Dear George,

Last week some good friends of mine who usually vote for Democrats paid for an ad in the Daily Progress asking us to dump one Democratic candidate to vote for a particular Republican. They said they were not knee-jerk Democrats.

Well, I am a knee-jerk, Yellow Dog Democrat. Let me tell you why, in this day and age and in this state, I am that kind of Democrat. Every time I see a Republican governor proclaim another White Supremacy month (under the euphemism of 'Confederate Heritage' month) my knee jerks;

Every time I read about the Republican solution to crime being to cease manufacturing prison keys because all the criminals will be locked up forever anyway my knee jerks

Every time the Republicans tell a woman she has to wait to make a choice but death-row prisoners have too much time to make appeals my knee jerks;

Every time I see a Republican city leader declare that the death penalty is not a subject for our Council to speak to my knee jerks;

Every time a Republican office holder tells us not to 'throw money' at social problems, but to let the free market take care of the poor my knee jerks;

Every time yet another Republican appointee to the Board of Visitors of my university comes from a distant pedagogical planet my knee jerks;

Every time . . . well, I could go on, but you get the point about why my knee jerks when someone urges me to vote for a Republican in Virginia. I have to wonder if they know what political platform they are standing on, what values they give credence to. Sometimes, too, I want to say: go back and read about Faustus or check out that great German film, 'Mephisto.'

I voted for a Republican once, thirty years ago, and he won. His name was Linwood Holton and he was the greatest governor Virginia ever had. But you know what the Republican party did to him because he made democracy work? They clipped his wings and saw to it that no one like him would ever again get power in their Party. Every time I think about that bit of history my knee jerks.

I'll be voting the straight Democratic Party ticket on Tuesday, May 2. I think my knee jerks for good reasons.

Paul Gaston (electronic mail, April 27, 2000)