I Voted

I just got back from voting, and things went pretty smoothly. I had a whole 3 people in front of me. Don't be alarmed. Turnout wasn't low, I just live in a tiny county (Falls county, if you care to know).

I did not vote straight ticket, because I get some strange satisfaction in actually voting for an individual that I have researched and read about. It's like taking a test that you have really studied for.

Anyway, I have to admit that I did not vote for every Democrat on the ballot. There were a couple of races that I was really torn over. I was the dreaded undecided voter. It's not quite as dramatic to be undecided over railroad commissioner or a judge for the Court of Criminal Appeals, however.

So, here's how it went.

At the top of the ballot, there was no question as to who I was going to vote for. Obama/Biden all the way. Ditto on our Senate race. I support Noriega. Although he may not have the experience that Cornyn does, should we really consider experience as a Bush yes-man a positive thing?

For U.S. House, I voted for the Democrat, Brian P. Ruiz, over incumbent John Carter. For State House, I picked Democratic incumbent, Jim Dunnam, who was opposed only by a Libertarian candidate.

There was little anxiety over my Texas Supreme Court picks, as I had decided a while ago to support Jordan, Yanez, and Houston. My only reservation is that current Chief Justice, Wallace Jefferson, a Republican, seems to be doing a resectable job. However, I find it unacceptable that the Texas Supreme Court is currently composed of 9 Republicans and 0 Democrats. We need to even things up a bit.

For the Court of Criminal Appeals, I wholly support Susan Strawn against Tom Price for Place 3, but I was torn over the other Democrat, J.R. Molina. Almost all descriptions of him lead me to believe that he may not be fit to hold office. The incumbent, Paul Womack, has been described in much the same way. I considered voting for the Libertarian candidate for Place 4, Dave Howard, but he really did nothing to let us get to know him. In two questionnaires that I read, he failed to provide a response. So, I voted for Molina just for the sheer fact that the Court of Criminal Appeals is just as unbalanced as the Supreme Court. They also need to even things up. For Place 9, I voted for the Libertarian William Strange, because there was no Democratic candidate, and, no offense to any Libertarians out there, but he doesn't sound like a nutjob.

Another race that I was torn over was for Railroad Commissioner. The incumbent is Michael Williams, a Republican. His opponents are Mark Thompson (D), a therapist for the blind and disabled, and Dave Howard (L). The Democrat, Thompson, is running for Railroad Commissioner because he feels that the commission has done nothing to improve pipeline safety. Every major Texas newspaper that I have read has endorsed Williams, and I honestly felt like I couldn't criticize Sarah Palin for being unqualified if I voted for someone who had never worked in the energy industry. With all of the criticism that the Democrats have been taking about blindly following Obama because of his lofty rhetoric and desire for change, I didn't want to vote for someone based on anything other than his or her qualifications. So (gasp!) I voted for a Republican.

For the 10th Court of Appeals, I voted for Democrat Richard Ferguson over Republican Rex Davis, who has signs EVERYWHERE. Ferguson has worked for the court for about three years, and, once again, will bring a balance of opinion to our court system.

The final races are the county races, and it is likely that no one cares about Falls County. But, I did add two more Republicans to my total here, as I voted for one unopposed Republican constable who has done a good job, and I picked the Republican incumbent for county commissioner, who also seems to do a good job.

Can We Get to 60?

The U.S. Senate is currently composed of 49 Republicans and 49 Democrats, with two Independents that caucus with the Democrats. This gives the Democrats a slight 51-49 majority. In order to get things done, and be able to stop a Republican filibuster, we need 60 Senate seats (okay, you've heard all this before). So, with 5 Republicans retiring, and 18 up for re-election, there is a possibility that this will happen. However, there are several crucial races that the Democrats must win to reach this magic number.

Here are all of the Senate seats up for election this year:

Current Senator: Lamar Alexander (R- Tennessee)
Who's running: Bob Tuke (D)
Prediction: Alexander.

Current Senator: Wayne Allard (R-Colorado) Allard is retiring after this term.
Who's running: Bob Schaffer (R) and Mark Udall (D)
Prediction: Udall.

Current Senator: John Barasso (R- Wyoming)
Who's running: Nick Carter (D)
Prediction: Barasso.

Current Senator: Max Baucus (D- Montana)
Who's running: Bob Kelleher (R)
Prediction: Baucus.

Current Senator: Joe Biden (D- Delaware)
Who's running: Christine O'Donnell
Prediction: Biden. Even if (when) Obama takes the White House, and Biden becomes VP, a sucessor will be appointed by the governor.

Current Senator: Saxby Chambliss (R- Georgia)
Who's running: Jim Martin (D)
Prediction: Martin. This one is close, however, and probably leaning Republican, but a win will help the Democrats to reach the magic number.

Current Senator: Thad Cochran (R- Mississippi)
Who's running: Erik R. Fleming (D)
Prediction: Cochran.

Current Senator: Norm Coleman (R- Minnesota)
Who's running: Al Franken (D), and a lot of other people.
Prediction: Franken. This one is going to be a nailbiter. The polls have gone back and forth, but I am going to be optimistic, because we need this one.

Current Senator: Susan M. Collins (R- Maine)
Who's running: Tom Allen (D)
Prediction: Collins.

Current Senator: John Cornyn (R- Texas)
Who's running: Rick Noriega (D)
Prediction: Cornyn. As much as I would like to see Texas go blue, I think Cornyn's going to pull this one off.

Current Senator: Larry Craig (R- Idaho) Craig is retiring this year, due to his "wide stance."
Who's running: Jim Risch (R) and Larry LaRocco (D)
Prediction: Risch.

Current Senator: Elizabeth Dole (R- North Carolina)
Who's running: Kay Hagan (D)
Prediction: Hagan. This is going to be one to watch. The polls are showing what looks like a dead heat, and the media has reported that Elizabeth Dole is "running scared."

Current Senator: Pete V. Domenici (R - New Mexico) Domenici is retiring after this term.
Who's running: Steve Pearce (R) and Tom Udall (D)
Prediction: Udall.

Current Senator: Dick Durbin (D- Illinois)
Who's running: Steve Sauerberg (R)
Prediction: Durbin.

Current Senator: Michael B. Enzi (R- Wyoming)
Who's running: Chris Rothfuss (D)
Prediction: Enzi.

Current Senator: Lindsey Graham (R- South Carolina)
Who's running: Bob Conley (D)
Prediction: Graham.

Current Senator: Chuck Hagel (R- Nevada) Hagel is retiring after this term.
Who's running: Mike Johanns (R) and Scott Kleeb (D)
Prediction: Johanns.

Current Senator: Tom Harkin (D- Iowa)
Who's running: Christopher Reed (R)
Prediction: Harkin.

Current Senator: Jim Inhofe (R- Oklahoma)
Who's running: Andrew Rice (D)
Prediction: Inhofe.

Current Senator: Tim Johnson (D- South Dakota)
Who's running: Joel Dykstra (R)
Prediction: Johnson.

Current Senator: John Kerry (D- Massachusetts)
Who's running: Jeff Beatty (R)
Prediction: Kerry.

Current Senator: Mary Landrieu (D- Louisiana)
Who's running: John N. Kennedy (R)
Prediction: Landrieu. This one will be close, however. Kennedy was recruited by Karl Rove to run against Landrieu, so there's no telling what might happen.

Current Senator: Frank R. Lautenberg (D- New Jersey)
Who's running: Dick Zimmer (R)
Prediction: Lautenberg.

Current Senator: Carl Levin (D- Michigan)
Who's running: Jack Hoogendyk (R)
Prediction: Levin.

Current Senator: Mitch McConnell (R- Kentucky)
Who's running: Bruce Lunsford (D)
Prediction: McConnell. This one may be close, however.

Current Senator: Mark L. Pryor- (D- Arkansas)
Who's running: Rebekah Kennedy (Green Party)
Prediction: Pryor. Since there is no Republican running against Pryor, I'd say his odds are pretty good, even in Arkansas.

Current Senator: Jack Reed (D- Rhode Island)
Who's running: Robert Tingle (R)
Prediction: Reed.

Current Senator: Pat Roberts (R- Kansas)
Who's running: Jim Slattery (D)
Prediction: Roberts.

Current Senator: Jay Rockefeller (D- West Virginia)
Who's running: Jay Wolfe (R)
Prediction: Rockefeller.

Current Senator: Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama)
Who's running: Vivian Davis Figures (D)
Prediction: Sessions.

Current Senator: Gordon H. Smith (R- Oregon)
Who's running: Jeff Merkley (D)
Prediction: Merkley. This is another one to watch, and will be close. Once again, I am going be be optimistic, and call it for the Democrats.

Current Senator: Ted Stevens (R-Alaska)
Who's running: Mark Begich (D)
Prediction: Begich. With the whole being-convicted-of-a-felony thing going against him, there is no way that Stevens should win re-election. However, Democrats have blown it before...

Current Senator: John E. Sununu (R-New Hampshire)
Who's running: Jeanne Shaheen (D)
Prediction: Shaheen. This is another close one, but Shaheen seems to have a slight advantage in recent polls.

Current Senator: John Warner- (R- Virginia) Warner is retiring after this term.
Who's running: Jim Gilmore (R) and Mark Warner (D)
Prediction: Mark Warner. It looks like the Republicans have given up on this one.

Current Senator: Roger Wicker (R- Mississippi)
Who's running: Ronnie Musgrove (D)
Prediction: Musgrove. This one seems to be another toss-up, but as always, I am an eternal optimist.

If all of the Democratic incumbents keep their seats, which they should, and they gain the seats held by Stevens, Allard, Sununu, Domenici, and John Warner, they will have 56 seats (if I have done my math correctly). This number should be easily attainable, but there is also the possibility of winning the seats held by Coleman, Wicker, Dole, Smith, and possibly even Chambliss. This brings us to 61, which would is probably a little far-fetched, but would be nice. I'm not a political analyst, so check out these sites for more information:

Senate.gov
Wikipedia
CQ Politics
The Cook Political Report
The Rothenberg Political Report