I'm not dead yet!

Most of my readers probably left this blog for dead. However since starting this blog two years ago (on a much happier note), I have since decided to pursue politics as a career and was working on a campaign that gave me experience outside of the blue northeastern politics that I am used to. I must say that getting involved in politics is one of the best things to ever happen to me. My life has definitely changed for the better due to politics.

This flaming liberal from NY/NJ was sent right into one of the most watched senate races in the country—Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway against legacy teabagger Rand Paul. Although we did not win the senate race, we did narrowly win the congressional so I don’t feel as bad this year as I did last year. (Last year I was absolutely devastated by the election results. This year while the Democrats did lose the House and a lot of senate seats, my own representation is still Democratic which makes me a very happy camper).

Kentucky’s an interesting place politically. Unlike the New Jersey politics that I am used to, there are often competitive Democratic primaries, thus there is a large Democratic advantage in voter registration. But how someone is registered in Kentucky does not predict how they will vote in the general election. Throughout the campaign, we talked to several “tea party Democrats” (the term continues to confuse me) and had several registered Republicans in our office making phone calls for us. Unlike the two states I have voted in, independents (non-affiliated voters, as I once was) make up only a small fraction of the electorate.

Also being in the heart of the Bible Belt religion is always an issue (and in this case I think cost us the election). My experience started out with rural church picnic that is the state’s biggest political event of the year. And the Republicans being the masters of spinning the facts that they are made an ad that Jack released asking Rand Paul to man up and admit he made some mistakes in college was seen as questioning his religion. Apparently it’s only acceptable to question a candidate’s religion if you are a Republican calling a black guy a Muslim.

That will probably be my only comments on the race. I enjoyed my time in Kentucky and everyone that I met along the way. In the mean time I will be posting a lot more frequently now about various federal issues that concern me, and I welcome my readers back to The Outspoken Liberal.