POLL position

I am supporting Barbra Kavanaugh in her race against Assemblyman Sam Hoyt. And I mean I’m supporting her—I’m going door to door, making phone calls on her behalf. I have been politically active since the day I turned 18. I’ve campaigned for lots of candidates and I’ve never failed to vote in an election. I think it’s important to engage the process.

The woman I live with, however, has voted maybe twice in her life. (She’s 37.) She thinks politics is for the birds. But she’s so exasperated with Steve Casey and Steve Pigeon (which she gets from reading your nonsense, I’d bet) and with the outing of Sam Hoyt’s marital affairs that she says she’s going to vote for him. I think that’s a dumb reason to vote, and I’m a little exasperated myself that my vote is going to be canceled out by the vote of someone who truly doesn’t care, and is voting for all the wrong reasons.

—Civic Duty

The Sales Guy says: Is their a right or wrong reason to vote? I can tell you there’s a right way and wrong way to run for office, and smearing your opponent is wrong: Karl Rove/Newt Gingrich-handbook-of-slime wrong. Using three-year-old personal emails to tar your political enemies as if your own personal life would not raise eyebrows is the height of hypocrisy. Vote because you believe in your candidate’s positions; when it’s reelection time, consider whether he or she kept promises made.

The Gay Perspective: Sam Hoyt has the endorsement of Stonewall Democrats because he votes to advance GLBT issues about 100 percent of the time. Why is it that you are supporting Barbra? If it’s just because she is a lesbian, some might say you are voting for all the wrong reasons. Sam is, in addition, the endorsed Democratic party candidate and the incumbent. In addition, the supposed injured party in the years-old “affair with an intern” story, Mrs. Hoyt, is also supporting him. Seeing how committed you are to Barbra, your older friend is, perhaps, not being entirely forthcoming about why she is voting for Sam. She might just be avoiding an argument. Vote as you think best, and let the woman you live with do the same.

Ruthless says: So, you’re saying your significant other is going to vote for someone, not despite but because he has had extramarital affairs? Not only is that “all the wrong reasons,” it’s just weird. That’s a reason only a deeply apolitical person, or an idiot, would cite. It sounds like someone is trying to aggravate her partner in the extreme. Clearly, she has very little respect for you, your opinions, and your good efforts toward a cause for which you feel strongly. This is classic passive-aggressive behavior, to assert her right to do something with which you disagree and about which she could care less. How obnoxious. Lock her in the closet on election day. And if Kavanaugh should win, definitely don’t bring your SO to the victory party.

Dr. Sigmund Fraud says: It strikes me that the only reason you’re campaigning for Kavanaugh is because you’ve been politically active since the day you turned 18, and in all likelihood work for the city and therefore pretty much have to do as Mayor Brown wishes. Brown wants Hoyt gone, so you go door to door reminding people he cheated on his wife years ago? You call that engaging in the process? I guess so, but yikes!

Let me tell you a few other things about the woman you live with. She not only thinks politics is for the birds, but she also wishes you weren’t such an uptight Democratic geek. We were having a few drinks the other night and she said you are the most overbearing jerk at parties where people are just trying to unwind. You, she says, aren’t satisfied until you’ve stood on the coffee table and explained to everyone within earshot that whatever candidate you happen to be supporting is the only logical choice—when in fact your entire rant is merely a cowardly attempt to keep in the good graces of your boss. She sees right through you, and it brought her to tears.

She’s too good for you, if you ask me. I, who never vote, think I’ll vote for Hoyt just because you support Kavanaugh.

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