| spurgeonryan said: What are your expectations/standards when voting or supporting a politician? Has it ever worked out, or have you ever voted for someone that made a reak difference or did or tried to do even half of what they said they would do? Or was it all just words so that they could get elected, then periodically half-assedly try for a few things they said they would do. Like Obama! |
10% Specific policies
40% their ideals
50% their ability to consider more than one side of an argument.
Single-issue reasoning is a bad idea. Don't vote for a politician because you agree with them on just one specific issue (no matter how dear to your heart that issue may be). Try not to vote for them just because they share your ideals - an intelligent and honest person who disagrees with you is infinitely better than an unintelligent and corrupt person who says what you want to hear.
Of course, the real challenge is determining how they rank on that 50% factor. You have to listen to their words, compare with their actions, and then look at whether they've changed positions on issues in a way that doesn't necessarily benefit them. Obama supporting gay marriage doesn't satisfy, as polls indicate that a lot of people support gay marriage (the change might be political). Rand Paul changing positions on issues most certainly doesn't satisfy, because he switches back and forth all the time. Also, a nuanced view is also a good part of it (notice the republicans always declaring that they'll repeal "Obamacare" rather than considering the merits of each component separately? That's a lack of nuance).
