It was like a knife in my heart! For the first time in my adult life, I had to declare myself a Republican to vote in the Kansas primary. For the next 24 hours I will have to live with myself.
I apologize for the short diary, but a shower is in order to wash off the stink. Let me explain after the jump.
I lived in Arkansas since 1991 until last November. Up until last year, I have been a registered Democrat all my adult life. After the Arkansas Congresscritters, and especially because of the DINO Senator Mark Pryor, I changed to Unaffilliated in protest of their votes on the Patriot Act, Mukasey for Attorney General & FISA. I just had to.
When I moved back to my home state of Kansas at the end of last year, I registered as Unaffilliated again. My Senators here are among the worst of the Republicans in this country, so to even declare myself a Republican until I can change it at the courthouse tomorrow really cuts to my inner soul.
Living in rural Kansas, there was only one contested race on either the Democratic or Republican ballot. Either declare myself a Democrat and get to vote for Jim Slattery against his primary opponent (Slattery will win this without my vote) or vote for a woman from my hometown (population 1000) running for re-election for the State Senate on the Republican side. Her opponent is the worst of the right-wing nuts that this state could produce. I have known Ruth Teichman, her husband and her family for all my life. She is very moderate, very smart, and well qualified. I called her when I got home and she got a big laugh that I declared myself a Republican for the first time. She is a class act.
That's the story. I can never say that I've never voted for a Republican again.
I hope I don't ever have to make this choice again in my lifetime.