The other day I filled out my absteene ballot and decided when it came down to the Congressional line that I was going to not choose either Jim Burhmaster or Paul Tonko. I instead voted for Phil Steck on the Independence line, the candidate that I volunteered for over the summer and lost his primary.

You can argue that voting for Phil Steck on the Independence Party line is a waste of a vote. But so is a voting for either Paul Tonko or Jim Burhmaster. We already know who is going to win this race, in the overly Democratic-district where only one candidate has a real advantage. Indeed, Paul Tonko has far out fundraised his opponent by a multiple times, and the number of volunteers he has far exceeds that of Burhmaster.

Maybe I'm just bitter about Steck loosing the primary. Yet, sometimes I think it's important an statemenet about the direction that I want my next congressperson in the future. I don't want a give-me candidate to get in with a blank check and without at least token opposition. Voting for Phil Steck makes me feel as though I've distance my way from Paul Tonko.

I am not opposed to Paul Tonko or his policies. I think he has a real record from his years in the Assembly, and he is a genuinely nice guy. He shakes your hand firmly, and looks you in the eye like a good politician. Yet, that's my problem with him. If I could have voted when he was my Assemblyman, he would certainly got my vote. Yet, he's been around forever, and it's time for change.