I'm as guilty as anyone of focusing nearly all of my political attention on the candidates for office, both locally and nationwide. The battle for control of Congress surely deserves to be the main objective for both parties and it certainly will be the deciding factor in determining whether the Bush-Cheney right-wing stranglehold on government will continue or be suppressed during the next two years.
However, an article in today's Washington Post suggests that voting patterns in many places, including some critical races, may come down to ballot initiatives and issues rather than merely the candidates:
(Please join me below the fold for excerpt and more.)