Why I Would Vote For A Republican...

Yesterday, I had this conversation with a friend.


"Why would you vote for a Republican?"


"Lincoln was a Republican..."


"Yeah, but he was a different kind of Republican..."


And that would be my answer as well. In a recent blog I endorsed Bert Bleke for GRCC college board. Yes, I know he is a Republican endorsed by Republicans. I was a parent in East Grand Rapids under his tenure. I was a parent under his term as interim superintendent for GRPS. He was the super for Lowell and went on to fill the interim spot at Blandford Nature Center and United Way.


I think you have to look at people and not parties. I think you have to look at the trajectory of a life and see if it is pointed towards your community, your children, your values and, most of all, the future of those things. Will they be a perfect match? NO. But not because of his party affiliation. It will be so because we are all different and is that not our value as liberals, democrats, progressives, independents, etc.? Or do we only embrace difference that agrees with us?


I heartily endorse Fred Sebulske. According to the Press he is winning in the polls and that is a good thing. But there are TWO spots for the board and to choose only one spot means that someone else will fill that second spot. Who will that second person person be? Make no mistake, to not vote is to nullify the vote you did cast.


That the remaining choices are all Republicans is no accident. That they are all different is also no accident. You must judge them as people. Not so much by what they say but by what they have done and who endorses them, who pays for their passage into the race.


I will tell you that Mr. Bleke is currently running third in the polls and has little or no signage out, no FaceBook fans and you won't hear him Tweet. His endorsements are from the Press and other conservative media, community and business people. He is an old school Republican. Think Gerald Ford, Vern Ehlers, Paul Henry, the kind of men we used to send to Congress here. Men I admire. No, I did not always agree with them and I do not always agree with Mr. Bleke, he will undoubtedly side with managements, privatization and other conservative ideals.


But what are your other choices?


I am really trying to keep my blogging about being FOR something and not against, so I can equivocally say that I am FOR Fred Sebulske and Bert Bleke. 

I will let the others speak for themselves:


http://michiganfamily.org/main-votersguide/2011ComCol/GrandRapidsCommunityCollege.pdf


You will notice that Mr. Bleke and Mr. Sebulske 'chose not to respond'. Sometimes the most responsible course is to not respond. Other times? Not so much. You too can choose to not respond and allow others to vote in your stead. You can also choose to vote for only one of two spots and leave the rest to others who are well funded, endorsed and  voting in droves. Or you can choose to fill the two vacancies with those you believe will best fulfill the mission of a college that is growing at an unprecedented rate and was intended to be an institution for Public Education. For All.

I am Fred

Many of you are wondering about my new picture on Facebook. Many of you know that I am A) Never so dapper and B) hardly ever look so smart. No, it isn't me. It isn't Doppleganger month and it isn't wear a Bow Tie month. What it is is this:

I want you to vote for this man.

I also want you to read this even if you don't live where I live and think this is a campaign ad.

Here is why. In recent months we have seen the effects of an increasingly extreme element reaching deep into the  political landscape. Attacks on our teachers, public servants and education itself are pouring out of the Trojan horse of the revolution that replaced hope. Constitutional principles like representative government, separation of church and state and free speech are being replaced with the viewpoints of a small but activist minority of extremists who wish to foist their own beliefs on everyone.

So who is this man and why am I telling people who live far away to vote for him?

Meet Fred Sebulske. He is a retired teacher and a brilliant actor and moving director. He is also the Founder of Actors' Theatre in Grand Rapids, Michigan. You probably haven't heard of him, but in an area that has long been known for its conservatism and homogeneity, this man recognised that even here there were voices, faces and souls that needed to be heard, seen, recognized, tolerated and even embraced. In years past he and his theatre spoke eloquently to those that were in the minority and convincingly to those that were believed to be in the majority. He did so quietly, relentlessly and with great integrity and class.

The world changed. The area that he taught and directed in is much more like the world he showed and imagined. The theatre companies who used to be safe are now producing daring, controversial and relevant theatre. Even theatre in faith based colleges like Calvin, Cornerstone and Aquinas are doing diversified, meaningful productions and much credit goes to Fred. You would think his work is done.

But in this new age there is also fear. There are those who would have us go back in time. There are those who would advocate for a narrow view of humanity and community. There are those who believe a  college that is paid for by all should hold the views of a few. There are those who believe that extremism has some sort of good relationship with liberty.

You may not care about theatre. This isn't really about that. It is just a metaphor. The whole world is the stage and well... you ought to know the rest. I do because this man taught it to me. I also know that the little dramas, comedies, musicals, etc. that he and his people brought to the stage made up the powerful messages that inform my own beliefs, my voice and my need to keep it moving forward.

The political arena has become theatre in many ways and, like when he started Actors', it is time for a voice to be the voice of 'All'. The voice that believes that education, politics and our community is to be enjoyed by all equally needs to be heard. Fred is that voice. I am another Fred. So, I hope, are you.

If you vote in Kent County, please vote for Fred Sebulske. If you want to know more please visit http://www.sebulskeforall.org/ and if you want my opinion on the rest of the field I also recommend former GR and Lowell school chief Bert Bleke. Two very different men who share one thing in common: the belief that education should be for all.

If you do not vote in Kent County, please know that there are many Freds out there. There also many who represent fear, divisiveness, narrowness and would use government, education and democracy to take us back to a time that enslaves all and enriches a few. Find the Fred in your neck of the woods and vote for him or her. The situation we find our selves in is not because of the people who we believe are against us but because we who are Freds did not vote. Use your vote. Use your voice. Find your Fred.