Find where to vote in Wyoming

Where do I go to vote? What precinct am I in? Where are my keys? Two out of three of these questions can be answered by visiting the Wyoming Secretary of State website. Just plug in your address, and this handy Polling Place Locator will tell you where to go, and what district/precinct you reside in. You're on your own on the key thing. Polls will be open on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Dick Cheney Speaketh in Laramie

Dick Cheney sayeth:

Vote for Mike Enzi. Grrrrr.

Vote for John Barrasso. Arrrrrr.

Vote for Cynthia Lummis. Growwwwl.

And the good Republican people replied: Yes, my Lord.

Lummis leading Trauner at end of October

Polls conducted from Oct 27-29 show Cynthia Lummis having a lead over Gary Trauner, 49 to 45, compared to a previous poll where Trauner led 44-43. It's still close, but it's not the best news for those hoping for Democratic representation in Congress.

So what's going on here? My best guess is that people afraid of a "Democratic majority" are trending toward Lummis, to offset the fact that Barack Obama is likely going to be our next President of the United States. Yesterday I was speaking to one of our Democratic candidates running for office, and we agreed that in 2006 we may have seen a lot of "No More Cubin!" votes going to Gary. Perhaps it is a combination of the two. At any rate, this race is not over, and Gary Trauner is still the best choice for Wyoming to send to Congress. But we need every Democrat, Independent, and tired-of-partisan-politics Republicans to get to the voting booth. This is not a time to stand on the sidelines. Talk to your neighbors, friends and relatives. Ask them to do the same. At this point, with four days to go, it's a ground game. Game on!

Get out the vote Platte County

By the end of the day, it will be "times up" for donating money to your favorite candidate(s). Most of the political hopefuls and diehards will be hitting the streets this weekend, a last push to find those few extra people that haven't quite decided to whom they will cast their ballot. This is the pre-party to the Superbowl of politics, Election Day. And like a diehard sports fan, I feel the need to trumpet the virtues of my team. We have some great players, and I'd like to see some touchdowns on Tuesday. First, Barack Obama is looking good but he needs every vote he can muster. Statewide, our best chance to bring home gold is with Gary Trauner with a U.S. House Seat. Locally, I'm thinking Terry Jones has a decent shot at getting the win in State House District #3.

Enough sports analogies. My point is, if you have a candidate that you want to support, this is the time to do it. Call your candidates and ask what you can do. Get out the vote!

Colorado looks good in blue

I said it a couple of days ago, and it seems it was only a matter of time. CNN now has Colorado shaded in light blue, leaning toward Senator Obama. I knew our neighbors would come through. I think in the end, "Change" is going to win over "Fear", which is exactly how these two campaigns can be summed up. We have been led by the use of fear for too many years now, ever since 9/11/01. Colorado is ready for change, unfortunately Wyoming is bound tight in Republican chains when it comes to presidential politics. Even so, I hope a few more Wyomingites will look past the boundaries of party lines, and vote for change as well.

Republicans flood Platte County with newspaper ads

Wow! The local Republicans hit the Platte County Record Times hard this week. Multiple ads from most of the candidates, and a reminder from the Wyoming Republican Party to "Vote Republican". House District #3 candidate Frank Peasley has a half dozen ads himself. He is running against Terry Jones. This ad amused me, I've done some editing:


I have a working relationship with his son here in Wheatland, who I consider a good guy. I just think this scare tactic of picturing a solely Democratic representation is a bit much. By all estimates, Enzi and Barrasso are safe in their seats, so there's a pair for the "R" column. And besides, wasn't it not so long ago that besides Governor Freudenthal, the representation we had was strictly Republican? Until the Dems won the Congress in 2006, we were completely lopsided in the GOP's favor. Our current elected officials representing Platte County and Wyoming (Enzi, Barrasso, Cubin, Anderson, Teter, Meier and Alden) are ALL Republican. So I ask the rebuttal question to our local citizens, Don't you want at least one Democratic voice heard? I know I do.

Nick Carter and John Barrasso debate on PBS

On Tuesday, October 28, the debate between Nick Carter and John Barrasso took place on PBS. The whole debate, as well as the debates from the two previous nights, can be seen on the PBS website.

The discussion included climate change, diverse energy major investment in clean coal, wind energy, global warming, Pinedale and the environment regarding natural gas, public funding for campaigning and elections, the bailout, our policies of when we should go to war, government spending, Wyoming and our wolf policy. In the "question each other" portion, they discussed the inheritance tax, fair tax policies, an AARP questionnaire, showing up for debates, the decision of voting on bills with "pork", and amnesty to illegal aliens. Of course, we had closing statements.

I have to admit, I thought John Barrasso did the better job in this debate. I stated in a previous post that I am in agreement with Barrasso on his choice to vote no on the bailout. But I am still quite opposed to a good majority of Barrasso's stances, including his position on abortion, taxes, prayer in school, and gay rights. He let's his religious views get in the way of his job to represent ALL the people of Wyoming. Separation of church and state, Senator. It's written down for a reason.

Gary Trauner, a non-partisan choice for Wyoming

There is a good article appearing today in the Jackson Hole Star Tribune covering Gary Trauner on the campaign trail. Here's an excerpt:

Trauner said he connects with members of the GOP by helping them understand that he's fed up with partisan politics in Washington. He also acknowledges up front
that they may not agree on every issue."When they hear that I think the biggest
problem in Washington, D.C., is blind loyalty to party on both sides, that
loosens people up pretty fast," Trauner said.He also likes to tell people that
he's a "regular guy," not a career politician, and didn't even consider running
for Congress until a few years ago."I am just a regular guy with kids who got
fed up and decided to run for Congress," Trauner said to just about everybody he
met in Cheyenne.

If you watched the debate from Monday, you'll have noticed that Gary is on point regarding his non-partisan approach. He tackled Cynthia Lummis' question to him about voting for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House by saying, and I'm paraphrasing here, if there was a better choice presented to him, he'd surely choose him or her. Gary Trauner is the candidate who is going to speak his mind. Cynthia Lummis keeps repeating that she is for "Wyoming Values", which I feel she thinks is equivocal to "Republican Values". They are not one in the same, I assure you. We have had years of voting along party lines. It's time to put in a Wyoming Congressman that thinks for himself. Gary Trauner is that candidate.

Full article: http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/articles/2008/10/28/news/wyoming/e932de5d36bb3051872574f100061be0.txt

Wyoming Candidates on the Issues

Still can't decide who to vote for in the next week? One great resource that may help you make a decision is ontheissues.org. They compile voting records and public statements from elected officials and current candidates to give you an easy to read, concise view of their stances on a range of issues. From Wyoming, you can read the positions of most of our current candidates, including Chris Rothfuss, Mike Enzi, John Barrasso, and Nick Carter. Unfortunately, neither Gary Trauner or Cynthia Lummis are represented. On the national level, the Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates stances are available.

Also, take the 20 question quiz and see where your ideological profile lies.

Trauner, Lummis and Herbert Debate on PBS

The Trauner, Lummis and Herbert debate, held Monday October 27th, is available on Wyoming PBS. You may click here to watch. Topics of discussion in part one included the economy, healthcare, social security, care for our veterans, climate change and energy. This was a question and answer portion. Part two had the candidates sitting down and asking each other questions. Topics included negative campaigning, Nancy Pelosi and political party allegiances, the current unpopular congress, and pro-life/pro-choice issues. They all finished off with closing arguments.

The video is 27 minutes long and well worth viewing.

Watch this Gary Trauner and Dave Freudenthal Ad

With seven days to go, the Trauner for Congress campaign has put up this video on youtube.com. Please watch and if you can, donate a few bucks so this commercial can make the television airwaves this week. Let's help elect Gary Trauner to represent the people of Wyoming! And don't forget to vote!

Cynthia Lummis donates her pocket change

Cynthia Lummis gave her campaign $100,000 of her own money on Saturday to pay the campaign's bills, including television ad production, press expenses and phone banks.

Ummm, I don't know about y'all, but I certainly don't have a bank account with that kind of money laying around. Must be rough. I'm sure if she were elected she'd be the voice of the common man, looking out for the middle class, right? I don't think so.

Source: http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=9246283&nav=menu554_2_2

Early voting in Platte County

My wife and I headed down to the Platte County Clerk's office this morning and voted early. It was real simple, and only took about 10 minutes. We were both wearing Obama campaign buttons, and a gentlemen also at the counter commented that he liked them. A fellow blue voter! I replied that I was happy that he liked them. There was another young female at the booth voting early too...which was good to see. Not that we should have a real problem with extensively long lines here in Platte County, but why not go and vote now? There was literally no waiting. If there is a problem with your registration, you'll have time to fix it, and you'll be assured your vote is included. I encourage every eligible citizen to take the time to vote, especially my fellow Platte County Democrats! This election, we have the opportunity to make a difference. Every vote counts.

Chris Rothfuss debates Mike Enzi on PBS

If you weren't able to watch the debate between Chris Rothfuss and Mike Enzi on Sunday night, Wyoming PBS has it up on their website. The sound is a bit lousy, but it's worth a look. Tonight Gary Trauner, Cynthia Lummis and David Herbert debate, followed tomorrow by Nick Carter and John Barrasso. Dr. Rothfuss is a very intelligent man, it's a shame he is up against the dominance of Republican voters in Wyoming. It would be false hope to think Rothfuss will pull this off this election year, Enzi has a healthy +25 lead. The money and support just isn't there this time around. However, Enzi toyed with the idea of retiring, but ultimately ran for his third term. Keep that in mind Chris, and get your six-year game plan ready. And don't forget about the other Senate seat that will be in play in 2012. In the meantime, we'll keep fighting for you, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out next Tuesday.

A few folks show up in Colorado for Obama

On Sunday, 100,000 plus people showed up in Denver to hear Barack Obama speak, and another 45,000 attended a rally in Fort Collins. CNN is still calling Colorado a toss up state. Wouldn't mind seeing the map turn light blue over the next week.