I'm having an interesting discussion with a friend over the upcoming presidential race. To cut to the chase, this year my vote will come down to which do I dislike more:
- One party's platform and policies
~or~
- The other party's culture and values (or possibly the lack thereof)
What determines your vote? Policy, party loyalty, cultural identity, a sense the a party/candidate sees your cultural group as an adversary, desire to see history made, wanting to see change in the political order regardless of how that change looks! Something else?
I vote based on the following, more or less in this order:
1. Temperament ( a person's nature as it affects their behavior)
2. Intelligence
3. Ideology
4. Policies
Temperament: I have to admit I hadn't given temperament much thought until this election because most of the candidates I have ever had to choose from before were pretty normal on the temperament scale. I realized that even if I agreed with all the policies Trump espouses, I couldn't vote for him. I need a President who is cool and calm under pressure. Who doesn't get knee jerk reactions to criticism. Someone who welcomes good advice and doesn't let their ego get in the way of the right decision. For me the ideal example of a President exercising a perfect temperament was JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Before I cast a vote for a President I ask, "How would he or she have handled such a situation?" The thought of a Trump at the helm in that situation terrifies me to the core.
Intelligence: By most measures I am a reasonably intelligent person. I am not intimidated or distrustful of people smarter than I. I like my President to be at least as smart as I am and preferably smarter. A President needs to be able to absorb and analyze the vast amount of data that comes across the desk and use it to discern the best path forward.
Ideology: A President's ideology gives me an idea of how he or she will react in given situations, what types of legislation will be approved or vetoed, what types of people will be appointed to vital positions, and what types, if any, wars we will get into.
Policies: Of course what a candidate says he or she will do once in office is important but I am not foolish enough to take them at their word. I look at their track record, if they have one, and see if it lines up with what they say they will do. If it par for course then I am more likely to trust that their intent matches their rhetoric. If their track record doesn't match their proposed policies then I tend to discard that part of their rhetoric. For example, I don't for a single second believe Hillary is against the TPP.
I'm having an interesting discussion with a friend over the upcoming presidential race. To cut to the chase, this year my vote will come down to which do I dislike more:
- One party's platform and policies
~or~
- The other party's culture and values (or possibly the lack thereof)
What determines your vote? Policy, party loyalty, cultural identity, a sense the a party/candidate sees your cultural group as an adversary, desire to see history made, wanting to see change in the political order regardless of how that change looks! Something else?
I'm having an interesting discussion with a friend over the upcoming presidential race. To cut to the chase, this year my vote will come down to which do I dislike more:
- One party's platform and policies
~or~
- The other party's culture and values (or possibly the lack thereof)
What determines your vote? Policy, party loyalty, cultural identity, a sense the a party/candidate sees your cultural group as an adversary, desire to see history made, wanting to see change in the political order regardless of how that change looks! Something else?
I'm having an interesting discussion with a friend over the upcoming presidential race. To cut to the chase, this year my vote will come down to which do I dislike more:
- One party's platform and policies
~or~
- The other party's culture and values (or possibly the lack thereof)
What determines your vote? Policy, party loyalty, cultural identity, a sense the a party/candidate sees your cultural group as an adversary, desire to see history made, wanting to see change in the political order regardless of how that change looks! Something else?
As important as policy is, nothing beats a good otter.I chose the third option because otters are adorable.
I'm having an interesting discussion with a friend over the upcoming presidential race. To cut to the chase, this year my vote will come down to which do I dislike more:
- One party's platform and policies
~or~
- The other party's culture and values (or possibly the lack thereof)
What determines your vote? Policy, party loyalty, cultural identity, a sense the a party/candidate sees your cultural group as an adversary, desire to see history made, wanting to see change in the political order regardless of how that change looks! Something else?
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