desk*

Can we vote for the horse?

Date: 2010-06-02 02:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shipperx.livejournal.com
On the bright side, people are good a making fun of it:

We're Better Than That, Too!!!! w/ Dale Peterson (http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ea0f0bfaf2/we-re-better-than-that-too-w-dale-peterson) - watch more funny videos (http://www.funnyordie.com/)

Date: 2010-06-01 10:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] framefolly.livejournal.com
Yay you for voting!

Boo country for having CRAZY politics!

Date: 2010-06-02 01:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shipperx.livejournal.com
It's kind of scary they are... and there are months and months of crazy left to go!

Oh boy.

Date: 2010-06-01 11:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pfeifferpack.livejournal.com
Getting harder and harder to find a "less crazy" option isn't it? Here it's all about "taking back our State" from who???? Not a one is a Native American. The last election had a larger than usual percentage show up to vote and went overwhelmingly Dem so I suppose they want to take it back from the majority. We're getting the same "more Christian than you" crap here too...tea party insanity (and that goes so far beyond people committed that I shudder!).

Kathleen

Date: 2010-06-02 01:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shipperx.livejournal.com
What's scary is that some of these crazies have a walk into office. There isn't anyone running against them.

Currently for governor it's a three-way crazy-off virtual tie, so we're looking at a run-off. Ugh.

Date: 2010-06-01 11:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] zanthinegirl.livejournal.com
Oh. My.

I know campaign ads tend to bring out the wacky, but that's like wacky with extra crazy sauce and some more wacky on the side.

Also? That last guy kinda reminds me of Bill from Big Love. Who is more than a little creepy IMO!

Date: 2010-06-02 01:58 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shipperx.livejournal.com
It's like the super-special crazy-sauce!

Last creepy guy? Son of the guy who was governor when I was a kid. The guy has ties. We're probably going to be stuck with the goober.

Date: 2010-06-02 01:12 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wildrider.livejournal.com
That's pretty much what's happening here, although I will say at least McCain isn't bothering to smear his opponent (whose foot-in-mouth disease has followed him from Sports Radio through his time in the State Legislature), but attempting to lean on his own career... although no one seems to know anymore which side he's standing on. ("He's not conservative! He's MODERATE! I'm the proper Conservative!" "I am a hard-nosed anti-immigrant, wall-building UBER-CONSERVATIVE. And I never called myself a maverick.")

They both scare the bejebus outta me, and there isn't a Democrat in sight to oppose whoever wins the mud-slinging contest.

Date: 2010-06-02 01:59 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shipperx.livejournal.com
I share you pain.

Its like they're egging each other on to ever greater brittle ideological craziness... and then aren't giving us any options!

Date: 2010-06-02 05:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wildrider.livejournal.com
Of course, just as I typed that, McCain's "Haywood is an EARMARK CRAZED MANIAC" ads started, so... *screams*

Date: 2010-06-02 09:26 am (UTC)
ext_15169: Self-portrait (Default)
From: [identity profile] speakr2customrs.livejournal.com
I don't understand the attack video aimed at Bradley Byrne. It would get me to vote for him. All the things they think of as smears are actually positive points.

Date: 2010-06-02 02:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shipperx.livejournal.com
I know!

I actually went to the trouble to locate the website of the original ad to tell them that it was not only the most stupid add that I've ever seen but it had just convinced me to vote in the primary for Byrne.

He actually came in first (in a virtual 3-way tie) last night. But there will have to be a run-off. He only got 28% The next two (including jack-ass Tim "We speak English good" James) are both tied at 24% with only 100 votes keeping James in 3rd. On a brighter note, Judge Roy "We have a statue of the ten commandments in the courtroom" Moore was a very distant 4th.

Date: 2010-06-04 12:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cy-girl.livejournal.com
Where I live, we get ads from Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. We have a governor's race and the candidates are competing to show how much they hate the government they want to run.

The lunatics are running the asylum.

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