Then when you enter the real world, you realize that the person is more important than the issues of the moment.

It's like hiring a full time employee. If you had to choose only one facet, hiring the person is more important than experience. When new situations pop up, the abilities and character of the person as a decision maker matter a hell of a lot more than positions on issues in past contexts.

[Edited on January 11, 2008 at 1:15 AM. Reason : .]

1/11/2008 1:14:27 AM

i just think character is so important overall when you have so much of the population that vote who dont keep up with the issues, and often seem to vote just for the candidate that comes across on tv as the best speaker and personality...although i dont agree with many of hil-dog's policies and stances on issues, i guess i'm just trying to give a more overall view of some of the different factors that go into the votes aside from simply the policies...i remember in 1991 watching democratic primaries when i didnt know anything about the candidates and remember bill clinton just seeming like the most videogenic (if thats a word) candidate as far as his mannerisms and calmness...nothing at all about his political stances, just how the casual viewer / voter might view things

^that too

[Edited on January 11, 2008 at 1:17 AM. Reason : .]

1/11/2008 1:16:57 AM

Oh, I'm a firm believer in electing a capable leader. In fact, I was talking about this with my friends about a week ago if simply electing a great leader with absolutely no experience in politics would work or not. Arnold Schwarzegger was my example. He was an actor and he's turned out to be a pretty damn good governor of the most populous and wealthy state in the country. He seems to be a very capable leader because he kind of sits back and lets problems come to him and doesn't aggressively seek his own political agenda. Hell, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a vision of what he needs to do. And that's the thing. I want a good leader, and character is certainly a component of that, but they also need a vision of where the country should be heading. And that vision is outlined in policy they would like to implement. Without good vision/policies, even the best leader is doomed to failure.

1/11/2008 1:21:03 AM

Also, it's pretty fucking naive for a voter to make a vote expecting that the candidate will implement policy X, Y, Z. It reveals a lot of ignorance about how washington works. The process of governance is all about negotiating, compromise, quid quo pro, and flexibility. The hard ass who thinks he's going to go in and clean house isn't going to get shit done. The guy who goes in and has the instinct, skill, and ability to feel his way through the governance process is going to get shit done.


Ha, arnold didn't start doing well until he started working with california legislators. The way he started out was a disaster, but he learned.

[Edited on January 11, 2008 at 1:26 AM. Reason : .]

1/11/2008 1:22:30 AM

^ That's pretty much the polar opposite of what our system has become.

1/11/2008 1:26:01 AM

Which is why GWB hasn't gotten fuck all done legislatively. His most successful legislation (tax cuts) came before he went into full asshole mode.

[Edited on January 11, 2008 at 1:30 AM. Reason : .]

1/11/2008 1:29:28 AM

I have no respect for her. It doesn't even make sense that she's the Senator from New York. She's from Chicago, and from about 1980-2000, she was the first lady of Arkansas and then the US. If I was a New Yorker, I would be mad that someone who doesn't represent my state would run for that office, let alone win it.

1/11/2008 7:41:44 AM

You mean like Florida and Texas with their old governors?

1/11/2008 8:17:29 AM

^^Like Elizabeth Dole?

I hear ya, man.

1/11/2008 8:28:26 AM

Exactly.

1/11/2008 8:32:28 AM