Pick a Candidate 548.4
Politics is, and always has been, a rough-and-tumble business that seems to bring out the worst in candidates trying to get an edge or to defend themselves from distortions, outright lies, and personal attacks.
Adlai Stevenson, a presidential candidate in the 1950s, said, “The hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving you are unworthy of winning.”
This takes a huge toll on those who put themselves on the political frying pan, but it also makes it hard for responsible citizens to assess qualifications, to determine a candidate’s true positions on the issues, and to decide whether characterizations of the individual are true and relevant.
Although competence and character are important, the criteria for who gets my vote starts with a candidate's convictions, his or her beliefs on crucial matters.
Seems simple enough, but it isn’t. The first task is to identify the issues that mean a lot to you and their relative importance. The second is to discover the candidate’s stands on them
Fortunately, a number of nonpartisan websites can help. I especially like www.glassbooth.org where you rank issues in order of their importance to you. You’re then told how closely each candidate’s views are aligned with yours.
For more substantive analysis of the issues and each candidate’s stances, visit these websites:
• www.vote-smart.org
• www.c-span.org
• www.cqpolitics.com
• www.factcheck.org
This is really important stuff. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Pick a candidate, then tell your friends why. If enough of us do that, it could make a difference.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts and that good citizenship is one of the Six Pillars of Character.
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Comments
I love your commitment but politicians are crooks and always will be crooks, I myself gave up the right to vote at the age of 18 & never voted in my life & never will because no one in the political structure cares about myself or the middle class. Sorry, but I find most of your commentary good but this political one will never sway me or most Americans, who are sick of getting screwed over by the politicians.
Posted by: Dave Mc Farland | January 10, 2008 1:43 PM
One just cannot believe what political campaigners claim. Or that the media are responsibly portaying them. Suspicious of this, citizens, feeling it their duty to appreciate the hard-earned privilege of voting, will vote dubiously, and openly say they are voting for the lesser of two evils. But Max Lerner, the American editor and political columnist, cautioned us to recall that the lesser of two evils is still evil.
Posted by: Andrew Ronson | January 10, 2008 9:31 PM
Michael Josephson.....thank you for All your wonderful commentaries, especially the one you did today (1/10)
I appreciate your work and will pass on to all my friends. Thank you for being there and helping us all to remember that 'Character Counts'.
Posted by: Lynn Parker | January 11, 2008 9:45 AM
This is one of my favorite commentaries in part because you shared some really helpful tools for voters of all stripes. I sent this one to both family and friends, and a comment I got back from one of my siblings was: "This is really cool for me, given I don't make a habit of reading the paper very often." We then compared notes on our glassbooth results. These kinds of tools are really helpful in giving us yet another tool to discuss issues with no hurt feelings or rancor.
Thanks a bunch!
Posted by: Heidi Haugen | January 11, 2008 10:25 AM
I want to comment on some of the comments about this article. Not voting because all politicians are crooks won't fix the problem. In fact that will only give them more power. I say that the American people should start a movement to vote all incumbents out of office, every election. This will send a message that in order to stay in office they are going to have to stop lying, wasting our money, and raising taxes to make up for all of that waste. That is the most effective way that I can think of to use the power of our vote.
Posted by: Jim Nelson | January 14, 2008 12:15 PM
All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for people of good will to do nothing. To refuse to vote is to abdicate your obligation as an American. It isn't a perfect system, but they are not all crooks--that's an easy cop-out.
Posted by: Susan | January 21, 2008 4:24 PM
Michael: I saw you when you gave your seminar to the Arizona Legislature back in the early '90s. I've remembered a few of the lessons and I was able to pass them on to my sons as they were growing up. Thank you.
Now I have a request. We are hearing a lot about Barack Obama and his shady friend Antoin Rezko. There are some 'interesting' things related to the expensive house that Rezko enabled his pal, Sen. Obama, to acquire.
Could you review that situation and, if it meets your criteria, perhaps write a commentary about it?
Thanks again.
Posted by: Jack Lavelle | March 11, 2008 4:25 PM