presidential candidates
2008-Nov-01, Saturday 02:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mellowtiggerI 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:
Chuck Baldwin (Constitution)
http://www.baldwin08.com/IssuesList.cfm
I agreed with some of his views. He gets vetoed, though, because he believes that a microscopic zygote (human) is a full-fledged human being with rights. That opinion trips my zealot warning system. Otherwise, his website is worthy of a long read. He even got Ron Paul's endorsement.
my vote: NO
Bob Barr (Libertarian)
http://www.bobbarr2008.com/issues/
Another site with good reading. The only real disappointment for me was the various places where it mentions monetary policy. I'm convinced that government needs to outlaw any activity that promotes exponential inflation. (Since, by definition, such systems must fail when the calendar takes us along the x-axis past the date where the asymptote should be for that function. It's like such systems come with their built-in expiration date.) On this one issue, he fails the long-term thinking test. Considering the immediacy of the economic issue this year, I have to withhold my vote for him this election.
my vote: NO
Roger Calero (Socialist Workers)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B3ger_Calero
I can't find that he or his party has a website available, so I rely on the wikipedia entry for information. He's not a native born American, so he can't be president. No need to look any further.
my vote: NO
John McCain (Republican)
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/issues/
His webpage talks about how the president is supposed to protect the american people. "The most sacred responsibility vested in a president - the commander in chief - is to "preserve and protect" American citizens." Wrong! The president's oath of office is to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Zealotry is what got us into this global political mess; it's not going to get us out. Palin doesn't know the vice president's job, and McCain doesn't know the president's job. Veto.
my vote: NO
Cynthia McKinney (Green)
http://www.gp.org/platform.shtml
I generally (not completely) agree with the Green party platform. I would be tempted to vote for their candidate. This one gets vetoed though because she seems to be a racist stuck in old ways of political thinking. http://www.slate.com/?id=2064530
my vote: NO
Ralph Nader (Independent)
http://www.votenader.org/issues/
Another website where I did a lot of reading. I didn't want to like Nader, since I do partially blame his presence for tilting the political landscape away from Democrats far enough that "W" got elected in 2000. But looking through the actual issues involved in his platform... I can't find anything to strongly dislike. His site even quotes the Roman senator Cicero, “Freedom is participation in power.”
my vote: POSSIBLE
Barack Obama (Democratic)
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/
I generally (not entirely) agree with Democratic principles. I also really wanted to like Obama. I even participated in a primary for the first time this year because I wanted his name as a choice on my ballot this election. But during the summer he voted for the awful FISA law, and that put a huge dent in my level of trust in his decisions on important policies. I have to lower my score of his paranoia and long-term thinking skills. I can't immediately veto him, but he doesn't automatically get my vote any more either.
my vote: POSSIBLE
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.
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)
- 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)
Chuck Baldwin (Constitution)
http://www.baldwin08.com/IssuesList.cfm
I agreed with some of his views. He gets vetoed, though, because he believes that a microscopic zygote (human) is a full-fledged human being with rights. That opinion trips my zealot warning system. Otherwise, his website is worthy of a long read. He even got Ron Paul's endorsement.
my vote: NO
Bob Barr (Libertarian)
http://www.bobbarr2008.com/issues/
Another site with good reading. The only real disappointment for me was the various places where it mentions monetary policy. I'm convinced that government needs to outlaw any activity that promotes exponential inflation. (Since, by definition, such systems must fail when the calendar takes us along the x-axis past the date where the asymptote should be for that function. It's like such systems come with their built-in expiration date.) On this one issue, he fails the long-term thinking test. Considering the immediacy of the economic issue this year, I have to withhold my vote for him this election.
my vote: NO
Roger Calero (Socialist Workers)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B3ger_Calero
I can't find that he or his party has a website available, so I rely on the wikipedia entry for information. He's not a native born American, so he can't be president. No need to look any further.
my vote: NO
John McCain (Republican)
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/issues/
His webpage talks about how the president is supposed to protect the american people. "The most sacred responsibility vested in a president - the commander in chief - is to "preserve and protect" American citizens." Wrong! The president's oath of office is to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Zealotry is what got us into this global political mess; it's not going to get us out. Palin doesn't know the vice president's job, and McCain doesn't know the president's job. Veto.
my vote: NO
Cynthia McKinney (Green)
http://www.gp.org/platform.shtml
I generally (not completely) agree with the Green party platform. I would be tempted to vote for their candidate. This one gets vetoed though because she seems to be a racist stuck in old ways of political thinking. http://www.slate.com/?id=2064530
my vote: NO
Ralph Nader (Independent)
http://www.votenader.org/issues/
Another website where I did a lot of reading. I didn't want to like Nader, since I do partially blame his presence for tilting the political landscape away from Democrats far enough that "W" got elected in 2000. But looking through the actual issues involved in his platform... I can't find anything to strongly dislike. His site even quotes the Roman senator Cicero, “Freedom is participation in power.”
my vote: POSSIBLE
Barack Obama (Democratic)
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/
I generally (not entirely) agree with Democratic principles. I also really wanted to like Obama. I even participated in a primary for the first time this year because I wanted his name as a choice on my ballot this election. But during the summer he voted for the awful FISA law, and that put a huge dent in my level of trust in his decisions on important policies. I have to lower my score of his paranoia and long-term thinking skills. I can't immediately veto him, but he doesn't automatically get my vote any more either.
my vote: POSSIBLE
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.