My sister sent me this link where you answer some questions on some topics and then it pops up the list of presidential candidates and whether you agree or disagree with their position. The topics were: War in Iraq, Immigration, Taxes, Stem-Cell Research, Health Care, Abortion, Social Security, Line-Item Vetoes, Energy, Death Penalty, and Marriage.My top score was Dennis Kucinich, which I'm not too fussed about, since I don't think he's a viable candidate. But the next guy was John Edwards. Hillary Clinton and Obama Barack were a ways down the list, underneath several Republicans. To my mild alarm, Rudy Guiliani was number 3 or 4. I was surprised because if anyone asked me I would say I really didn't like John Edwards at all. As for Guiliani, I generally lean a bit Republican on some issues, but to lean so far that Rudy would appear that high on a list? Wow.
Which got me to thinking...why do I, or anyone else for that matter, vote for or lik
e a particular candidate? To be honest, there were a couple of questions in that survey where I knew in general what the idea was but really didn't have a clue as to whether or how it has impacted the country. Line-item vetoes was one. So I'm actually making decisions on that survey without really knowing specifically very much. Which is how people are voting all the time, because honestly, how can anyone be fully informed about every issue? But what if that's the issue that really does impact on me--and the hot topics like stem cell research, legalizing abortion, etc. get all the attention, but really don't impact my life that much yet I vote for a candidate based on those issues?
e a particular candidate? To be honest, there were a couple of questions in that survey where I knew in general what the idea was but really didn't have a clue as to whether or how it has impacted the country. Line-item vetoes was one. So I'm actually making decisions on that survey without really knowing specifically very much. Which is how people are voting all the time, because honestly, how can anyone be fully informed about every issue? But what if that's the issue that really does impact on me--and the hot topics like stem cell research, legalizing abortion, etc. get all the attention, but really don't impact my life that much yet I vote for a candidate based on those issues?Maybe you need to take the time to really look at a general menu of issues and decide which ones are fundamental to what you really believe is important and then know how the candidates stand on those 2-4 issues rather than trying to master all of them.
A couple years ago I found a site called FactCheck. They examine national and state ads, speeches, and articles for accuracy. It's non-partisan so they cover both sides of the aisle and use statistics from different government offices and publications to affirm or refute a candidate's claim that they've reduced inflation, or someone's accusation that their opponent raised taxes. One one hand, it's very informative. On the other, it's a bit depressing--not only because NOTHING that comes out of a politician's mouth is truly straight-forward, but because it's obvious that a lot of effort goes into examining the statements made by candidates. But in an election year, especially living so far away, I think I'll be checking in frequently.
Voting is such a huge responsibility--but almost impossible to really be on top of everything. Sometimes I think that's why people are loathe to discuss politics. After the sound bites they hear on the news, I think most people (and I'm including myself often) really don't know anything much deeper than what they hear or see in bits and bites on the news.
That being said, I have got to get a subscription to Newsweek. The international versions just don't give you as much information about all the candidates, as doesn't the BBC or international CNN. Hard to believe there are other events in the world more important than what happens in the USA, eh?
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