thoughts for thursday.

election time.  some people love it, some people hate it.  some people vote, some people don't.  i'm not going to get in depth about specific candidates here today, i'm just going to ask you some questions about how you make your decisions.

we all know the media gets crazy during election time.  with all the fluff and stories and sound bytes, how do you really get through to know the candidates?  what do you believe?  where do you find your information?  there is such a plethora of information out there, how is one to sort it all out (in their spare time) and make an informed decision?

i watch the debates, i read news articles, i listen to what other people are liking/disliking about candidates - then i try to make the best decision that i can.  i'm curious though, how do you make your decision?  what is most important to you about the candidates?  is it their family life?  is it their stance on issues that directly affect you?  is it how they feel about taxes?  is it their experience in the political arena?  i'm thinking for most people it is a little bit of everything that makes you believe in your candidate of choosing.

i'm curious about the process you use before you get into that election booth.  this could apply to any election for any candidate.  you don't need to share your specific political views here, just let me know what's important to you and how you make your decision.

other thoughts for thursday bloggers include: nicole, helmet, dana, kristi, and kim. 

Comments

[terra]

As with you, I gather all the knowledge I can about each candidate and then go with my gut. I do make decisions based on issues that are important to me personally and while I do pay attention to what the media has to say, I don't base on my decision on it.

This year is only the second presidential election I've been able to vote in and I'm so excited. I know a lot of kids who are voting for the first time this year and I'm so excited for them because this year, this race, is just amazing.

[Jaime]

Are you serioulsy even reading these comments? haha....

All the research everybody else mentiond + I think about the candidates and what they actually believe in. Yes, religion and guns and abortion, etc matter to me simply because we need to fight hard for these platforms. When we give into the basic principles, then we start to desensitize ourselves in other areas. Which is becoming obvious that our country is starting to go in the crapper.
In a nut shell, I think that's called looking at a candidates character.

[Mary]

As with all your other comments, I too, do not let the media make my decision. The media is so crooked and slanted. They take something and run with it. I do not believe that they report on the "real" stuff.
I do my research.

[michelle]

I take a lot of things into consideration. Although I tend to side with the liberals/dems. I always make sure I'm educated on the candidates and their mission. I appreciate a person who doesn't just vote along party lines. It shows they delve deeper into things and actually knows what they want.

Personally, I am so tired of politics. There are people out there that try to impose their own politics on you and it takes the freedom out of it all. By this point, I know what I'm looking for and I know who I'm voting for. Same goes for the media and the commercials. If I never have to see another commercial again, I couldn't be happier. If someone actually believes the commercials, well maybe they have their head stuck in a hole somewhere, who knows. I guess what I'm saying is, I do my own research, take others' views into consideration, but in the end, I'm the only one to make MY decision.

[Dana Leigh]

I like to think I pay attention to politics but I really don't much. I am usually a political "crammer". I spend a short amount of time close to the election cramming the info about the candidates. I usually base my decision on the person's stance on key issues. I do pay attention to the political ads and the mud-slinging that always happens. I tend not to like the candidate that plays "dirty" with their commercials. That person isn't really focusing on the issues but rather on bringing their opponent down. As far as taxes are concerned, I don't trust any candidate because they will probably be raised no matter who is in office.

[Kelsey]

Not that you are looking for advice, but factcheck.org is a GREAT resource for getting to the truth behind political adds and even biased reporting. I use it a lot! I try to make the most informed decision I can, but to an extent I vote based on what my gut tells me about who I can trust.

[chickbug]

i watch the debates. and read about their stances on issues. i think a lot about my own beliefs and what i think would be best for the country....and i try to pick the person who best matches my thoughts on the issues.

[jessica]

i have wondered too if i would do a politics post. but have decided against it for the meantime. i hate politicians in up-high offices. frankly it scares me. i don't think either candidate is the "best man" for the job, honestly. i believe that presidents, in the past MANY years have been promoting their own agendas. i think it's about power. with some candidates maybe it starts out as wanting to make a change and "make this country a better place", but i think they are influenced by lots of things.
i have a hard time voting. in the past i've largely voted with my gut because there is just no way to know all of the facts by time they are filtered down to us.
not that my vote "really counts". ha ha.

[Robyn]

I would say I do a lot of what you do. I am a swing voter or flip flopper if that's your thing. I vote for the candidate I hope will do what is best for all of the people. I do admit that I can be swayed a teeny bit by some of the hot button issues. I am pro-choice and people can say that will never go away, but unlike guns I do think it could go away.
I really wish there was a limit on ads, money, and a lot of the BS that gets put out. I really think there has to be a better way to put out a platform with out slamming the other guy and stretching the truth. We should not have to dig through fact checks to find out what is what.

[kim]

I like to watch the debates! And the conventions and interviews and speeches. I like to hear things coming straight from the candidate's mouth, I guess.

I also like to read and watch the news but I agree that it's hard to get a good feel for what is true/false. There is so much going around that is just NOT true, on BOTH sides. Even in these comments there is already false information - it's *not* true that Obama has voted 'present' almost 200 times - he's voted 'present' exactly 129 times, you can see the exact number for yourself anywhere if you research. And he cast roughly 4000 votes during his time as senator - therefore voting 'present' 3% or so of the time. Voting 'present' is not necessarily a way to avoid taking a stand - although it can be - in some cases it is the exact opposite. It's a way of saying you believe the vote is unconstitutional and therefore should not even be considered for a vote... so in those cases it could even be a sign of leadership. Often, groups of senators will join together to vote 'present' out of protest on the way a piece of legislation was drawn up - whether you support it's purpose or not (this was apparent in at least 50 of the 129 'present' votes Obama cast - perhaps more, as it's not always easy to tell intent just by looking at the voting record - but in around 50 of the cases, you can tell that a large number of Democratic senators voted 'present' as well). While some states don't even allow a 'present' vote, it is common in Illinois.

So yeah. It's hard to know what to believe. :)

[amy]

I think one must be able to read between the lines - that is find out what the media isn't saying. There's no way around it - the mainstream media is ridiculously slanted to the left. There is no question about it. The media is trying their hardest to elect the president. As Americans, we should see through this. A president should be elected on the issues - that is without question. This country needs someone who will take a stance on these issues. Obama has not voted yes or no but rather PRESENT almost 200 times, in the last four years!
That's not taking a stance.
Getting back to Jenny's topic, I think our generation needs to look deeper into politics to form opinions. There is so much to be learned in history. We shouldn't be relying on the media. One can not learn what's going on just by observing one election cycle. If one is not knowledgable with respect to the issuese, he or she should ask someone who is. Things didn't just get this way. I think too many people in our generation are too busy to learn what's going on - therefore they are easily vulnerable to what the media reports. Additionally, too many people don't want to know what's going on, perhaps it's easier for them to be this way, but that's pathetic.

[Nicole]

I feel so out-of-the-loop politically because there is just to much information out there and too many smear-campaigns making it difficult for little feeble minded me to figure it all out! This seems to be the first year that I have given any thought to the candidates personal lives and families - mainly because McCain's and Palin's seem so absurd to me (and that's not to say that Obama's doesn't as well, just not nearly to the same degree!) I agree with a lot of what Gina said, particularly in terms of not chosing a candidate based on their 'big' sellling points - gun, religion, etc. - there are so many bigger things going on, that those are going to fall to the wayside (and in the case of guns, are well protected anyway.)

I am hoping that as the election draws closer I will be able to sort some of these things out and make an informed decision!

[gina]

Oh, politics. I have a love-hate relationship with politics.

This is going to be impossible to write without inserting my biases so I'll just throw it out there: I'm a Democrat. Always have been, probably always will be.

I have a serious problem with the media. I love how Republicans call it the "liberal media" when the media goes both ways and sorely misrepresents facts on both sides. And everyone in this country is so oversaddled with information from every outlet (text messages! internet! tv! billboards! order this! buy this! call me! email me!) that they don't have time to properly look at the facts and make informed decisions about ANYTHING. I'm not sure it is possible anymore. Everything is spun so many different ways that no one even knows the truth anymore.

The problem with the media misrepresenting the facts over the course of YEARS is that it brings people out to vote for the wrong reasons. Voting because you think someone is going to take away your guns? The right to bear arms is the second ammendment to the constitution, I'm sorry but guns aren't going anywhere. Voting because you are a Christian and want a Christian president? Aren't they all Christians? When was the last time you saw an atheist on the ticket? I hate that people vote on moral issues that have not changed in hundreds of years and probably will never change. I know abortion is a more emotional topic than health care and it is easier to appeal to our human, emotional natures to get people to the polls but SERIOUSLY. Abortion isn't going anywhere either, legal or not. Accept it and cast your vote for reasons THAT ACTUALLY MATTER. THAT MIGHT ACTUALLY IMPACT THE STATE OF THIS COUNTRY.

What I am trying to say is that I make my decisions based on reading as much as I can about both and trying to decide what I think is important today, right now. I don't care if he's black and if she's a woman. I don't want a president that is down-to-earth like me. I want someone that is smarter than me and can represent our country on a global stage. I don't care if they have one kid or 14 or if they are gay and have no kids...I care about what they are going to do to make this country a better place to live.

I wanted to do a politics post but I am chicken shit so I'll leave it in your comments instead :)

[sara]

I kind of talk about that at the beginning of this post: http://lukecommasara.blogspot.com/2008/09/on-politics-sort-of.html. I really think you have to figure out who will (a)best represent your values and (b)have the ability to follow through on what he says he will do . . . which I suppose is easier said than done when you're constantly bombarded with conflicting views of each of the candidates. Sometimes, it can make you feel a little helpless.