Parties, Presidents, and Edmonds.

Some folks want to know who my choice is for President of the United States?

I loathe the idea of talking party politics, because party politics have nothing to do with the city council. City council positions are non-partisan seats, and for a very good reason. Folks who agree on national politics, don't necessarily agree on local politics.

Looking at how certain issues divide the council, one can see that we seldom split along party lines. You can find Democrats and Republicans on both sides of the building height issue. The same holds true when we voted on the size of the park in South Edmonds. Just recently, the council refused to confirm a planning board nomination. The two council members who approved of the Mayor's nomination consisted of 1 Republican and 1 Democrat. The two members who were the most vocal opponents of the nomination also lean in opposite directions on party choices.

When I was circulating petitions to stop casinos in Edmonds, I soon learned that the gambling issue split both parties. Free market Republicans supported casinos, while social conservatives opposed them. Big government Democrats like casinos (more specifically they like the tax revenue from casinos), while working-poor Democrats despise casinos because they profit from those who can least afford it.

During my re-election, my opponent was endorsed by the Democrats, while I was endorsed by the Mainstream Republicans. Yet, some of my most vocal supporters were Democrats; while some of my opponent’s most vocal supporters were Republicans.

So you can see why I loathe talking party. I don't want to drive a wedge between myself and folks I want to ally with on local issues. I don’t want to be defined by my party leaning. I want myself to be defined by how I represent Edmonds.

But if you must know my presidential pick, here it is: I will be voting for John McCain. I don't always agree with him, but I do like that fact that he will buck the leadership of the Republican Party. Frankly, the leadership of the Republican Party could use some bucking.

So who do you support? There is a comment section under this blog entry. Give your candidate a plug, Democrat, or Republican, or whatever.