Sunday, August 13, 2006
None Of The Above
We've had some good and very serious debate on terrorism and the Iraq War of late. So I wanted to take a break and showcase the lighter side of politics. This gem off the newswires recently caught my attention:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A man running for governor and the U.S. Senate does not have the right to use his middle name, "None of the Above," on the November ballot, a court ruled Friday. David Gatchell filed a lawsuit in Davidson County Chancery Court after the State Election Commission voted to nix his middle name from the ballot.
He argues that a number of state gubernatorial candidates - such as Walt "Combat" Ward and Carl "Twofeathers" Whitaker - have been allowed to include their nicknames on ballots, and that his middle name has been widely reported by news media and is known across the Internet.
Gatchell, 58, also ran as an independent in the 2002 governor's race on the platform that Tennessee election ballots should include a "None of the Above" choice for voters who don't care for any of the candidates. He won less than 1 percent of the vote. Nevada is the only state to offer a choice of "None of the Above," beginning in 1976.
Ah, populism at its finest. I'm curious of the reaction from our resident critic in that department. But I love the balls of this dork Gatchell running as a challenger for Governor and Senator simultaneously. Is that even legal? It does make a good point, however. I always lose respect for real politicians who hedge their bets in the same manner. Joe Lieberman, are you listening?
And how about how the writer seemingly discounting Gatchell getting "less than 1 percent of the vote?" Such wording implies he actually received some votes other than his own. Personally, I don't care if he got half of a half of a half of 1 percent. That's a victory in my mind. Imagine being able to cast a vote that literally reads "None Of The Above?" Like a SAT question. Sweet. I'm jealous that I can't do so here in Florida!
N.B. - I realize this is the 1000th post here at The Political Spectrum. Even though this is only my 19th entry (hey, it's almost 2 percent!), I think it's somewhat appropriate that the "Johnny Come Lately" write the 1000th entry because for most of the past 2 years I've been a TPS reader myself. And I happen to think this is a great blog and want to congratulate its creators on the achievment, even though I'm quickly realizing I'm the only contributor here who consistently catches arrows from both ends of the spectrum!
But that's fine with me. Because I read blogs like Captain's Quarters and Daily Kos on a daily basis. And they're always interesting reads. Yet speaking as an independent, neither matches my current approach to politics. I think the Republicans are wrong 50% of the time and that the Democrats are mistaken the other 50% of the time. And I dislike how the majority of other quality, politically-themed blogs invariably become very clannish to one particular mindset.
However, this never seems a problem here at TPS. And I think everyone wins because of the existence of a forum for such diversity - writers, readers, and commenters alike. When we get into it, any and all sides better duck and be prepared to come out swinging. And I love that. There's rarely an issue that can't produce some kind of back-and-forth. I think we all have earned the right to say, "If only the politcal debate in the halls of Congress could match the energy and intellect seen here." I applaud my colleagues who have created this fun atmosphere. Let's keep it going!
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A man running for governor and the U.S. Senate does not have the right to use his middle name, "None of the Above," on the November ballot, a court ruled Friday. David Gatchell filed a lawsuit in Davidson County Chancery Court after the State Election Commission voted to nix his middle name from the ballot.
He argues that a number of state gubernatorial candidates - such as Walt "Combat" Ward and Carl "Twofeathers" Whitaker - have been allowed to include their nicknames on ballots, and that his middle name has been widely reported by news media and is known across the Internet.
Gatchell, 58, also ran as an independent in the 2002 governor's race on the platform that Tennessee election ballots should include a "None of the Above" choice for voters who don't care for any of the candidates. He won less than 1 percent of the vote. Nevada is the only state to offer a choice of "None of the Above," beginning in 1976.
Ah, populism at its finest. I'm curious of the reaction from our resident critic in that department. But I love the balls of this dork Gatchell running as a challenger for Governor and Senator simultaneously. Is that even legal? It does make a good point, however. I always lose respect for real politicians who hedge their bets in the same manner. Joe Lieberman, are you listening?
And how about how the writer seemingly discounting Gatchell getting "less than 1 percent of the vote?" Such wording implies he actually received some votes other than his own. Personally, I don't care if he got half of a half of a half of 1 percent. That's a victory in my mind. Imagine being able to cast a vote that literally reads "None Of The Above?" Like a SAT question. Sweet. I'm jealous that I can't do so here in Florida!
N.B. - I realize this is the 1000th post here at The Political Spectrum. Even though this is only my 19th entry (hey, it's almost 2 percent!), I think it's somewhat appropriate that the "Johnny Come Lately" write the 1000th entry because for most of the past 2 years I've been a TPS reader myself. And I happen to think this is a great blog and want to congratulate its creators on the achievment, even though I'm quickly realizing I'm the only contributor here who consistently catches arrows from both ends of the spectrum!
But that's fine with me. Because I read blogs like Captain's Quarters and Daily Kos on a daily basis. And they're always interesting reads. Yet speaking as an independent, neither matches my current approach to politics. I think the Republicans are wrong 50% of the time and that the Democrats are mistaken the other 50% of the time. And I dislike how the majority of other quality, politically-themed blogs invariably become very clannish to one particular mindset.
However, this never seems a problem here at TPS. And I think everyone wins because of the existence of a forum for such diversity - writers, readers, and commenters alike. When we get into it, any and all sides better duck and be prepared to come out swinging. And I love that. There's rarely an issue that can't produce some kind of back-and-forth. I think we all have earned the right to say, "If only the politcal debate in the halls of Congress could match the energy and intellect seen here." I applaud my colleagues who have created this fun atmosphere. Let's keep it going!
# posted by Jeff Briscoe : 12:45 AM
