I just want to lay out some observations about elections, Presidential elections above all.
- There is no such thing as a perfect candidate. I don't care which candidate you like, be assured that there are some things about him/her with which you do not agree. Prioritize your policy agenda and match that up with the what the candidates have either said specifically, or indicated support or opposition to.
- Focus on issues not the horse race. The media love to play with polls, and scandals, and everything that doesn't really matter. Don't get sucked into their bullshit. Your vote should go to the candidate who gets positive points for coming closes to your own beliefs.
- Remember the Otto Von Bismarck's old saw, "Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made." The best intentions run into the legislative sausage maker, so your candidate may look great but those policies won't come through the process unchanged. In fact, most won't come through it at all. Bismarck also said, "Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable--the art of the next best." In the first quarter of the 21st century in the United States, politics is truly a blood sport, in which compromise is punished more often than not. It has never been a walk in the park, but it seems to be worse now than at any time during my life.
- Finally, my own primary concern is who will be appointing Federal judges at every level. Because of #3 above, this is my top priority. SCOTUS is always a mixed bag, but the lower Federal courts are the minor leagues and filling them is very important. Think about it, over the past couple of years, a very conservative court has issued rulings that have made liberals happy and rulings that have made conservatives happy. Every President wants to tip SCOTUS toward his views, and sometimes they are more successful, and sometimes less. Earl Warren was appointed by Dwight Eisenhower and he turned out to be quite liberal. Lifetime appointment releases Justices from the pressures of politics, although some follow their initial agendas anyway, but some do not. I believe that those who advocate for SCOTUS Justice term limits are simply wrong. It is true that over the decades, life expectancy has increased so Justices are around for a lot longer, but people are sharper longer too. In my lifetime, those Justices who are suffering health problems that would impinge on their abilities to serve have tended to resign. Very few have actually died in office.
So that's my sage (hopefully) advice. Now, let the games begin. VOTE FOR STEVENSON/KEFAUVER! Oh wait, that was 1956.
