Folks, if you haven’t heard, early voting has started in Nevada (and lasts through Oct. 29 — look up a convenient polling place here!). People, the whole nation is watching Nevada on this one. Let’s not pull a Florida 2000, okay? No matter what you’re political persuasion, let’s get out there and vote! No embarrassing low-voter turn-out for us, mmmkay? (And progressives, you really need to get off your butts. The Republicans are already kicking our asses.)
By now, you’d have to have no TV, no radio, no newspapers, no mail, no door for canvassers to knock on and leave leaflets… you get the idea… to know nothing about the Reid/Angle hot seat for Senate. Harry Reid is the Senate Majority Leader and Dem. Sharron Angle is the Tea Party, oh, I mean Republican candidate trying to unseat him. There’s a handful of other folks on the ballot, but let’s face it, this is between Reid and Angle.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to you that I am against Angle. I know. I know. You’re shocked. If you’ve been missing my political posts…buckle up…
Well, we know where the editor of Nevada’s largest newspaper sits on this. After all, it’s his opinion that women shouldn’t vote, because they don’t vote for women. Wait, I’m supposed to pick based on having/not having a vagina? Silly me! (Yeah, you thought I’d forget about that one. Not a chance.) And it’s that same newspaper that’s been printing all that free advertising, I mean new stories, for Angle. (Sorry, no story links. I don’t want to get sued.) Now I was only a journalist for a decade, but I vaguely remember something about objective, unbiased reporting. Oh, right. Whoopsie!
I’m not the only one to notice. My former boss, CityLife Editor Steve Sebelius, got it in less than 140 characters in a tweet today:
R-J profiles Angle, leads with first job. R-J profiles Reid, leads with old allegations of which he was exonerated. Yeah, that’s balance.
- I don’t decide on who to vote for based on gender. In fact, I think Angle is sexist. Why did she use the “man up” comment during her debate with Reid? Not only was it tacky, but it was also a sign that even though she’s a woman herself (one who’s trying to be elected into a seat of power), she still thinks women do not have the same strength or power as men. (And furthermore, in this climate of increasing awareness about bullying, is that really the message she wants to send? Thanks but not thanks.)
- She’s the Teabagger candidate, sort of. But bullies the real Teabagger with her “juice.”
- I don’t want to pay for my healthcare with chickens.
- She hates Latinos and “illegal aliens”. No, not racist at all.
- Her boogey-man-invoking Sharia Law publicity stunt
- She wants to eliminate social security, the education department, the EPA and the VA
- Other kooky mckooky things she believes: saunas for prison inmates, abortions cause breast cancer, families with two parents who work are bad and unemployment benefits “spoil” the unemployed (Nevada has the highest unemployment in the country. So, you’re calling the electorate lazy, spoiled elitists?)
- This is a big one: She’s against abortion even in the cases of rape or incest. She has said women in that situation should make “lemonade out of lemons.” When are candidates going to understand that a woman’s personal autonomy and full-fledged citizenry includes full reproductive rights?! I’m a whole person! I deserve to have the right to decide what happens to my body under any circumstance! (And, P.S. Ms. Angle: I’m a survivor of molestation. So anyone who tries to tell me that if I had become pregnant by that man I would have had to carry that child to term…lest I become a bully myself, let me control the rest of that statement and say this…The God I believe in, and who loves me, does not have a plan for me suffer like that.)
- Oh, and speaking of God, he’s not afraid of black, either.
- In fact, Angle has a “manifest indifference to human suffering.” Couldn’t put it better myself.
Okay, so ends my plea for you to NOT vote for Sharron Angle. But maybe you have other ideas or questions not covered here. (There are others running for other offices, after all. And what about those ballot questions?) Or, perhaps you want another opinion (really?). Well, you’re in luck. There are many quality voter guides out there right now. (Sorry, can’t link to that one newspaper’s guide. Don’t want to get sued.)
- ProgressNow Nevada
- Nevada Advocates for Planned Parenthood Affiliates
- League of Women Voters (members only)
- The Stonewall Democrats (LGBT) endorsements
- Nevada Conservation League endorsements
And here’s some info from the ACLU of Nevada about your voting rights.
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