He's not exactly eloquent, but he's clearly a decent, intelligent, man.  He's also the only member of the US Congress who is an Iraqi War Veteran, having served the military as a paratrooper captain before running for office against a Republican incumbent in Pennsylvania and winning despite all expectations to the contrary.

One of my favorite NPR/WBUR programs "On Point" had a 45 minute call in interview with Congressman Murphy yesterday, and it was fascinating.  Murphy pulls no punches on his opinion of the Iraq war, his informed opinion of some of the hawkish nonsense arguments that crop up whenever getting troops out of Iraq is discussed, and touches on everything from veterans support, to whom he's backing for President.

It was so refreshing to hear a congressman talking so straight and with so much candor and making sense.  Just listening to it gave me hope.  The interview is available as a podcast, and I recommend you give it a listen.

Well I hit the polling station this morning on my way to work and did my civic duty.  I stared at that ballot for a long hard time trying to decide what was most important to me.

I like both of these candidates, and I have an admiration for them both.  In the end, in what was to my mind, a battle between practicality and idealism, practicality won, and Hillary Clinton got my vote.

But I think Barack will be the winner, and that's okay too.  I'll be just as happy to vote for him on election day.

After voting I asked the election observer if I could photograph the polling station.  She called her boss and checked and said that I could do so but only if I stood "behind the rail" which put me in an awkward position, leading to the overly wide crop you see above.  But that's okay, I was still happy to take the shot.  I think it came out pretty good considering I was rushing.  Two different wards vote here, 2B and 2A.  I'm in ward 2A.  Turnout, according to the volunteers and staffers present, had been slow.  When I put my ballot in the counting machine said it was number 67 for the day.  One of the volunteers said the weather was contributing to the slow turnout and that she thought it would pick up later.

I would hope so!

I had heard on Save Fitchburg that someone would be present collecting signatures for a petition to revisit the charter of the City of Fitchburg for possible revision.  The charter hasn't been updated since the early 1970's, but nobody was there doing that when I showed up.  Hmm.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, I handed out a couple of my photography business cards while I was there!  Hopefully something good will come of that.

Well voting day is here, and I am still undecided.  The youthful idealist in me wants to vote for Obama.  The practical realist in me knows it's better to vote for Clinton.  What's a person to do?  Were I registered an independent I might vote McCain just so I can vote against Romney--it amazes me that people who thought Kerry was a flip-flopping panderer think Romney is an okay guy.  Talk about insincere!

But I'm a registered democrat and I couldn't in good conscience vote for McCain.  So that leaves Barack or Hillary, or as it has become crystalized in my mind idealism versus realism, experience versus enthusiasm.

I was originally going to vote for Hillary, but when I listened to Barack's victory speech in South Carolina I teetered over to him.  The man is a powerful orator and he has a strong message of hope.  Then I listened to the debate in California and I was swayed by Hillary's grasp of the facts, she really is very experienced (and why wouldn't she be after 8 years in the White House?)

There's always a candidate who rides on a desire for change, but that's not enough, and personally, I'd like to know where that change is going.  Deval Patrick ran on a message of hope, and I voted for him.  If he had run on a message of casinos, I would have stayed home.

For what it's worth, I think Obama is going to win here in Massachusetts.  And he certainly seems to have the momentum.

I hear a lot of people complaining that Hillary responds to opinion polls and is not genuine.  I suppose she does respond to opinion polls, I've seen her do it.  And sometimes it seems to me that she does it a little too much.  But then she is running for office.

Urrgh.  This is making me nuts.  Two historic possibilities here.  Which one will I cast my vote for?  Just this musing has me leaning toward Hillary again.

I guess I'll find out when the ballot is in front of me.  And then later you'll find out.