05/14/2004 Entry: ""
Posted by Maynard @ 04:07 PM MST
Why I vote the way I do - best choice vs. perfect match
When it comes to politicians, picking one is a bit like measuring precipitate in a solution: there is almost always something in there you don't want. Many people have hot-button issues that swing their vote one way or another. Abortion is like that for me. However, there are a few instances where I'll vote for a pro-choice advocate instead of a pro-life advocate.
For instance, lets suppose there is an election for the state utility board. If there is a candidate that is markedly better than another on issues of water and electricity, their pro-choice views will not disqualify them from receiving my vote. Why? Because utility boards never discuss or make decisions about abortion or its related issues.
So what offices do I consider pro-life critical, to coin a term?
- Presidents
- Senators
- Representatives
- Governors
- Education Officials
- Mayors
- Judges
There are others that I'm probably forgetting, but the point is simple. If you have a viewpoint that is fundamentally opposed to mine on a vote-critical issue, I will vote against you and not consider your other positions. Its that simple. Other positions and offices are negotiable; that is, you have to convince me of your capacity to adequately represent me in said office.
So what positions do I consider when choosing my candidate? In partial particular order:
- Abortion (duh)
- National Security
- Religious liberty
- Guns
- Social positions related to marriage
- taxes & spending
Character is also of prime importance. Bill Clinton was, in my mind, the worst of all possibilities. Pro-choice, anti-gun, no character and a taxing spendthrift. George H.W. Bush was not as bad: pro-life, somewhat anti-gun, much more character, but a tax raiser. Here, the better choice was Bush.
His son is similar, but more distinct from his opponent. Bush is pro-life, anti-gun (but not tested), the pinnacle of character, and a tax cutter (but big spender). Most of all, he can recognize and act on the issue that defines his presidency. His opponent is the opposite: pro-choice, anti-gun, waffling character, and a taxing spender. He cannot define himself clearly on any issue related to the Global War on Terror, and it disappoints me greatly that the Democrat party has all but chosen him as their nominee.
I am tied to the Republican party, but not because I am a Republican. I align myself with them because they more closely match my own beliefs. They get my vote because they advocate my positions.
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