Primary Day 2016

Over the past two weeks as I've driven around Near Philadelphia, I've been intrigued by the dearth of lawn signs for the various presidential candidates. Our area is usually vociferous about these matters.

Honna and I had some time in the car during a long drive on Friday, and I mentioned it to her and asked if she'd noticed. She had. We pondered what the reason might be and she suggested that people are fearful of retribution from non-like minded individuals if they publicize their choice of candidate. I think she's right.

Ordinarily, during the week and particularly the weekend prior to an election, we have to take our house phone off the hook to avoid the plethora of robocalls. Not this year.

Today I'm going to go vote after work. I can't help thinking back to Pennsylvania Primary Day in 2008 when I was so very excited to cast my vote. I'd been working for weeks at the Obama office closest to home and had been exhilarated by the experience.

It is so different this year, where I'm considering which of the current candidates is the least offensive. I've taken the bizarre step of changing my registration to Republican in order to vote against He Who Must Not Be Named. In a conversation with an acquaintance whose strategy is different, I learned that he's voting for that most dreadful of all candidates because of a strong belief that the man will be easily defeated in November.

It's going to be a long summer, folks, and a long and unpleasant early fall.