First, before you do anything, go read Vibinc. NOW. I'll wait.
Did you read it? GOOD. It reminded me that I need to vote, no matter how disappointed I may be with the group of candidates in our elections this year. If you're a Democrat and you thought you were too clever to vote for that Joe Ford for County Mayor last year, don't you feel like a dumbass right now? You do? GOOD. Don't screw up again like that.
The lesson, as always? YOU CAN'T TRUST REPUBLICANS. EVER. FOR ANY REASON. I wish our President understood that; I am beginning to wonder if he was a GOP plant, but, to paraphrase Alton Brown, that's another post.
So, here we are with EARLY VOTING beginning tomorrow, and we don't really have a lot of choices in our city elections. First of all, it doesn't matter for whom you vote in the Mayor's election, AC Wharton is going to win and win big. He could campaign in drag for the rest of the campaign and get 65% of the vote.
Here's why: He will get 95% of the white vote and 60% of the black vote and that is far more than he needs. Good things have happened under his watch, even though as much of it appears to be for show as for dough. Simply put, no one that is running can beat him, and no one that COULD beat him is running.
I certainly understand the unions' frustration with him, but you know what? You need to be getting ready with a candidate for 2015 NOW. Ed Ford, SENIOR? Really????? Ed Ford, Junior, maybe, hell, yes, I would have voted for him, but not Ed Senior.
The fact remains is that the people, especially the WEALTHY ones, love Wharton's smilin', stylin' and profilin' and the fact that he does what they want him to do and doesn't bitch about it like Herenton did toward the end of his terms.
Has it been all smooth? Hell no, the guy he sent out to get bike lanes on Madison underestimated the opposition to it and inadvertently STRENGTHENED that opposition, and now they will be lucky to get shared lanes. I like bike lanes, they have done wonders for Southern Avenue. In order to achieve something like this, you have to build a consensus, which is normally a Wharton strength, but his guy screwed it up.
We got Electrolux jobs, but the way the deal appears to be worded, it looks like the taxpayers are paying for those jobs and not Electrolux. Remember the good old days of REAL capitalism when private enterprise took risks without government subsidy? Yeah, I know, what a pipe dream, eh?
Well, we need the jobs, so that helps. Look, if you want to vote for James Harvey or Ed Ford or even Leo AwGoWhat, go ahead, it really doesn't matter. I am holding my nose and voting for Wharton in the hope that groups can work with him and not just get lip service.
At this point, that may be all we can hope for. More on the Council races later, gang!
1 comment:
Even in a worse case election, better to vote for the lesser of two evils than not vote at all.
One note on bike lanes. When or if they eventually come, I demand bike riders, especially adult ones be held responsible for observing ALL applicable traffic regulations. No more riding west down Madison on the North side of the street, no more scooting through red lights before they change to green and learn how to use hand signals.
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