Two of my personal idiosyncratic favorites this year are the Dole/Bowles senate race here in North Carolina, and the Tennessee gubernatorial race.

Close to home, Elizabeth Dole is hoping to follow Hillary Clinton's lead and become the second big-name wife in the Senate. Her campaign commercials have been rather amusing. In one of my favorites, Dole refers to her powerful husband as "a disabled vet," evoking images of a wheelchair-bound old man instead of the famous ex-senator and Viagra spokesman that Bob Dole is.

In another commercial, Dole succumbs to the tired old anti-Clinton rhetoric of the GOP, chastising Erskine Bowles for his service as the chief of staff in the Clinton administration. Let me see if I can understand this, Dole's best argument against her opponent is that he served as a very powerful and important adviser to an immensely popular and successful president.

It seems to me that the aforementioned disabled vet tried the Clinton character argument before. It did not work then, and the argument certainly doesn't benefit from being six years later and one degree removed. She might as well post signs saying "Bowles: more qualified and an actual resident of North Carolina. But vote for me ¯ I'm prettier!"

The other one of my favorite races is taking place in my home state. Tennessee's gubernatorial elections are amusing in the same way that the Royal Tennebaums was funny: awful things keep happening, but you laugh because a girl in heels getting her finger chopped off by her natural father is just kind of funny. Van Hilleary, the (frankly, stupid) Republican candidate, is running tasteless and mean attack ads against his Democratic opponent, Phil Bredesen. In a move that seems reminiscent of Dole, Hilleary has tried to link Bredesen with current governor Don Sundquist, calling him "Brede-sundquist."

The twist here is that Sundquist is a fairly powerful Republican. Criticizing him has won Hilleary no points among the Republican elite.

In fact, 13 prominent and wealthy Chattanoogan Republicans have come out against Hilleary for this and other actions. A reasonable person would assume that only corruption of a widespread and severe caliber would make a person fight against not only his opponent, but also his own party. So what is Sundquist's and Bredesen's crime?

In three words: state income tax. Though he started out opposing a state income tax, several years in the real world of governance convinced Sundquist of what most states have known for years: a progressive state needs revenue. Bredesen, while he does not support an income tax, has not vowed to sell his soul to fight one, as Hilleary has.

This is, of course, Hilleary's only issue of any substance. While Bredesen has posted views and plans on many different areas of concern, including tourism and farming, Hilleary only states that he hates taxes, gun control and abortion, and wants to put the lottery to a vote. He's counting on the poor education system to guarantee a victory for him.

No matter what your political affiliation or hometown is, please inform yourself and vote. The elections are very close, and the outcome will really matter. Whether your pet issue is abortion, Iraq, taxes or simply the hand/hip ratio of the candidate, make sure your voice is heard this November!