“We’ve given up on so much. Now, people are talking about a standard that is ‘if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.’ Think about it. Is that the standard we’re willing to live under?”
Rand Paul – US Senator from Kentucky
I didn’t fall off the face of the earth – yes. I know it has been long since my last pearls of wisdom. A couple of things intervened – the holidays, but mostly home remodeling. This is another subject that I will cover in the next few weeks – it was quite the experience! I feel compelled to talk today about an event coming up on March 3 – the Minnesota Presidential Primary. I will confess in advance I feel a little ashamed that the parameters of this event caught me completely off guard. How could I not have known how this was going to go?
For many years I was a staunch Republican. I was a member of a group within the party called the Century Club. You needed to contribute a certain amount to the party to be included in that and I happily met that criteria. I worked booths; I served as a finance chairman for a state senate election; I served as a caucus delegate, a county delegate and a district delegate to the state convention. These were the heady days of Al Quie, Dave Durenberger, Vin Weber, Rudy Boschwicz and others. We were on a roll. I was even approached to run for the state house. But then I returned to public service and felt compelled to not show any partisanship, so I cut back on my party involvement. When that period of my life ended, a funny thing had happened. Somebody stole my party!!!! The Republican Party of today bears little resemblance to the organization that I was a part of. Even though it took me more than fifteen years to no longer be solicited for contributions, I am NO LONGER a Republican. Don’t get me wrong that doesn’t in any way mean that I am a Democrat. I vote for Republicans and Democrats and in the last presidential election I voted for Gary Johnson from the Libertarian Party. My objections to the positions and actions of both major parties are the subject of another rant, which will probably bubble up someday soon but that is not really what I am talking about now.
In our presidential primary on March 3, I will need to affirm that “I am in general agreement with the principles of the party for whose candidate I intend to vote” according to a statute adopted in 2018. It appears that this provision applies only in the presidential primary. Because of the way things are these days in politics with our major parties, I don’t know if I can say that for EITHER major party. But beyond that, I object to this being a requirement to participate in this PUBLICLY funded election. And even more, I object to my decision on which ticket to consider being a matter of public information. My Pop used to tell me that when you went behind the curtain of the voting booth, NOBODY could or should know who you voted for. I especially object to the fact that the information will be made available to the chairmen of the state’s political parties. This is not a personal shot at Ken Martin, the state DFL party chair or Jennifer Carnahan the state GOP party chair. I simply don’t have any trust in the integrity of either party organization. And the idea that they will “control” the usage of this information gives me ZERO reassurance.
It is true that the US Constitution does NOT address a citizen’s right for privacy with their vote. Still, this feels SO WRONG. In my paranoia I can see my name on a list that will be somehow disfavored or disenfranchised by a party that is in power. Or that I will be intimidated in some way by a party in power. Or in the alternate I can see me being badgered for the next umpteen years for contributions (as I have been before) and other participation that I simply don’t want to be a part of. Am I overreacting here? This seems so contrary to the direction that we should be going. And it feels that I am unwillingly being drawn into these sectarian turf battles that now masquerade as the political process in our country. LEAVE ME OUT OF IT!! Just let me cast my vote in private.
So, as I write this missive, I am giving serious consideration to doing something that I have never done before – refusing to participate in an election in which I am lawfully able to vote. I have roundly criticized people for doing this very thing in the past. But I really refuse to give up my right to be independent – and this feels like I am being required to be red or blue, when I am purple.
Good to have you back on the planet/blogosphere! I share that concern and have made the same decision to not participate, not because I don’t have a preference, but because I believe strongly in the secret ballot – whether it is in the Constitution or not. Like you, I worked hard to be non-partisan during my local government career for the reasons in the ICMA Code of Ethics, namely to serve the public fairly regardless of party and to avoid the appearance of bias toward one philosophy or the other. Like you, over the years, I split tickets and voted for the person I believed to be the best candidate, but I did it in secret. In my mind, the ballot booth was the one place in which a local government employee should support candidates. I know I could have more latitude in expressing preferences now that I have retired, but I have gotten so used to keeping it to myself, as your Pop said, in most circumstances I will continue to do that. The one exception at the present time is that the people who stole your party now espouse things and support a president that I cannot. Regardless of the rhetoric, he is not a Republican and he does not respect the form of government I love, nor does his presidency best serve the short and long term interests of the United States of America. I have issues with things some in the Democratic party espouse as well, but not enough to prefer or vote for Donald Trump. Keep the Common Sense coming and I’ll see you soon.