The Day I Voted For a Democrat |
KY Governor-Elect Steve Beshear
In my 33 yrs of life, I had never voted for a Democrat. That was until today, November 6, 2007.
My Governor, Ernie Fletcher here in Kentucky has been a do nothing Governor. As a matter of fact, I can’t think of one place where he’s made a difference in this state. He paid the price for that tonight 59%/41%.
Steve Beshear (our Governor-Elect, since he beat Fletcher) on the other hand just made me feel good about our state. When you live in a state like Kentucky, which is very poor (not to mention we don’t exactly get a ton of tax revenue…we don’t have any oceans, amusement parks (sans KY Kingdom in Louisville) or other things that other states can tax heavily to offset the costs of running of state government). Don’t get me wrong, I love living where I do. My kids have an awesome school, teachers that care a great deal for them, not to mention a great community to raise kids. I’m just saying that we have to make our own fun here (which isn’t too too hard given the lakes in this state). But, our state really has to cut costs more than say a state that has a lot of revenue.
Steve Beshear did a wonderful job at presenting himself as an honest man of integrity, plus he at least had a plan on how to help the health care crisis in the state (i.e. so many people are uninsured AS AM I). He also had plans for education as well. He laid it out well, and 59% of the voters agreed. So, we’re getting a change in this state. If Beshear doesn’t live up to his promises then I’ll vote him out just like Fletcher. But, Mr. Beshear gets a full vote of confidence when he assumes office early next year.
A side note also to add, something that probably sounds trivial, but means so much to me. I went to remind my Dad to vote this evening (I voted right before the polls closed)…he hasn’t been feeling very well at all lately (he’s 75, and definitely far from the Spring Chicken that he was when I was a kid) so he didn’t vote today. He just couldn’t get the energy to go out. But, he did tell me that had he had the chance, he would have voted for “my man” (meaning Beshear). He said I trust your opinion on this stuff so much Ann, that I felt compelled to give the guy a shot. I can’t tell you how great that made me feel. For the man that I’ve looked up to all of my life, to trust my opinion on something like this enough to have put his vote on it. Even as adults we seek the approval of our parents, and it just felt so good to feel that approval in this way.