The World According to Oatney

More coffee politics

Yesterday I posted about Vance Cheek Jr.'s visit to the Sanitary Drug Store in White Pine during morning coffee time. This morning I went to coffee and there was a visit of another kind. This visit was also from a candidate for the First District Congressional seat. Much like Vance Cheek, this candidate thought that it was prudent to stop by the drug store in White Pine in the waning hours of his election campaign.

Larry Waters had an entirely different demeanor than Cheek however. Waters was extremely nice, I found him to be quite congenial, and everyone found him easy to talk to. The biggest difference between Vance Cheek's visit yesterday and Larry Waters' visit today was that Cheek's visit seemed more like having coffee with the locals. Waters on the other hand engaged in the stereotypical ten-minute campaign stop. He did not go over to the coffee pot and help himself. He did listen to what a few of us had to say about issues and he did ask for our votes in a very non-assuming manner. I don't think that he was in any way rude, presuming, or pretentious. The primary difference between Cheek's style and Waters' style is a question of method.

Larry Waters came to the drug store because he wanted and needed our votes. He didn't know that I had already voted in my final Knox County election and several of the regular coffee participants had already voted early for Vance Cheek. Cheek, on the other hand, came yesterday knowing that he had gained many votes among that group and had a very successful stop there in the past, but he just wanted to meet with supporters and shore up any undecided support. Vance Cheek stayed for an hour and twenty minutes. Larry Waters stayed for a much shorter length of time. To be fair, I'm sure that both men had better places that they could have been on either day. If personality plays a role in elections however, Vance Cheek would win in a two-man race hands down.

Both strike me as good and decent men, just men with different styles. I do think that one of them has a style much better suited to the United States Congress than the other.

posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 11:33 PM