The Coattail-Riding Name-Dropper or the Orwellian?

A cryptic title, but one which is accurate, in my opinion.  Virginians vote tomorrow, and never in my memory since turning eighteen have I had a less clear choice to make than between Terry McAuliffe or Ken Cuccunelli.  It's unclear because neither choice makes sense.

Now, I'm a staunch conservative (not Republican, saying all Republicans are conservatives is like saying that all tires are suitable to mount on your car, but they sell tires at Petco, don't they?), so you'd think I'd be all pro-Cucinelli...but Cuccinelli seems to be more focused on some sort of make-everybody-have-the-same-moral-doctrine-as-me platform than on making real leadership change.  I don't know that I can get on board with that.  I wasn't sure if Cucinnelli wasn't my real choice until he had the Duggars from the reality show (is it 19 and Cointing now?) with all the kids come stump for him.  That kind of sealed it for me.  It's not so much that I feel like the Republican Party may have hitched their wagon to the wrong horse here as much as they gave said horse the reigns and let it pick the road down which to trot blindly while the folks in the wagon try to figure out how to raise tolls behind them before the dust settles from their passing.

Then I look at Terry McAuliffe who has all the morals of a Clinton and none of the political marks on his belt to back it up.  He's quick to point out his connection to the Clinton's and his undying support for Obamacare (and it's good that his support is undying because, if it were sick, he'd never get it looked at under the Affordable Healthcare Act).  If it were Reconstruction, McAuliffe would likely be refered to as a "carpetbagger."  But, it's not, so he isn't.  But he is a man driven by profit (as are most people, no judgment on that, but here comes my frustration) while telling Virginians he is interested in them.  Unlike so many of his liberal peers, I don't see home as a socialist, I see him as a profiteer.  I don't trust him and can't see casting a vote for a man I don't trust.

Here's the conundrum for me, I can't tell you how important I believe it is to vote.  Those who don't vote and then complain are, in my humble opinion, no better than the people who yell at the screen during movies; their opinions and advice are irrelevant and they annoy the rest of us.  For years as a teacher I have stressed the importance of voting and I will continue to do so...but I have no real definitive choice here.

Well, what to do?  Vote Libertarian?  Sure, and also see if Peter Pan or the Tooth Fairy are running for office.  Here's what I'm gonna do in as meaningless a gesture, I'm going to write in my dad, Paul Elliot Moss, Jr.  Dad's the finest man I know and he, more than the two gubenatorial candidates who seem bent on drawing my attention away from The Big Bang Theory, deserves my vote.  Will he win?  No, but that will mean he's like every other Virginian tomorrow.

The wagon rolls on, folks, and I plan on building no new tolls behind me.  Thanks for riding shotgun.