Irritated?

Irritated? I sure am. But we are three weeks from Election Day when somebody who is destined to end democracy as we know it will be elected. Then, I presume, we will endure litigation over ballots, procedures, and leaking urinals. Eventually, somebody will win and somehow we will abide.

Before my cancer travails, I had never missed an election, but I missed one or two local elections along the way. I have not missed a national or state election, and I’m not going to miss this one. If I’m still breathing, I’m probably voting for Republicans. If I’ve passed on, I’ll be voting for Democrats, repeatedly. 

This week I got a pro-Trump mailer telling me that I should give a rip what my neighbors think if I don’t vote—it is public record, after all, the mailers affirmed. #1 It is not a public record whom I voted for. #2 I kinda doubt my neighbors are worked up about whether I voted. Irritating. 

This week President Obama reminded all black men that they are somehow beholden to vote for a fellow Democrat. She’s Black, that’s all they need to know, he opined. What an irritating strategy! Vote for me because I have the same skin color as you. Will they start putting a candidate’s desired racial demographic after their name? Would that make Mr. Obama (D, BM) happy?

I wouldn’t vote for a fellow American-Irish candidate just because they are from the same cultural background as I am. Now if they support policies I support, yeah. If they belong to the Burke-O’Gara Clan, they probably get my vote just for being brave enough to proclaim that affiliation. Go Mighty Gaels!

People are again calling for eliminating the Electoral College, which is irritating. The fatted pig is not a fan of the popular vote at a convention of wolves when dinner options are being decided. I’ve been a prosecutor and a defense attorney. I’ve never met a lawyer who supports majority rule for guilty verdicts. Are we ready to give up one of the last vestiges of a wonderful system our Founding Fathers enacted? Obviously, yes. The masses are for election to the most popular. I’m a holdout. 

If you didn’t already know, I’m voting for Lt. Matt Moulton for our next sheriff. He’s smart but personable. He’s thorough but humble. He’s experienced, but always willing to learn. He’s proven his mettle on the streets, in the office, and in the courtroom. I can’t imagine anything too big for him; he’s ready. Vote Moulton.

Kelly Burke, attorney, former district attorney, and magistrate judge, writes about the law, rock’n’roll, and politics or anything that strikes him. Contact Kelly at dakellyburke@gmail.com to comment on this article or suggest articles you’d like to see, and visit his website at www.kellyrburke.com.