Unlike Joe Albero and Salisbury News, I didn’t take a whole lot of pictures for public consumption at the Wicomico Home and Farm Show. (I’d link, but wouldn’t it be more fun to wade through 14 other articles on 14 different topics to find the right one?) There’s really only three photos which you really need to see in my estimation, and each has a story that I’ll assist in telling.
I’ve been here for four WHFS events, and for at least the last three the Wicomico County Republicans have placed up a booth similar to this. (If you don’t believe me, you can go here and here. Those detractors of mine may get a chuckle out what I was tossing in the second link.) In spending my teenage years in a rural area, I know that farm country is generally Republican country so it’s no surprise that we cater to our base of people who derive their incomes from agriculture.
We finally received the McCain yard signs which people clamored to get, starting with the Delmarva Chicken Festival in June. I don’t have the exact numbers, but at least during my shifts we gave out both Andy Harris and John McCain items out regularly. I’m suspecting things were even quicker during the evenings while I was away.
So let us contrast this with the other side of the political coin, shall we?
What you’re seeing is the sum total of the Democrats’ participation in the WHFS, insofar as I can tell. No one worked their table on a regular basis when I was present, although Jim Ireton did come in briefly first thing Friday to find some of our items on his table. I half-jokingly told him someone was trying to send him a message, but he huffily said something in the vein of us not showing respect. Well, Jim, kids don’t always show respect and when I asked around that was who folks blamed for hanging around the vacant table. I realize you’re not necessarily in your element when much of the surroundings is geared toward those who farm and their active 4-H offspring, but I was disappointed the Democrats chose not to add more to the process – particularly with their Congressional candidate who’s billing himself as a moderate.
Moreover, Frank Kratovil made me into a liar, since I didn’t check his Saturday schedule beforehand. He opted to stay closer to home, and apparently won’t necessarily be an adherent to the man at the top of his ticket who vowed to campaign in even the reddest of areas. (Or, as Barack Obama so famously gaffed, all 57 states.)
However, I can vouch for his opponent making the rounds Saturday:
Yes, State Senator Harris was holding court right at the main corner, talking with a number of would-be constituents about the issues important to them. The conversation I overheard while taking this picture just happened to be along the same lines as the subject of a recent post, as private property rights are so very important in the agricultural field. By taking away the freedom to use land as one wishes, they are essentially stealing value from the owner, just as if an armed robber kicked in the front door of his home and took the landowner’s other worldly possessions.
With that, another Wicomico Farm and Home Show has come and gone, and I’d like to thank those who assisted with manning our booth. Maybe it wasn’t the most exciting task, but having our faces in the place should pay dividends later on.
