If you are disenchanted with the outcome of our ballot access process here in Virginia, never mind who you blame it on, what are you going to do come March 6th?
The reality of the situation right now is that Gingrich and Perry will probably not be successful in their law suits to get on the primary ballot, so we will be left with four possible choices of what to do on that day; vote Romney, vote Paul, cast a blank under vote ballot, or stay home and drink beer.
Although I am always for drinking beer, I feel like I have to do something on election days, and staying home is not an option; I need to make my voice heard in some manner, and this time the choices are shall we say, limited.
I am not a Romney supporter, although I must admit in 2008 I gladly cast a protest vote in the VA primary for Romney, who at that point had already conceded to McCain. I felt then as I do now, that I had been disenfranchised, and the only thing left to do was protest; it was simpler last time since Romney was still included on the VA ballot.
This time I am inclined to not only protest, but to send a message to the GOP leadership that I am tired of the “Next man in line” nominating process that we have seen over and over.
The GOP establishment, and all the establishment pundits like Karl Rove and others, have done everything they can to discourage conservative voters from picking anyone but Romney. All the while, the Republican base has been expressing its dissatisfaction with Romney, and has been seeking the anti-Mitt since the beginning of the process; but still the establishment persists.
I believe it is time to put a scare into the Party leadership, and that scare might just be the threat of Ron Paul as nominee. If nothing else it might be interesting to see what they will do to pacify conservatives at the national convention, if it looks like Paul might actually have enough delegates to demand the nomination.
Since I think Ron Paul is a crazy and dangerous man when it comes to foreign policy, the one thing Congress cannot restrain him on, I will have to consider this long and hard before I decide.
The only other option is to go to the polling place, draw a ballot and cast it as a blank, thus insuring I will at least be counted as an under vote; a disenfranchised Republican voter who did not like the choices presented.
But will the Republican leadership take notice? Will they care?
Either way I go, I think there is going to be a lot of beer required afterwards.
