Here in the US it’s Super Tuesday as I’m writing this. This means that the states of Alabama, Alaska (GOP only), Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia are holding primary elections today to decide who will be on the ballot in November.
The big ticket is the Presidential ballot. No surprises are expected, unless something drastic happens we’ll have a repeat race between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
There will also be a lot of down-ballot races including for US House Representatives and, in many states US Senate. State and local elected officials and possibly ballot initiatives are also up for a vote.
Determining how to vote can be intimidating.
I live in a houseful of political junkies, so we keep up on political news.
In order to get a variety of viewpoints I listen to various podcasts. I get straight news from NPR’s Up First and BBC’s Global News podcast. For commentary and analysis I listen to Politics, Politics, Politics, The Political Orphanage, Congressional Dish and We’re Not Wrong hosted by the hosts of those three podcasts.
For a more humorous take on politics I listen to I Might Be Wrong and The Bugle.
I also read the LA Times every day and we usually watch a couple of shows on MSNBC on weekday evenings. Yes, MSNBC has a liberal bias. So do we.
It’s a nice little dopamine hit around dinnertime to indulge our confirmation bias for a couple of hours. Sue us.
I know, all that sounds very time consuming, especially if you have a job and/or a household to run. Pre-retirement I’d listen to podcasts while commuting back and forth to work and while walking at lunchtime.
But maybe that’s not your thing. It wasn’t always my thing.
Over the years I’ve found that listening to what political candidates say and watching what they do helped me decide who to vote for.
If there’s a candidate who points out a problem and then details a plan to fix it they’ll get my vote over a candidate who does nothing but gripe about the way things are without offering any kind of solution.
If there is a candidate who advocates for building consensus and compromise to find a way to resolve problems, they’ll get my vote over a candidate who considers compromise a dirty word.
If there is a candidate who acknowledges the humanity of all people and looks for compassionate ways to resolve problems running against a candidate who consistently dehumanizes and insults people he disagrees with, guess who gets my vote?
If there is a candidate that admits they are not perfect and has cleaned up their messes in the past, I will vote for them over a candidate who always has an excuse, blames others for their failures and continually complains of persecution.
If there is a candidate who, again, sees the issues in today’s world as solvable and appeals to our better nature to find solutions vs a candidate who does everything they can to stir up fear, anger and discontent, I’ll vote for the optimist.
I am purposely not naming anyone here. If you think I’m denigrating your favorite candidate for a specific office, as Dad used to say, “If the shoe fits!”
I have so much more I could say about this, but it’s getting late and I’m getting tired. And hungry.
I just ask that, if your religion is based on the Golden Rule, as I believe most are, weigh the things your candidate(s) say (and do) against the Golden Rule, then vote accordingly.
Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke. –Will Rogers
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