By Miles Layton

Random thoughts…

Silly season is upon us – political candidates, rather than spending lots and lots of money on campaign mailers, why not just give that money to charitable causes?

Really, no matter who sent it, when I get this stuff in the mail, I don’t even read it; it just goes in the trash. And I don’t think you can even burn this trash because the paper on the mailers has special ink, which may pose a health risk when it catches fire and starts smoking.

As for those idiots who steal candidate signs — you’re not changing my vote or anyone else’s by pushing down or stealing any signs on East Church Street or anywhere else, for that matter.

Negative campaign commercials or mailers — I don’t even watch or read. I don’t believe you can build someone up if you’re tearing someone down. That said, don’t hate the players, hate the game.

Newspaper endorsements — I don’t think they do any good. And really, when was the last time a big newspaper, even a smaller newspaper, those that still exist, ever endorsed a Republican candidate, instead always favoring Democrats!?

Early voting has started, with November 3 being Election Day.

Though I don’t expect my words to matter when people cast their votes, nor should they because it’s that voter’s choice at the ballot box, I’m going to endorse Republican Laurie Buckhout for Congress. Why?

Buckhout lives in Edenton, so you always root for the home team. I have nothing against Davis in terms of where he lives or grew up, or whatever, in Greene County, which was recently gerrymandered out of the 1st Congressional District.

And because political truths differ between people and parties, I’m not going into that aspect of writing any endorsement favoring Buckhout over Davis any more than I would if I said dachshunds are better than beagles or NCSU is better than Carolina.

However, at the end of the day, as they say in West Virginia hollers, Buckhout is one of our own; we support our own in Chowan County and Northeast NC. And I like Laurie; she’s a good person, same as Davis.

Another reason to vote for Buckhout — you just know that if the Democrats gain a majority in Congress, there will probably be a third – a third round!? – round of impeachment trials rather than governance. Hell, Trump wasn’t even in office between 2021 and 2025 when the Deep State aligned with political partisans tried to destroy him, so if Democrats gain a majority, impeachment trials, regardless of the charge, are sure to follow because they have a deep-seated hatred of the man, right or wrong.

I don’t have anything against Davis, but I know he is a loyal party man, so he won’t buck the Democrats’ leadership’s call to stall Trump’s agenda through a show impeachment trial any more than he does when supporting the party’s positions on unpopular issues. And, given that Congress is sure to be divided, as is the electorate, I’m cautiously optimistic that Buckhout will be more inclined to cross party lines to get things done and build a record of bipartisanship by promoting policies and laws that benefit everyone no matter which political jersey they wear.

Impeachment hearings and trials have become political theater, especially those impeachment accusations that have no prayer of ever moving forward because of politics — folks tend to vote for their team regardless of the charges.

I’m tired of games – our economy is teetering on the brink, we’re involved in two wars and confidence in government is at an all-time low.

If you want to reduce the chance that Democrats can gain the majority and gin up another impeachment trial, vote for Buckhout.

As to games and government, Tim Haught, a prominent West Virginia attorney, posted this quote the other day.

“My problem is I don’t believe the Democrats will produce a reasonable alternative to the Republicans. America is being torn apart by left- and right-wing extremists. No one will compromise. No one seeks consensus. No one cooperates and no one represents the “great middle” of America.  Americans go to the polls voting for the lesser of evils. The Trumans and Eisenhowers are gone. Even Clinton and Gingrich worked together.  If we can’t be bipartisan and work together, we won’t accomplish anything. We will die swinging back and forth between extremes. I would love to see a reasonable Independent run and win.”

Amen!

On that note, Joe Manchin, former Governor and US Senator, a longtime centrist Democrat who is now an Independent, is leading a movement from the middle to take back power from the extremes from both parties. Earlier this year, Manchin launched the Independent Leadership Council, a new effort to elect independent candidates to Congress that will focus first on competitive seats this election cycle.

Speaking of independents, actor Matthew McConaughey made the case for independent voters in a speech he recently posted on Facebook.

“Independents belong in the fight, not as a protest, not as a spoiler, but as a real and potential winner, on the ballot and considered seriously by us,” McConaughey says in the clip.

He then took aim at the long-standing argument against voting outside the two major parties. “They’ve been telling us for years that an independent vote is a wasted vote. Well, a great question for our times is how’s that unwasted vote been working out for you?” he asked his online followers.

“Alright, alright, alright” — McConaughey went on to clarify that being independent “does not mean you’re middle of the road. Road.”

“Independent is the original road. Before there was ever a Republican or a Democrat, there was an American,” he said.

He also pushed back on the idea that independents are undecided voters. “A true independent is not a fence sitter, Mr. Mrs. In between, I don’t know how I feel,” he added. “No, a true independent is not even against the R’s or the D’s. A true independent takes the best of both. And that’s not indecision, it’s judgment.”

Finally, McConaughey argued that independents are not a minority but the “majority maker.”

“Nothing passes without them. Every bill has to come through the middle, which means both parties would finally have to compete for the middle,” the actor said.

I’ll leave on this note — whether Republican, Democrat or Unaffiliated, we need to get back to compromise and civility in politics.