For the first time in MS blog history, we are officially endorsing a candidate for office. Actually, we’re gonna go ahead and endorse an entire slate – the Parkside Democrats. Mostly, though, we’re endorsing Andy, who had the guts and gumption to get out there and do more than sign an online petition or march around carrying a cute sign, hootin’ and hollerin’. He’s running for a public office – Borough Council – where he can actually accomplish something. That’s a lot more than I can say for myself (not that I set the bar very high). Good luck, Andy, and no matter what the results are at the end of the day, just making the effort makes you a winner.

It’s funny, these “off year” elections don’t usually have any “big” races, so a lot of people don’t bother to vote. Imagine that – elections for offices that probably have the most direct affect on your life, and where your vote is huge (instead of one in millions, it’s one in thousands – even hundreds in some cases), and you don’t bother to vote. And odds are you know less about the candidates and where they pretend to stand than you do about those big national ones.

So, anyhow, get out there and vote. And then send your condolences to the residents of NY’s 23rd District, who are probably gonna elect a major asshole as their “representative,” whose qualifications seem to be that he hates gay people, wants to privatize Social Security, opposes “government run health care” and the “death tax,” is endorsed by the likes of Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, and considers Glenn Beck his “mentor.”

In the City of Syracuse (where I don’t vote), they’re electing a new mayor. The choices are a woman, an old white guy, and the rather oxymoronic (and, from the sound of him, you can drop the “oxy”) “black conservative.” I heard a bit of a three-way debate, and the woman – Stephanie Miner, a long time City Councilor – is by far the smartest person in the race. The old white man seem to be running on the “I’m a businessman, so I know what’s best” line. And he’s got a really bad set of fake teeth. I don’t know if the Conservative guy is actually brain damaged, but he certainly sounds like it.

In the “big name” races today, there’s a good chance that the NJ statehouse will turn red, as Jon Corzine is in a tight race against Chris Christie. It’s a similar situation in VA, where Creigh Deeds is battling against Bob McDonnell to replace Tim Kaine. The traditional media is calling these races (and the NY 23rd) a “referendum” on Barack Obama. Which I suppose it is, but not in the way they’re painting it. They seem to think “We the People” don’t like all this wild-eyed socialism that they keep telling us about (and which I, for the life of me, just don’t see). If anything, it’s out of disgust for his timid (dare I say feckless?) first ten months in office.

Oh well, time to get going. I reckon I’ll head out to the polls before work this morning. I don’t think there’ll be much of a line.