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Tomorrow, all the politicians leave our state and don't even think about it again until 2010.

Posted on 2008.01.08 at 14:09
So, as I live in New Hampshire, today was Primary Election Day, otherwise known as "the only day New Hampshire is significant to the united states election process, and that is disproportionately so."

Voting is done at the Episcopal Church in our little town, right next to the hospital, and as with many of these places there are rules about how close to the front door you can campaign. So a hundred feet away there are massive signs and people waving, throngs of supporters of Obama and McCain, Romney and Clinton, and the gruff unsmiling bearded men for Ron Paul.

That is not what caught my eye.

What caught my eye was the twentysomething man, looking sheepish, holding the Richardson sign.

He looked embarrassed, but man. It takes balls to stand there, holding your sign and stating to the world "this is the guy whose policies I like, and positions I agree with. I voted for him in the Primary even if no one else in the state does, and if you're a Democrat you should too." I respect that man. It's easy to be one of a crowd. It's American to stick to your beliefs even when you're all by yourself.
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Comments:

Dave Van Domelen
[info]dvandom at 2008-01-08 19:43 (UTC) (Link)
I wish we had a primary so I could do that. But we have a caucus of the "if you're in the minority, you have to cast your vote for one of the popular kids" style. Feh.
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Z-Gryphon
[info]z_gryphon at 2008-01-08 23:43 (UTC) (Link)
A college friend of mine likened that system to the way one chooses up sides for dodgeball in grade school.
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redneckgaijin
[info]redneckgaijin at 2008-01-08 19:50 (UTC) (Link)
What about us unsmiling bearded men against Ron Paul? }:-{D

.. er, I mean }:-{(
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Pete
[info]westrider at 2008-01-08 19:55 (UTC) (Link)
I'm actually really considering voting for Richardson or Gravel in the Primary. I kind of suspect that Obama's got it tied up here in WA anyhow, and even though they've not got a chance in hell, I rather like those two.
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DrS
[info]docstrange at 2008-01-08 20:29 (UTC) (Link)
I have to admit I was tempted to write in Roy Blount, Jr. as VP with Thompson as President - if only because they sound so very much alike. ;)

The Paul sign-holder down this way was a trim, balding guy of the sort one might stereotype as supporting Edwards - maybe they ran out of fake beards? What cracked me up was the Giuliani supporter with privacy slogans all over his shirt. Externalize your cognitive dissonance much, dude?
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Demiurgent
[info]demiurgent at 2008-01-08 20:53 (UTC) (Link)
One of the students was talking about how much he hated Obama. And, as I've been doing with all the kids, I asked him to elaborate on why (I'm content to be disagreed with, but I figure part of my job is to force students to actually think about things like this).

The answer he came up with, after fumbling, was that he was inconsistent and changed his mind too often. He wanted a president who would stand behind his principles, and stick to one party line.

He couldn't cite examples, but hey -- he's fourteen. I don't expect him to be able to. Though I did mention that that wasn't a complaint I'd heard about Obama before.

I then asked him what candidate he did support.

"Mitt Romney."

I try to keep my own editorializing out of these discussions, but in this case I just stared and waited to watch the student's brain explode from cognitive dissonance.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
Prairie
[info]hooverdam at 2008-01-08 21:08 (UTC) (Link)
I then asked him what candidate he did support.

"Mitt Romney."

Ladies and gentlemen, why 14 year olds don't get the vote.
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Demiurgent
[info]demiurgent at 2008-01-08 20:54 (UTC) (Link)
Oh, and are you actually in NH, Doc?
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DrS
[info]docstrange at 2008-01-08 21:13 (UTC) (Link)
Yeap. Landed in late August and dug in for winter. 8-) If I have your location right, Concord's about midway 'tween us.
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no_relation
[info]no_relation at 2008-01-08 21:11 (UTC) (Link)
In Dixville Notch this morning, Richardson beat Clinton. (And Kucinich, if you're curious.)
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Z-Gryphon
[info]z_gryphon at 2008-01-08 23:41 (UTC) (Link)
At this point I think I could beat Dennis Kucinich in an election.
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williamgeorge
williamgeorge at 2008-01-09 03:58 (UTC) (Link)
Did you see any of the Nosferatu voting for dark lord Huckabee?
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Demiurgent
[info]demiurgent at 2008-01-09 04:20 (UTC) (Link)
Huckabee signs, no supporters. Republicans were mostly represented by McCain and Romney (more McCain), with the aforementioned unsmiling bearded Ron Paul supporters.
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Grumpy Old Manchild
[info]prodigal at 2008-01-09 05:13 (UTC) (Link)
I'm still amused that, in the 04 primary, I and the only other person who showed up were both supporting candidates who'd dropped out of the race by then on the principle of the thing. So my precint's votes went to Edwards and Dean.
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Chris Carter
[info]aquamarcia at 2008-01-09 09:14 (UTC) (Link)
It's American to stick to your beliefs even when you're all by yourself.

Just ask President Bush!
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Michael Weaver
[info]yaodema at 2008-01-09 21:39 (UTC) (Link)
Honestly, I find Ron Paul to be a very scary man. As for the man with the Richardson sign, good on him! I'm honestly not sure if I could do the same myself, although my choice for a candidate is hardly in the top three either.

Mind, as an Undeclared, I'm not sure if I can vote in primary caucuses anyway, so meh.
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