As a White Liberal™ I think part of it is definitely the absolution thing. But I think there may also be another underlying phenomenon. As a white person growing up under White Supremacy, I've always had a sense that my comfy world of privilege was fundamentally fucked up. I couldn't put my finger on exactly what was…

Yeah, part of me wonders if Cochran wasn't completely divided right up until the second vote, and ultimately made his choice just based on the fact that it felt so flippin' great to write down Keith's name. Certainly neither choice gave him a clear advantage.