I did this in 2008, and it appears to have worked, so I'm doing it again:
I'm not a towering political figure. I don't have legions of rabid followers who hang on to my every word. I don't, in short, have what is known as "political clout" or "social appeal" or even "enough dirt on people to make them do what I say." That said, the endorsement I'm about to make will, I think, make all the difference in this election.
But it needs to be put in context.
Here is the context:
In the mid-to-late 90s I was an enthusiastic supporter of the OS/2 operating system. IBM mismanaged the marketing of that OS and Microsoft used its monopoly position to kill any chance it had of catching on.
Then I supported another scrappy operating system called BeOS. It was discontinued only a year after I started using it.
In 1997 I saw this drink called "Ginger Beer" in the soda isles of every grocery store I visited. Everywhere I turned I saw Ginger Beer. I didn't pay much attention to it because I figured it was just Ginger Ale with a fancy name, and I'm not big on Ginger Ale. In 1998 I actually had a chance to try Ginger Beer and discovered that it was, hands down, the best soda I'd ever tasted: in short, it became the standard by which all other soda is judged.
Ever since then it's been nearly impossible to find.
In 2000 I voted for the Libertarian party candidate for president, because I am an idealist at heart, and besides, what could possibly go wrong?
As soon as I become an enthusiastic fan of a television show it gets canceled:
- My father introduced me to a cop procedural drama called Homicide: Life on the Streets, which is, to this day, the only procedural cop show that I've ever had any true affection for... and then they canceled it.
- I was a great fan of Babylon 5. It got canceled every season.
- My father also introduced me to "Farscape" on the Sci-Fi channel. As soon as I got sucked in they canceled it.
- I might be the reason they stopped showing old Doctor Who reruns on PBS.
- I was a huge fan of "Firefly" -- and of course Fox abandoned it mid-season.
(5a. I also really liked "Serenity," the movie based on "Firefly". Mrs. Death Ray and I saw Serenity about five or six times. It ultimately did poorly in the box office, killing any chances for movie sequels.)
In 2004 I enthusiastically supported John Kerry, a man I thought had all the qualities needed to be an excellent president. He lost.
In 2006 I voted for Eliot Spitzer for Governor of New York because of his stellar record as Attorney General of that state. I remember thinking at the time that it felt like I was voting for Eliot Ness.
Putting all that into its proper perspective, I think you will all understand me perfectly when I say that this year I am proud to endorse Mitt Romney for President of the United States of America.
And because downballot races are just as important, I am equally proud to endorse Scott Brown to represent the state of Massachussetts in the United States Senate.
If you have any other downballot endorsements you'd like me to make, please list them in the comments below.
UPDATE: MORE ENDORSEMENTS
I would be remiss in my duties if I did not also endorse Paul Ryan for Congress (Wisconsin 1st District).
And the following other candidates also have my full and enthusiastic endorsement:
Michelle Bachmann (Minnesota 6th District)
Allen West (Florida 22nd District)
Art Robinson (Oregon 4th District)
Maggie Brooks (New York, 25th District)
Ann-Marie Buerkle (New York, 24th District)