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Sue me, I'm not in Nirvana today

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I just gave it my best shot, even though the wording of the question about biblical authority is really lame.

As for me, I said pretty much said what I had to say about this era of politics back in 2000 in a piece that I wrote for Salon.com that the editors rejected. Later, it ran in World magazine. Surely, this is the only time that journalistic sequence of events has ever taken place. The headline at my own website says: "A sad Democrat votes -- Why I cast my first vote for a GOP president." Here's the opening of that piece:

The Gen-X blond standing behind the Democratic Party placards gave me a tired smile election morning as I headed into my polling place a few miles from the D.C. Beltway.

Vote for the Democratic Party, said the signs.

Not this time, sister.

I smiled back, sort of. It was a sad smile. I'm a Democrat and have been all my life. That used to be a normal thing for people who grew up in middle-class Bible Belt homes. But I cast my first vote today for a Republican candidate for president.

Why? Because Gov. Robert Casey of Pennsylvania is dead and I can't write in his name anymore, that's why. He's the old-guard Catholic Democrat who was banned from the 1992 Democratic National Convention floor, the man who told his party's platform hearings: "The national Democratic Party has embraced abortion on demand. I believe this position is wrong in principle and out of the mainstream of our party's historic commitment to protecting the powerless.... Abortion is the ultimate violence. Abortion on demand has, in my judgment, contributed significantly to an environment in our country in which life has become very cheap."

And today? Well, to be honest I am even more depressed this time around and I'm not sure what I will do. Why? Because I honestly thought that Sen. Barack Obama was going to be a figure in favor of compromise and change on the issues that matter most for me. I knew the odds were against that, but I thought there was some chance that he would show courage and swing toward the middle.

Oh well, whatever, nevermind. Sue me for feeling a twinge of idealism. Then again, I also know that despair is a sin. So there you go.

Trust me, I realize that this is not a GetReligion.org topic and, in fact, I am describing the kind of election-day confusion on the religious/political issues that The Politico demonstrated in that trilogy of news stories that I wrote about earlier this morning.

So, it's only fair to consider this an open thread on election day.

However, instead of just yelling out your choice -- go to Beliefnet.com and do that -- please share with all of us the religion-rooted stories that you are seeing today in the coverage (or that you hope to see). In addition to sharing links to pieces from newspapers, wire services and weblogs, feel free, if possible, to provide URLs for good television or radio features that you see or hear.

I'm supposed to end by urging everyone to get out and vote. OK, go give it your best shot.