So many pundits, talking heads, radio talk show hosts, bloggers, and podcasters try to tell you who and for whom you should vote. They attempt to validate their argument by citing important characteristics their favored presidential candidates surely embody.
The hair on the back of my head shoots straight up when told how to vote. Does yours? I hope so. Everybody has an agenda. I do too. One of them is to ask my readers to think for themselves. Voters are adults and should eagerly embrace exercising their sovereignty as American citizens. Yes, sovereignty, check out what the United States Constitution says about this. You are sovereign!
My brain hurts watching people line up behind the politicos and media ‘pied pipers’. Voters have, by example, been led to behave like Lemmings, schooled by politicians in both political parties. These men and women elected to represent their constituents have abdicated and given away their responsibilities to legislate and govern. They’ve created a bloated bureaucracy to rule the American people. A topic for another day.
Let’s review examples of how some politician’s characteristics have influenced voters. Characteristics are not unlike opinions. All have characteristics and opinions. All opinions are valid, the difference being that some opinions are stronger than others. Such is the case with real and perceived characteristics portrayed as belonging to different politicians.
‘It depends on what the meaning of is, is.” President Clinton once said, offering this rationale as he took us to a fourth dimension. It is vital that you define the characteristics you feel are important. Have a baseline with which to measure what you see, not what you are told. Then prioritize by placing a value on them. Truth and Definitions don’t change, Values do.
This dawned on me loud and clear when ‘Tricky Dick’ was running for the presidency in 1968. Just looking at him gave me pause. Integrity was not the first thing that came to mind. Fighter, experience, and patriotism did resonate. The Vietnam war was dividing our country. I thought for sure, this somewhat ‘greasy dude’ could get us out of the endless and seemingly purposeless war. Honesty and morality were not on the list. Leadership and competence were. The American voters realigned their values and returned him to office for a second term.
Bill Clinton was young and vibrant. He was obviously a cad. Who cared? His wife seemed to be a big player. ‘Two for one?’ that worked for a lot of people. His experience as governor of Arkansas was not very impressive. His physical appearance and personal charm devastated the lackluster candidacy of the aging George W. Bush. Energy, youth, and change was the mantra trumpeted by the media. Not unlike the Brits throwing Churchill out office in 1945 after winning WW II, America wanted change and vitality. Clinton had both in spades.
Eight years later following another Bush administration, Barrack Obama clobbered the Republican, John McCain. Obama’s quest for office was fueled by another for change. The erratic, yet vastly more experienced war hero, John McCain beat the drum calling for ‘full steam ahead, keep the soon to be former president, George H Bush’s policies going forward. McCain represented the status quo. The media had once doted on Bush. That changed. The press spent his second term shredding him and his administration. Voters had been programmed to dismiss him and his policies. The 2008 crash was the final nail in the coffin. McCain’s erratic behavior, by default, made Obama appear solid and dependable. Youth and charisma trumped the wobbling senior citizen’s status quo rhetoric.
Note that personality and energy appear to be at the top of the list for two of the three beforementioned scenarios. But wait a minute, these traits are not most often listed as top traits desired in a candidate: Honesty, Morality, Compassion, Competence, Leadership, Experience.
So, let’s get back to thinking for ourselves. What characteristics are important to you in a candidate? Think about it. The media crafts their message to emphasize what qualities individual politicians possess and how that would affect their effectiveness for office. They clearly have a candidate in mind.
Are the qualities presented to the electorate representative of the qualities you look for in a candidate? Here’s your homework: Make a list of the five most important things you look for in a candidate. Prioritize them. Then go find your candidate and vote!