[Dean's World] Dave Schuler: Why I'm splitting my ballot in November

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Posted by Dave Schuler:
Why I'm splitting my ballot in November
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1162346557.shtml


   Three of my associates here have offered their manifestos, Andrew in
   [1]Why I'm voting Democrat in November, Aziz in [2]I, Liberal, and
   Kevin in [3]Why I'm voting Republican in November so I thought I'd
   offer my own. I'm a registered Democrat in the city of Chicago. As one
   local politically active friend put it "In this neighborhood a
   Democrat is an independent who wants to get his trash picked up" so I,
   like many of my neighbors, consider political affiliation a very weak
   but not completely irrelevant basis for deciding among candidates for
   any given political office.

   I can't speak for all Democrats or Republicans. The views I offer here
   are only my own.

   I'm a liberal because I believe in freedom of thought and belief and
   speech within a framework of the rule of law.

   I'm a conservative because I don't believe that human nature is
   perfectible and because I'm skeptical of radical change.

   I'm a democrat because I believe in the wisdom and goodness of my
   fellow Americans. I believe that the people hire experts to advise
   them; they should not be ruled by them.

   I'm a republican because I don't believe in lifetime tenure nor do I
   believe in hereditary offices. I believe that one's father or mother
   having held a political office uniquely disqualifies one from seeking
   that office.

   I think that government is an invention and, like any other product of
   technology, is not intrinsically good or intrinsically evil but either
   good or evil depending on how it is applied. I am wary of government
   as I am wary of fire and, consequently, I believe that it needs to be
   controlled and constrained. That I recognize that fire is powerful and
   potentially dangerous does not mean that I am content to eat my meat
   cold.

   When deciding which candidates will get my vote, I attempt to exercise
   due diligence and evaluate the candidate's background, experience, and
   the policies that he or she supports. I ask a number of questions:
    1. Does the candidate have the basic knowledge, experience, and
       qualities necessary to execute the post?
    2. How much do I disagree with the policies advocated by the
       candidate? Since I agree completely with no candidate, my
       evaluation relies more on how much I disagree.
    3. Is the candidate the son or daughter of a previous officeholder?
       (if so, the candidate will in all likelihood not receive my vote)
    4. Is the candidate a woman? I think that women's views are
       underrepresented in government and all other things being equal a
       woman is likely to get my vote. And, finally,
    5. What party does the candidate belong to?

   In the upcoming elections several of the Democratic candidates lack
   basic credentials for the office they seek and quite clearly are
   candidates solely due to family connections. They won't get my vote.
   Other Democratic candidates are well qualified and have views that
   aren't completely unpalatable so I'll support them.

   That's why I'll split my ballot. Confused? Welcome to the club.

References

   1. http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1162082793.shtml
   2. http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1162315944.shtml
   3. http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1162320860.shtml