Focus On The Positive
by James Glaser
November 22, 2011

People tell me they can't vote for this candidate or that candidate because they are wrong on this issue or that issue. When you think about it, there is not one perfect candidate, and I don't think there ever was one.

Maybe instead of focusing on what is wrong with a candidate and deciding not to vote for them by this reasoning, let me suggest you take another look at each candidate and tally up all the positives you can agree with.

When you look the field over, Republican and Democratic, try picking that candidate who has positions on the issues that you can agree with most often. Now you are going to have to do some homework, too. If a candidate says one thing, but in the past has worked for the opposite, that gives you a clue of what to expect out of them in the future. Yes, actions are stronger than words.

Here are a couple of examples. Say you are pro-life or pro-choice, and you are looking at Mitt Romney. Well, over the years this man has taken both sides of this fence. So it would be hard to believe what ever he says is his position now, and no matter what your desire on this issue is, it would be hard to trust Romney's stated position. The same can be said about Barack Obama and his thoughts on war. Going into the last election Obama was thought to be an anti-war candidate, and right after the election the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to him, even though the Nobel Committee had only his words, not his actions to judge by. Obama has shown that his words do not match his actions, and I doubt anyone the world over would think of President Obama as being an anti-war President today.

Nobody ever said it was easy picking the right man or woman to be President of the United States, however I believe the time and effort you put into that decision will allow you to feel a lot better about your vote. Voting for the lesser of two evils is not very satisfying.

So, try focusing on what each candidate has to offer that you feel good about. Personally I wouldn't use "Electability" as part of my criteria. Chances are, if you can agree with much of what one candidate expounds, many others will agree with you.

I think you should remember than no matter what your burning issue is, maybe the life issue, wars, the economy or anything else, one man or one woman elected to the presidency is not going to change that law or policy. Otherwise, every time a new party was elected or every time even a new person was elected president, our nation would go into turmoil, and we would see massive changes in how we were governed. That doesn't happen because we are governed by three separate branches of our government—the Legislative, the Judicial, and the Executive. Each branch is powerful, but not powerful enough to run roughshod over the other two.

So, take your time. Try picking the candidate who agrees with you the most often. At least for me, I'm going to forgo any veto because of just one issue, and focus on each candidate's positives in hopes I can feel good about my vote this year.

Free JavaScripts provided
by The JavaScript Source