Published: August 27, 2008 10:31 am            

The November ballot is getting crowded

Steve Boggs, Democrat Publisher

‘There ought to be a big turnout Nov. 4, for a lot of reasons.”

Those words, by County Judge Mark Riley, may be the understatement of the year. In a story in Tuesday’s edition of the Democrat, reporter Chelsea McGowan detailed the actions of the Commissioner’s Court of Parker County that put an $80 million transportation bond issue on the Nov. 4 ballot.

We go to the polls in 69 days for the General Election of 2008. Not only do we have a competitive race at the top of the ballot between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, the local issues are piling up as well.

What will the turnout be? That’s a tough question to answer, but judging by interest so far, count on long lines and widespread participation. Thank goodness for early voting!

The presidential primary in March saw record turnout (for a primary) when Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton squared off in a must-win race for the former First Lady. She won the battle, but lost the war.

Much has transpired since then, especially at the local level. Three local issues will help drive turnout in November, beginning with the aforementioned transportation bond issue. Weatherford College is also seeking a bond issue to remodel and expand its facilities and Weatherford residents will decide a critical alcohol sales issue as well.

Traffic, alcohol and education. I’d say those are fairly hot button issues. We’ve not seen any predictions yet from the election folks, but as the blessed event approaches, we’re guessing a record turnout for the general election is not out of the question — especially if Obama tries to make a play for traditionally Republican Texas.

A subscriber inquired this past week about the name of your local newspaper, the Democrat. It’s not the first inquiry we’ve gotten recently, and there appears to be some confusion about the name of the newspaper and its affiliation with the political party.

In a word, it’s not. Our newspaper has been named the Democrat since before World War I, and who knows why its first publisher chose the moniker. There are a lot of papers called the Democrat, and it has more to do with “democracy” than Democratic leadings.

The political leanings of any community newspaper can best be described as pragmatic. One school of political thought does not fit every situation, especially for the Fourth Estate. Most journalists at the local level are very much a reflection of their readers. They are, after all, a product of the local environment in most cases. If your parents lean toward the conservative view of things, chances are you will, too. If they are liberal by nature, you likely will be, too. There are not a lot of Alex P. Keatons in the world (Family Ties, in case you’re wondering.)

Rural Texas, including Weatherford, is a fairly conservative place. Hence, by and large your local newspaper is, too. Republican? Nope. Democrat? In name only. We don’t ask people what their party affiliation is before we hire them.

That being said, the name “Democrat” has become less fashionable in Texas over the past 20 years, and it does stick with some of our readers from time to time when it comes to political coverage. Do not confuse a healthy dose of skepticism with political leanings — regardless of what nameplate you’re reading.

We strive to be as objective as possible on our news pages. Opinion is reserved for pages like this, and, as always, we encourage our readers to share their views with the rest of the community.

        

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