presidential candidates

I am amazingly unmotivated today. I tried playing a few computer games and couldn't even get into them. *sigh* So I decided to force myself to do an unpleasant but productive task: review candidates on my ballot before the election.

In general, the things that I am looking to FIND in candidates for any of the offices:

• straight talker - NO promises of quick fixes (because there are none) on economic, social, and environmental issues
• bright intellect - SHOULD be able to understand issues of technology, math, and medicine well enough to make their own informed decisions
• slightly paranoid - SHOULD realize the danger of trusting any government or politician with too much authority
• long-term thinking - SHOULD rationally consider long-term consequences (financial, environmental, social) of any law and also the importance of investment (science, infrastructure, etc)

In general, the things that I am looking to NOT FIND in candidates:

• zealot (MUST NOT promote religious concepts as government policies, trying to turn America into a religious state)
• racist (MUST NOT still be thinking in old modes of racist, sexist, homophobic, divisive politics mindset)

The "NOT FIND" stuff is veto worthy. Anyone who shows signs of those qualities is immediately disqualified from consideration for my vote. And here's what I found about the presidential candidates, listed in alphabetic order by last name...

( My thoughts on all 7 choices... )

And now I'm brain tired. I need to look into the other offices before Tuesday. Lots of names to decide on. I didn't even succeed in making my choice for president.  But thinking about stuff like this does get so exhausting.

I want a beer.