South Park nails it ...

The season premeire of South Park once again hit the mark in a way that no one else (save for John Stewart) can. The kids in South Park have to vote for a new mascot, because PETA thinks it's wrong for their mascot to be a cow. Cartman and Kyle decide to flood the ballot boxes with their choices, a Turd Sandwich and a Giant Douche (respectively).

Stan doesn't want to vote, because he doesn't see what the difference is between a Giant Douche and a Turd Sandwich, until a very wise person explains to him that you're always voting between a Giant Douche and a Turd Sandwich.

So as I try to figure out whether I'm voting for the Giant Douche or the Turd Sandwich on Tuesday, I've decided to take a fairly pragmatic stand on it. I'm voting for the candidates whose political ads annoy me the least. Overwhelmingly, it seems I'll be voting Democratic this year.

Why?

Because of all the Republican attack ads, the fear-mongering about terrorism ... it's all just rubbing me the wrong way. Not to say that the Democrats are squeaky-clean on the issue, but the Republican National Committee and the other Republican-supported groups are just pissing me off.

Except for one. Local senatorial candidate George Nethercutt just aired a video lampooning himself, a "behind-the-scenes" commercial showing him and his wife screwing up their lines, and generally cutting up off-camera. A risky thing to try in a very tight election year, but I respect someone who is serious about the issues, but doesn't take themselves too seriously. (Unfortunately for him, he's running against Patty Murray, who has been doing a bang-up job in the Senate.)

So despite being a registered Republican, I'll be voting largely Democratic this year. I'm voting for the candidates that are trying to win my support, and not the ones that are going out of their way to annoy me or make me afraid of my future. I suppose that makes me a RINO (Republican In Name Only), but I don't care much about labels.