By Irene Conlan -
One of the most important decisions we make as American citizens is the election of our President and, frankly, I’m already tired of the 2012 campaign. What about you?
I’m not going to talk about the merits of one candidate over another. You have to decide that for yourself based on what you read, see, hear and know about each one in light of what your political beliefs are.
Do you know what your political beliefs are?
What we’re already seeing is a “feeding frenzy” of political sharks. I’m talking about the negativity, the lies, the character bashing, the media hype, the coercive tactics, the deceit and on and on and on. We’re talking about the person who will be the leader of the most powerful country in the free world and I didn’t see much in the way of leadership going on in the Iowa campaign. Did you?
After Iowa, do you know what the political beliefs and stands of the candidates are?
Do you know what your political beliefs are?
I don’t know about you but I would love, for once, to see a campaign based on the issues backed up by a voting record or a successful record in business. I want to know if the candidate represents my political philosophy. Does he/she wear a label of conservative or liberal? Can he think “outside the box” and find a creative solution to a problem or does he follow a strict party line? Can he “play” well with others? Has he held political office before and can we trust him to do what he promised based on his record? Does someone “pull his strings” or can we trust him to represent his constituency? Where does he stand on the key issues – the economy, defense, the deficit, social issues – or does he have to look at poll results to make a decision?
I’m not as concerned with a mistake he made in the past as in what he learned from it and whether it improved him as a human being. Did it make him a better person?
Does he know what his political beliefs are and do you know yours?
I won’t vote for the candidate who engages in mud slinging and character assassination of the the other candidates and I won’t vote for someone because they are the darlings of the media. (Oh, I’m so tired of having the media tell me what to believe, how to vote and what is best for me). What I’m concerned about is whether or not he say one thing and does another. I want to know if he walks his talk.
We have talked about beliefs before – a lot, actually. The election of the next president is a time for you to know what you believe – about this country, about freedom, about state’s rights, about immigration, about deficit spending and the economy, about defense, about aid to other countries, about key issues, about honesty and honest representation. And this is just the beginning.
If you know what YOU believe and we can get a clear idea of what each candidate believes backed by experience then you can make a good decision.
You don’t have to believe what the media says about the candidate – find out for yourself. But know what you believe.
Let’s have more debates with new rules. No talking about the other candidates – they can speak for themselves. Let’s have straight talk on the issues, what they believe, where they stand and what they hope to accomplish in office. If they have held public office, let their voting record be made available. Then we can see if what they say and believe is compatible with what you believe and I believe.
Do you know what you believe? If not, isn’t it time you figured it out for yourself?
