Vote for Success
November 4th 2008 12:00 am
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It’s election day. There’s been so much negative talk and misinformation about both campaigns that it’s depressing.
The Solution on Who To Vote For
It would be great if there was a web site that listed the candidates in a grid and compared their positions objectively (in numbers or yes/no answers as much as possible) so you can say “I agree with this candidate” or “I agree with the other one” and you can decide based on the grid: “I choose candidate X”.
Throw Out Candidate Character
Character and personality is important when you have to live with the person. But even Mother Theresa would be shown to have a lowsy character in today’s politically charged environment. So how do you know what’s real or a media fabrication? I’d argue that if someone convinced his party and half the U.S. to vote for him then his personality is good enough- it’s just his positions that will bear out if he’ll be using it to go in the direction you want.
Actions Not Words
Don’t just go by the rhetoric. A candidate may say they are for a certain position but their voting or actions may show otherwise. The grid should reflect this- and hopefully cause the candidate to correct his actions or clarify his position.
Get Rid of the Lies
Every time a candidate mischaracterizes his opponent incorrectly- it should appear on this grid in a box for honesty as a negative point. After a whole campaign if one side is more lopsided than the other you should have some good data of who is more straight and who is fighting dirty. I’d hope that this would compel the candidates to stop this and focus on their issues- not negative campaigning.
In short, vote for who will bring you success and improve the world.
I don’t have any candidate in mind as I write any of this.
That was as political as you’ll see me, now back to work.
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Martin Wildam responded on 04 Nov 2008 at 6:52 am #
Although I agree to your grid-idea (which for some particular realms has been done in our country before the last elections) unfortunately in politics a lot is only hot air. Many things they tell us before the elections gets forgotten and those things that they don’t forget is maybe even worse because for instance they tell to reduce the taxes before the elections but afterwards they don’t know how to finance it.
What I definitely don’t understand (as I am not an american and not living there): How can it be that the campaigns run for such a long time (more than a year I think) and cost soooo much money.
It would have bee better to give that money to the people suffering poverty…
Heshy responded on 04 Nov 2008 at 8:01 am #
the grid would try to eliminate hot air and turn it into concrete facts.
The candidate would be held to their grid. Every time the eventual winner position on a grid would be violated they should be taken to task.
It’s surprising in how long election season goes on. Here’s my quick non-professional overview- there’s seemingly much at stake for an election. each candidate and each side has to start preparing early in order to be ready. they also want to make themselves known before other candidates come along so they form exploratory committees to get popular and see if they have a shot. because all this starts early the campaigns have more and more time to get negative- because each has time to outdo the next. all along this long road there’s lots of clutter- so candidates spend money.
But i agree there’s got to be a way to spend this money on more nobler causes.
I guess Austria is more advanced than America- if they have a grid… I’m guessing someone has created something like it but it’s not popular.
Martin Wildam responded on 04 Nov 2008 at 9:09 am #
Indeed there are some groups creating grids and providing folders before the elections but actually often not very popular - maybe because of people either do not trust in such grids because it is the same as with statistics - it depends from whom created for which audience and what they desire to show - everything can be slightly manipulated starting with the description of an item in the grid.
Heshy responded on 04 Nov 2008 at 9:29 pm #
you’re right. but i want it to be objective (i realize that’s not possible). at some point some things are black and white: do they support a initiative or not…
Martin Wildam responded on 05 Nov 2008 at 3:15 am #
Your new president is black AND white - so seems to fit perfectly.