Who Would You Vote For And Why?

Background: There are two topics one isn't supposed to discuss at the dinner table: politics and religion. So if you don't want to hear about politics, skip reading this column. This is a new column, not one that I pulled from my archives.

     Some people have stopped me on the street this month, asking if I am running for Douglas County Commissioner next May. Wow! They must have read something that I posted on line, because I haven't discussed the issue anywhere else. I told them that I'm waiting to see how my recovery goes during the next two months, but I will make a decision before the end of February, before the filing deadline.
     I got to thinking, whom would I vote for if I don't run? That's an interesting question that's been asked in other races. The first time that I heard it was in a statewide television debate among Oregon's gubernatorial candidates: Democrat Barbara Roberts (who went on to win the election), Republican Dave Frohnmayer, Independent Al Mobley (the conservative Republicans' choice), and a fourth party candidate.
     "If you were unable to run for office, which one of your opponents would you vote for, and why? Not giving a reply is not an option." Three of the gubernatorial candidates stumbled and fumbled for a response, without ever answering the question. Roberts, who probably had the advantage of being the last person to answer the question, actually did answer the question. Roberts said she always believed in choices, and unlike her opponents, she would answer the question. A loud cheer of applause erupted from the television studio audience. Roberts then said that if she were unable to run, she would vote for Dave Frohnmayer.
     Later in the News-Review pubic forum, one person wrote a letter to the editor blasting Roberts for her response. The letter writer said Roberts' response was "proof" that the Democrats and moderate Republicans were all alike because they would vote for one another. That's one of the things that bothers me about politics: Candidates are dahmed if they do, and they're dahmed if they don't. If one refuses to answer a difficult question, they're perceived as being wishy-washy and not wanting to answer a tough question that might alienate some voters. If one answers a difficult question, their opponents will take that information and distort and twist it against a candidate.
     I know from personal experience. During a previous race for Douglas County Commissioner, one Yoncalla rancher wrote a letter to the editor in favor of her candidate. She claimed her candidate was down-to-earth and the three opponents (including myself) were career politicians. Among the statements made by the Yoncalla rancher, she stated her candidate was not using a school board office as a stepping stone to becoming commissioner. Because I was the only candidate who served on a school board, the rancher was obviously attacking my motives for running. What really burned my britches about her letter was the fact that I had first filed for commissioner BEFORE I was elected to the Oakland School Board. The Yoncalla rancher had stated a falsehood about me. Some people apparently haven't read the Bible scripture against bearing false witness against others.
     Asking the "Who would you vote for if you weren't running?" question is a good way to discern where a candidate stands on the issues and it also reveals a little bit about the candidate's character. Unfortunately, most candidates are unwilling to answer the question. Just like the Oregon gubernatorial debate failed to elicit a response from three of the four candidates, a similar occurrence happened in Grants Pass in 2006.
     While I was employed by KOBI-TV, I was in charge of the television station's Grants Pass news bureau, located inside the Grants Pass Daily Courier newspaper. The newspaper editors invited me to participate as a moderator in a candidates' forum sponsored by the Daily Courier. When I was told that I would be one of the two panelists who would pose questions to the six Josephine County Commissioner candidates, I instantly knew one of the questions that I would ask.
     The night of the Josephine County candidates' forum I posed the question to the six county commissioner candidates. Only one of the six candidates answered the question. Interestingly, it was the last person who replied who answered the question (just like Barbara Roberts in the gubernatorial race) and he was one of the top two contenders in the run-off race. It's refreshing to know that candidates who are brave enough to answer the tough questions sometimes DO come out first!
     Four candidates have already filed to run for Douglas County Commissioner in the May, 2014 primary, and more candidates are likely to follow before the March filing deadline. With so many candidates to choose from, it would be educational to pose the "Who would you vote for?" question. Such a question wouldn't work in a two-way race, but it would provide some interesting responses with four or more candidates in the mix.