Where do you stand on the actual issues?

[IrishHand]

With all the spinning and mindless rhetoric being tossed about by both campaigns, I enjoyed this pseudo-quiz on MSNBC:
Where do they stand? MSNBC Quiz (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5993610/?GT1=5100&)

Life would be so much nicer if the campaigns focused on issues...

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
With all the spinning and mindless rhetoric being tossed about by both campaigns, I enjoyed this pseudo-quiz on MSNBC:
Where do they stand? MSNBC Quiz (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5993610/?GT1=5100&)

Life would be so much nicer if the campaigns focused on issues...

[/ QUOTE ]

A lot of people who talk about politics don't seem to appreciate that most people don't make decisions by making a list of pros and cons and then choosing the option connected to the most pros. That's not the way people think.

There's often a bit of arrogance which comes with people who do make decisions like this. They think that by breaking down in issue into it's component parts and then analyzing those parts, they are using the best possible method of decision making.

In politics specifically, it isn't really important to me what a candidate's position is on any specific issue. I'm far more interested in his broad philosophy of government and decision making. When I find a candidate who expresses a vision similar to mine, I know we'll be in agreement more often than not on decisions he'll be making in the future. That includes decisions on issues which aren't necessarily on the forefront of today's political discussions.

[IrishHand]

I agree as a general matter with wanting a candidate with a similar philosophy to your own, but how can you discern that philosophy from stock speeches and sound-bites when the candidates fail to focus on any substantive issue?

I follow the campaign at a level probably a little higher than the average American, and I was surprised by several of the policy positions of each candidate - and the issues on the MSNBC site are pretty basic issues.

I don't need to agree with all a candidate's positions, but I'd like to know what they are and why so that I can get a better idea of their philosophy than I would from hearing them ramble on about how the other guy is bad and why they're better. I get enough of that at work. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

On many of the issues listed, I disagree strongly with both candidates, but for the sake of the poll I made choices in every case.

I ended up about 60% with Bush and 40% with Kerry.

I'm voting for neither.

[IrishHand]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm voting for neither.

[/ QUOTE ]
You're a wise man.