1.23.2008

Exit Fred, Stage Right

I was a bit disappointed to see that Fred Thompson has dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. I liked his policy positions better than any of the other Republican candidates. At this point, I'm going to have to look seriously at the other major Republican candidates, since the Florida primary election is next Tuesday. (Florida is a "closed primary" state, so as a registered Republican, I can only vote for Republican candidates in the primary.)

When I went to the library on Saturday, I found out that it was one of the five "early voting" locations in the county. Floridians are allowed to vote early if they want to do so, but instead of going to their local precinct, they go to one of the central locations. Also, Floridians are allowed to vote by absentee ballot if they wish to do so. The post office encourages postal employees to do so, since it increases the first class mail volume.

However, this Fred Thompson situation is a perfect example of why I wait until Election Day to vote: So that my vote isn't wasted if circumstances change between voting early and Election Day. Had I voted at the library on Saturday, I would almost certainly have cast my ballot for Fred Thompson. I can say for sure that I won't be voting for Ron Paul or Mike Huckabee, since they both rub me the wrong way. Other than that, I'm officially "undecided" at this point.