Sunday, January 17, 2010

Litmus testing the Senate race

I've always tried really hard not to make any vote a one-issue decision. It's impossible to agree 100% with any candidate (or any person) on every issue so I do a gut-check on what I consider to be the major issues for me.

The MA Senate race is a tight one. I voted for Brown in the primary more because I wanted to send a message to the Dems that their choices were inadequate. And though Coakley won the primary and, for the most part, represents my take on the issues, I don't like her. Never have. I think it's her stiffness and lack of passion. We can get into a major discussion about gender bias and perception sometime, but this isn't the point of my post today.

As much as I don't like Coakley personally, I find that I have to vote for her. Why? Because of the issue of torture. When Brown came out in favor of "enhanced interrogation", that was when I realized I had no choice but to vote against him.

I've always been an Amnesty International type of girl. But in the past few years since I've joined the Unitarian Universalist faith, my anti-torture stance has been solidified. Torture goes against both my personal and my faith's principles.

So, though I am not one to litmus-test any candidate, this one test is so important to me that I feel I must make an exception to my own rule.

Still, whatever your decision and your own set of tests, PLEASE vote on Tuesday. Voting is a privilege and your duty as a free citizen in a democratic society.

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