For United States Senate...

Democrats: http://roxanneforiowa.com/
Republicans: http://www.grassleyforsenate.com/
Libertarians: http://www.heiderscheit2010.com/


Kids, I'm endorsing no one at all. I perused, I read, I researched, I tried, tried tried my level best to be inspired by someone, anyone when it comes to this race for United States Senator, but I just can't do it. I can't give you a ringing endorsement for any one candidate, because there just isn't anyone candidate worth endorsing. I can tell you whom I'm NOT going to vote for, but my reasons for not voting for someone aren't good enough to serve as a basis for an endorsement for someone else.

And herein lies the problem with this race. There's an awful lot to vote against, but not a whole heckuva lot to vote for. Incumbent Senator Charles Grassley? Um, yeah, I stopped buying into his schtick somewhere around about the 5th Grade and it remains incredible to me that the guy can essentially run the same campaign ads every six years and still get re-elected. He wears denim and works on a farm? Check. He mows his own lawn? Check. He's an 'aw-shucks, down home country boy'? Check, check, check. Every six years, regular as clockwork and it works like a charm- he's 20 points ahead of Democrat Roxann Conlin according the last polls I've seen, which admittedly have been a few weeks ago now and 20 points ahead is actually something of a tight race for the Good Senator.

Every six years, the same old song and dance from Grassley and I'm not buying. I haven't been buying it since I was old enough to realize that the guy has been in Washington D.C. longer than I've been alive. Seriously now, let's sit down and take that notion in together kids: he's been in Washington D.C. longer than I've been ALIVE. That's way too damn long and I don't care if you're Mother Theresa- that much time in the swamp will scum you up. I think you can go either way on the idea of term limits. Some would argue that elections ARE term limits and leave it up to the voter to decide, but at the same time, when it too long too long? If we don't allow Presidents to reign at the whim of the voters, why should Senators be any different? So I tend to vote against both Grassley and Harkin with vim, vigor and on a regular basis primarily because they've been where they are for far too long. Fresh blood and new ideas are required and they have neither.

Which bring us to Libertarian Candidate John Heiderscheit- he promises to serve 2 terms and no more and take no monetary contributions from any source over $100. He also promises to have one assistant in Washington and one in Iowa as a posed to the travelling entourage of 60 or so that is apparently the norm, but beyond these very principled and downright interesting promises, there's not a lot of substance to his website at least. Maybe the beauty of his candidacy is in the simplicity of what he wants to do... either way, color me unimpressed.

The last candidate in this uninspiring trifecta is Democrat Roxann Conlin. It almost seems like fate that Conlin should be running for something the same year that Terry Branstad is attempting his political comeback- after all, she lost to him way back in the mists of time when he first won the Governorship, so why not try for Senate? Problem is- and this is my problem with a lot of what passes for the American left: there's nothing new. The New Deal was made in the 1930s and we can no longer sustain the ideas and the structure of the welfare state that set up over the long term. How is pouring more money into education going to raise standards? We've been doing that for years now and nothing seems to happen. How can we afford social security, medicare or medicaid with the demographic crunch of the baby boom generation? All of these are massively important questions and any good Democrat should be laying out a New Deal for the 21st Century, not trying to breathe life into the dessicated remnants of what's left of FDR's dream. But no Democrats I've seen seem to be interested in doing that...

So, who am I going to vote for? I really don't know. I think this one is going to be one that I decide right then and there in the voting booth and the only thing I know is that I'm not going to vote Grassley and Conlin and Heiderscheit aren't that inspiring either. I'm giving serious consideration to "Bart Simpson" and maybe "The School Sucks" for this one. Hell, I might indulge in a bit of egomania and vote for myself. For this one, kids, you're on your own... sorry.