Sensenbrenner's Opponent

Knowing I would be out of town on primary day, I had requested an absentee ballot. When the ballot arrived, the only contested election on the whole page (for any party) was the primary for congressman. In Wisconsin we don't have to declare an allegiance to a political party; we are free to vote in any primary, but only one party per election day. I dutifully looked up information on the two candidates. I immediately became suspicious when I saw a picture of the challenger; hair like that on a politician or on a pastor makes me nervous. (I know you agree, Mrs SK!) But I realized that I was stereotyping and that this attitude was completely unfair of me. I owed the candidate a fair look at his position, even if he does have executive-hair.

Then I found out he was running a "co-campaign" with someone from the other party. That sent up red flags. Not that I'm necessarily for or against either party. But what is a CO-CAMPAIGN? It sounded to me like a stunt, pure and simple.

Then I came out of church on Sunday to find a flyer from this fellow on my car's windshield. The same thing apparently happened at all LCMS churches in the congressional district. This flyer told me how we need more LCMS politicians. It told me that I should vote for this man because he is LCMS and works at the LCMS college my daughter and son-in-law attended. Like, those are credentials??? Does this man understand the doctrine of the two kingdoms? I figure anybody who tries to manipulate people this way is someone to be wary of in the future, even if he should espouse good positions on many policies.

But,
#1, this guy claimed to be "100% pro-life" and nevertheless said he supports embryonic stem cell research. I'd rather vote for a guy who was 90% pro-life and honest about it than one who claims to be 100% pro-life but is only 95% pro-life. #2, this guy had as part of his platform the problem of high gas prices, and his solution was to immediately stop imports of all foreign oil. Anybody who is that clueless about economic conditions of supply & demand really ought not be in public office. (C'mon, CUT a huge amount of the oil supply, and that's gonna be the solution to high gasoline prices? Somebody buy this fellow a copy of Penny Candy!)

There for a few moments I was worried that the pastor and/or elders had okayed this campaign literature endorsing a particular candidate. I was much relieved to find out that my church was on the right track after all, and that it was the candidate (or his campaign staff) who just assumed it would be acceptable to campaign in the church's parking lot without getting permission first.