How would you answer these two questions?

Tomorrow we drive ten hours in a snowstorm to get back in time to vote in Tuesday's election.  I've never missed an election, even at the local level.  I consider it a great privilege and responsibility to vote.  When I taught history, I spent endless classes on the American system of government.  I hoped that all my students -- liberal, conservative, and in between -- would get the message: VOTE.  I think they did; I've heard from a number of them -- including many who don't share my political views -- that they remain interested in politics.

The purpose of this post isn't to change hearts and minds before Tuesday's election.  It's probably too late for that.  What I'd like to do is to explain why this election -- more than others -- feels big to me.  The best way to do this is to ask two questions:

      Would you vote for a candidate who called your family "not normal" and a "supposed" family?

Because that's what I've been asked to do by those folks supporting Scott Brown.

Let me add another question:


       Would you vote for a candidate who did everything he could to stop you and your spouse from marrying?

I think I can imagine the response.  I'm not asking you to think about whether you believe in same-sex marriage.  I'm just asking you to answer those two questions.  Because those are the questions that face me and my family as we approach election day.  If you answer them honestly, I hope you can understand why our family couldn't possibly support Scott Brown.