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Time for My Politics Rant...
Nov. 6th, 2006 03:41 amAnd I don't care...it's going to be public. If you know me and know this region at all, you'll probably be able to guess who I'm voting for, but of course that's all assuming I get it figured out before Tuesday, which really isn't too far away. :-) I've done my best, the last few months, not to read political blogs, political emails, or political newspaper articles...or anything else related to politics. Why? Well...it's election season, you know - and that's when things turn nasty. See, in my ideal world, I'd evaluate a candidate by how well he communicates his message without having to attack his opponent. But that's not the world of politics. If I narrowed down my choices to people who wouldn't attack their opponents, my ballot would look very sad.
In fact, most of the people I'm planning to vote for (maybe all of them; I don't know) have campaigned in a way that violates my sensibilities of what seems appropriate.
I was discussing this with my brother a few weeks ago and he pointed out to me that this is the most effective way to campaign, however, because people tend to focus on the negative. It doesn't matter if something is biased or even, possibly, false. If it has some kind of emotional ring to it that pulls them in, then the candidate will probably get their vote (unless the opposing candidate manages to overcome that persuasion using similar means). In other words, American voters aren't going to do a whole lot of investigating to figure out whether what they're hearing is entirely accurate.
My problem is that I do want to vote responsibly. And the standard campaigning method leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion. Here's what I really want to know about a candidate:
1. What are his (used to mean his or her) true convictions or principles on the issues?
2. What are his ideas about how to make changes that he says he believes are important?
3. What is his record on being able to make changes and work with other people?
4. What's the truth behind the controversies in his record?
In other words, can he and will he do what is best for our city, county, state, or country?
I mean, you've got the guy who can figure out enough of what people think they want that he can say great things to them, whether or not he really believes them.
Then you've got the guy who has solid convictions and will express them in such a way that he gets a pretty solid base of support, but he doesn't really know what to do with his convictions. He has no political experience and may think he can just change the world overnight. Chances are that he won't win...but my concern in such a case is that the person would do more harm than good!
Okay, so then you have someone who has good plans in terms of evaluating problems and posing solutions. But getting them enacted is slightly problematic - because it may have absolutely nothing to do with his position. Ideas but no influence...good ideas, at that! This could also be the case if the person has no people skills and is, therefore, unable to persuade others to join him in his legislative efforts. In any case, ideas without the ability to use them...tend to be somewhat useless.
And then you've got the guy who may be good but his past is kind of a question mark. He has done some controversial things and you just always wonder if, maybe, he could really explain them well enough that they will make sense. But, honestly, he might be lying to you. So why would you ask? Reading a politician's mind is hard, especially since politicians aren't exactly known to be an honest bunch.
But, really, when you come down to it, the guy who wins is often the guy who's able to be the most convincing in advertising. (Duh.) The reading or watching public just eats up what they get. And I'm left wondering how to vote...
And the election is Tuesday. What's a girl (or a guy, for that matter) to do? I don't know. But one thing I'd like to do eventually is figure out a way to start doing some serious investigation of political candidates...to try to answer the above questions. And maybe someday I can promote a web site that will have content that at least addresses the issues in my own area. I don't like voting for people when I really have no clue about them or basis for comparison!
So much for organizing my thoughts. =\ I need to get to bed.
In fact, most of the people I'm planning to vote for (maybe all of them; I don't know) have campaigned in a way that violates my sensibilities of what seems appropriate.
I was discussing this with my brother a few weeks ago and he pointed out to me that this is the most effective way to campaign, however, because people tend to focus on the negative. It doesn't matter if something is biased or even, possibly, false. If it has some kind of emotional ring to it that pulls them in, then the candidate will probably get their vote (unless the opposing candidate manages to overcome that persuasion using similar means). In other words, American voters aren't going to do a whole lot of investigating to figure out whether what they're hearing is entirely accurate.
My problem is that I do want to vote responsibly. And the standard campaigning method leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion. Here's what I really want to know about a candidate:
1. What are his (used to mean his or her) true convictions or principles on the issues?
2. What are his ideas about how to make changes that he says he believes are important?
3. What is his record on being able to make changes and work with other people?
4. What's the truth behind the controversies in his record?
In other words, can he and will he do what is best for our city, county, state, or country?
I mean, you've got the guy who can figure out enough of what people think they want that he can say great things to them, whether or not he really believes them.
Then you've got the guy who has solid convictions and will express them in such a way that he gets a pretty solid base of support, but he doesn't really know what to do with his convictions. He has no political experience and may think he can just change the world overnight. Chances are that he won't win...but my concern in such a case is that the person would do more harm than good!
Okay, so then you have someone who has good plans in terms of evaluating problems and posing solutions. But getting them enacted is slightly problematic - because it may have absolutely nothing to do with his position. Ideas but no influence...good ideas, at that! This could also be the case if the person has no people skills and is, therefore, unable to persuade others to join him in his legislative efforts. In any case, ideas without the ability to use them...tend to be somewhat useless.
And then you've got the guy who may be good but his past is kind of a question mark. He has done some controversial things and you just always wonder if, maybe, he could really explain them well enough that they will make sense. But, honestly, he might be lying to you. So why would you ask? Reading a politician's mind is hard, especially since politicians aren't exactly known to be an honest bunch.
But, really, when you come down to it, the guy who wins is often the guy who's able to be the most convincing in advertising. (Duh.) The reading or watching public just eats up what they get. And I'm left wondering how to vote...
And the election is Tuesday. What's a girl (or a guy, for that matter) to do? I don't know. But one thing I'd like to do eventually is figure out a way to start doing some serious investigation of political candidates...to try to answer the above questions. And maybe someday I can promote a web site that will have content that at least addresses the issues in my own area. I don't like voting for people when I really have no clue about them or basis for comparison!
So much for organizing my thoughts. =\ I need to get to bed.
