Wrestling with old habits at the ballot box

My daddy used to say that if a person didn’t vote then that person didn’t have a right to complain about how things turn out in our government. Of course, as Pop well knew, I could complain regardless of whether I voted. But I got his drift.

I thought about this while heading to vote this morning at Central Medical Magnet School in Beaumont. For probably the first time I can remember in an election, I faced a real dilemma although some might call it “choice.” That choice was whether to vote in the Republican or Democratic primary.

The decision of in which primary to vote was as simple as a kindly voting clerk lady saying “Democrat or Republican” when I walked into the boys’ gymnasium where voting was held. It’s funny, that smell of sweat from adolescent boys seems to never fade.

My dilemma stemmed from one race, which was the Republican primary for Texas governor that pits established U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Tea Partier Debra Medina against incumbent Gov. Rick “And His Hair Was Perfect” Perry.

Now as regular readers know, I have no desire to see any of those three — or any three that I can think of — Republicans elected Texas governor. But like other Democrats in the state who really DON’T want Rick “Secede from the Union” Perry reelected, I considered briefly voting for Hutchison who is running uncomfortably behind Perry. A Democratic vote for Hutchison, according to pundits like Texas Monthly’s Paul Burka, might — might — force Perry into a runoff. There the governor could be embarrassed and his campaign weakened. It certainly would mean spending more money, what with another election. All of this could conceivably help the Democratic candidate, likely former Houston mayor Bill White, beat Perry in November.

In the end though, I could not do as one of my favorite bloggers, Eileen Smith of In the Pink: Texas Monthly, said she ultimately did which is vote on the Republican ballot.

When the nice lady said: “Democrat or Republican” this morning I headed straight for the Democrats. Old habits are difficult to quit, like smoking and watching porn. I have always voted the Democratic ballot. The first time was to vote for Jimmy Carter and, yes I am proud to say I did vote for him. No one said our presidents can’t have their faults. (See George W. Bush)

Four more years of Rick Perry is not a prospect I care to think of on a nice pre-spring day on which I heard about three or four great songs in a row on the radio. But I have pretty much been a Democrat all my life and there are just some things I won’t do, like wear a Snuggie, sing “Feelings” in a karaoke bar and vote in a Republican primary. It was a difficult choice to make but it was pretty simple there in the end.