Scott Brown and the Liberation of Independent Voting

Hello, Massachusetts.  It’s time for a personal anecdote.

In 2008, the unthinkable happened to me.  A self-serving “maverick” by the name of John McCain won a presidential nomination he didn’t deserve.  It was a huge blow after holding my nose through eight years of Republican disappointment, betrayal, and frustration.  This final straw on the camel’s back resulted in my becoming an independent conservative.

Up to that point, I was a loyal Republican.  Looking back, this wasn’t the brightest thing I could have ever been.  Republicans don’t exactly show their appreciation to conservatives by voting the way we want or even giving us common courtesy.  Now that I’m an independent though, that’s a thing of the past.

You should take note of this, because you’re facing this kind of a choice with Martha Coakley and Scott Brown.  Martha Coakley has taken you for granted.  She just gave you another good reason to believe that she’s not even paying attention to your state.  She’ll be a part of the Obama machine if she gets to Washington, and you may as well just mail a rubber stamp with a “Yes” on it to Harry Reid if you elect her.

Fortunately, you have a real choice.  Scott Brown is paying attention to Massachusetts.  He spent weeks doing some good, old-fashioned shoe-leather campaigning to deserve your vote.  You know, shaking hands and meeting people.  Unlike Coakley, he doesn’t find you disgusting.  But, some of you are wondering if you still shouldn’t vote for him because of that “R” after his name.

My advice?  To hell with alphabet voting.  Forget the parties and look at who the candidates are.  You can get an elitist snob who’s going to forget you exist the second she gets to Washington or a fresh start in Scott Brown.  Yes, voting differently than you’ve ever done before will be tough, but it’s the most liberating thing you can do politically.  I speak from experience on this.

I support candidates by candidate and not by party anymore.  If a Republican wants my vote again, they’ll have to earn it.  Make the Democrats’ earn yours in the future by fielding candidates who aren’t entitled elitists like Coakley.  They’ve taken you for granted long enough.

Filed under: Commentary and Opinion on January 16th, 2010 No Comments