Tuesday, February 5, 2008

My Presidential Philosophy


I may have a different view compared to others when it comes to picking a President of the United States. First off, I consider myself a moderate who leans closer toward being a conservative. Thats just based upon some of my major beliefs: right to life, national security, lower taxes, smaller government. But, even I sometimes wonder how one political party could be against abortion but for the death penalty. Or, less taxes and smaller government but spend billions of dollars in unnecessary ways. Personally, I admire all Democrats' energy and love for the environment. All of these things lead me to being the moderate I am.

However, while issues are often the center of deciding who voters give their support to, I look more at another issue which could be very subjective:

C-H-A-R-A-C-T-E-R

Why decide on who I will vote for based upon such a vague issue? Well, let me use an analogy. I look at the President like a head coach of a football team. The coach doesn't so much write the playbook and call every play, but he picks the guys who do that. He picks his coaching staff who then directly coach influence the players. The coach doesn't have enough time to go and personally give his input to every player so he divides it up and lets his assistants do that. Occasionally then he will do come make a big decision or overrule his assistants. But, for the most part, he is in charge of setting the tone of the team.

The President therefore sets the tone for the country. He puts the people in place who make a lot of the big decisions that directly affect our lives. The senate and supreme court most likely will have more direct influence on the creation and interpretation of laws. However, the President will ultimate make the big decision when one needs to be made (ie go to war) or push for that one key issue that will have a huge impact upon the country (No Child left behind or the economic stimulus package).

Therefore, when I go to pick a President, I want someone who I can trust, someone who can be the face of the country, who foreign leaders abroad respect, and who can make the big decision when need be.

I couldn't possibly agree with any candidate on every issue. But, I want to have the faith in someone that even when I disagree, they are doing something that is in the best interest of The United States of America.

Stay tuned, I'll be blogging Super Tuesday all night!

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