Rodent Regatta

In today’s column Andrew Tobias was asked the following:

I face a dilemma and would appreciate your two cents. What do you do when the candidate of your party is a slimeball? Im purposely going to leave the relevant parties out of this so there’s no bias involved. If you were me, would you rather vote for a good person of an opposing party, even though you dont agree with his views; vote for the slimeball of your party, even though you know he would vote the way you want him to; or simply abstain from casting the vote? I’m leaning to a no-vote, but feel like that’s a cop-out on my civic duty.

Tobias answers quickly and without clarifying the question or the meaning of the word ”slimeball.” He wants the slimeball. It’s interesting that he answers this way, because the implication becomes that Tobias wants creditable Democrats and slimeball Democrats over any Republican at any time.

”Slimeball” gives me reason to pause. How far away from ’crook’ is ’slimeball?’ How does a slimeball make a decision between right and wrong? How does a slimeball compartmentalize his life and decision-making? On which matters is he a slimeball and on which is he an upstanding representative for the people?

These questions don’t have to get asked and answered when we vote for those with impeccable reputations.

Andrew Tobias wrote a book titled The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need. He has updated it several times. For someone just entering the work force, it is truly the best financial advice a person could receive. For a person who has been working, but doesn’t manage money well, it remains the finest financial advice I’ve seen. Taken together with Warren Buffett’s annual letters to shareholders, these two resources can lead to financial freedom.

That said, his message has lost some of its luster since he became an activist for the most liberal positions of the Democratic party.