Deborah Vollmer's Endorsements for the 2006 General Elections

            Here are my endorsements for the General Election, 2006.  Unless otherwise stated, I will probably vote for the Democrats.  In general I believe that Democrats have better policy positions on most issues than Republicans.  There are exceptions, and in this Election I am departing from my usual custom and practice, and splitting my ticket three ways. 

 Elsewhere on this website you can see my endorsement of Gerard Giblin, Green Party candidate for the 8^th Congressional District.  Incumbent Congressman Chris Van Hollen is going to win this seat, but it is important that we send a message to Van Hollen that we want him to take leadership in bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq.  Van Hollen is not a “hawk” but he has been an “enabler” with his continued votes for funding for the Iraq War.  Gerard stands for immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.  He also stands for a number of issues on the domestic scene that I also support, such as universal, single-payer health care.

 After much thought, and some degree of agonizing, because I really want to see the Democrats gain both houses of Congress, I am endorsing Green Party Candidate Kevin Zeese for the U.S. Senate.  Mr. Zeese is also supported by the Libertarian and Populist Parties.  I am making this endorsement because I have studied Mr. Cardin’s record, and find that he is not a true peace candidate.  Although he claims casting an important vote against invading Iraq early on, his voting record since that vote tells a different story.  He continues to vote for funding for the war, and has voted against even the mildest of initiatives to reverse course in Iraq, an example being his vote against the Woolsey Amendment (to a military spending bill). Mr. Cardin is a political chameleon, and one can only hope that if he does win this election, he will emerge a reformed public servant willing, in fact, to work for peace.  But that would be a change from his existing voting record.  Kevin Zeese has the right positions on the important issues, so I am casting my vote for Zeese.

 I am splitting my ticket in a different way on the issue of the County Council race, District 1.  Although I rarely vote for a Republican, I will vote for Howie Denis in County Council District 1.  While I don’t agree with everything that Howie has stood for, I am supporting him on the basis of his long, continued support of the segment of the Capital Crescent Trail (Georgetown Branch) between Bethesda and Silver Spring.  This hiker biker trail is truly a linear park, precious to its neighborhood, but also to the State of Maryland and the nation (as people have come from far and wide for races on the Trail).  It is an oasis in a too-overdeveloped part of Montgomery County.  I am not against a “Purple Line.”  I am a great fan of public transportation, and use the Metro system a lot.  But if the Purple Line is to be put at this location, it should be tunneled deeply underground, to save trees and neighborhoods.  And, given the anticipated development of Naval Medical further north, this trail is probably not the best location for a ‘Purple Line.”

 My other votes will be mostly for Democrats, and in this group I would like to note especially some other candidates who are friends of the Trail:  Ike Leggett, for County Executive, a consistent friend of the Trail, Rich Madaleno for Maryland State Senate in District 18, and Jane Lawton and Jeff Waldstreicher for Maryland House of Delegates, in District 18.  I am also supporting Marc Elrich for County Council at Large.

                                                                                    Deborah