The Diebold Accuvote TSX electronic voting machine. SAY NOT to electronic voting machines!
Updated on 09/17/2007 - added Alan Keyes, the new Republican candidate, and added the link to the candidates' web sites.
I created a Presidential Candidates Checklist on excel spread sheet with the names of the candidates and with my top ten issues. I have assigned a numerical value of zero to five to each individual issue. The candidate with the best numerical value [final highest score] deserves my support.
I have already assigned some values to some of the candidates/issues, and I do not believe I will end up with a perfect candidate [no score of 50] based on the criteria used, but I will have a good idea by the time I finish with this exercise.
These are the top ten issues I will be tracking:
Afghanistan, Border Security, Iraq, Education, Health Care, Immigration, Pension/Retirement, Social Security, Work for Seniors, Voting Reform.
These are the Democratic Party candidates I have listed on my excel spread sheet:
Joseph Biden, Senator from DE [website]
Hillary Clinton, Senator from NY [website]
Christopher Dodd, Senator from CT [website]
John Edwards, Former Senator from NC [website]
Mike Gravel, Former Senator from AK [website]
Dennis Kucinich, Representative from OH [website]
Barack Obama, Senator from IL [website]
Bill Richardson, Governor of NM [website]
These are the Republican Party candidates I have listed on my excel spread sheet:
Sam Brownback, Senator from KS [website]
Rudy Giuliani, Former Mayor of NYC [website]
Mike Huckabee, Former Governor of AR [website]
Duncan Hunter, Representative from CA [website]
Alan Keyes, Radio Talk Show Host [website]
John McCain, Senator from AZ [website]
Ron Paul, Representative from TX [website]
Mitt Romney, Former Governor of MA [website]
Tom Tancredo, Representative from CO [website]
Fred Thompson, Former Senator from TN [website]
The key issues vary from voter to voter, this is a very personal decision. As I have said before, Iraq and Health Care are my top two issues. I have given our readers just an idea on how to select a candidate they can support.
For some voters the candidate selection is easy, they will follow their party line, or they will follow their favorite RWW or LWW radio or television talk show host's recommendation. Other voters will have to do some work on selecting a candidate they can support.
Full disclosure. I am one hundred percent Independent/Libertarian. I am not a member of the Republican Party. I am not a member of the Democratic Party. I am not a member of ANY Political Party. I do not support any of the candidates listed above, but at the end of the day I will vote for one of them.
I will do my homework and I will vote for the candidate meeting my selection criteria.
20 comments:
TOP 10 or TOP 1?
Some voters will have only ONE key issue on selecting a candidate they can support. It is an individual decision. Again, my TOP 2 issues are IRAQ and HEALTH CARE.
As I have said ad nauseam, I am sick and tired of IRAQ! Before I go procede; did I tell you that I am sick and tired of IRAQ?
We need to have a good HEALTH CARE system in place to PROVIDE care to all our kids and all our elders, this is a moral issue.
As per a Harvard study, Medical Bills are the leading cause of Bankrupcy. The study estimates that medical bankruptcies affect about 2 million Americans annually[counting debtors and their dependents], including about 700,000 children.
Oh by the way, most of those bankrupted by illness had health insurance. More than three-quarters were insured at the start of the bankrupting illness. However, 38 percent had lost coverage at least temporarily by the time they filed for bankruptcy.
We must find a way to stop this nonsense!
Okay, let me close this comment now by wishing you GOOD LUCK on selecting and supporting your candidate.
cfs
hmmm...I'd like to see this spread sheet of yours.
Yep, Health Care is a big concern. It is frightening to think that even with health insurance we could be just one major illness or accident away from bankruptcy.
I recently heard on Sean Hannity's program that Hillary Clinton's Canadian Parliament friend recently found out that she has breast cancer and has come to the US seeking treatment. Several months ago I heard a similar story about a dignitary from Australia. Hilliary enjoys talking about all the other countries that have Universal Health Care. Yet its funny how the wealthy in said countries come to the US when they get seriously ill. What if the US could no longer be the come to place?
I would really like to see changes in our health care!!! I don't think that Universal Health care is the answer. But I would like to feel more secure that I can be protected against bankruptcy due to a health care issue.
Terry
Thanks for dropping by and thanks for the comment. I was reading the WSJ at the library [I do not buy the newspapers, I go to my library and read them all], anyway there is a good chart on how candidates are looking on the health care issue.
I noticed that all DEM candidates are talking about this issue, and I was surprised to see the GOP front runners discussing the issue.
McCain will have a plan by October, Rudy and Romney both have almost the same plan with tax breaks for health insurance, and Thompson is not showing any plan yet.
On the DEM side Hillary, Obama, and Edwards, all of them have a plan.
And I will say this one more time:
We have the BEST doctors on this planet, we have the BEST hospitals on this planet. That's why EVERYONE with the right amount of money comes to the USA for treatment [having the right amount of MONEY is the key].
We do not have a DOCTOR problem and we do not have HOSPITALS problems. What we have is a broken health care system [the administration of the system is what we must change].
GWB and his team failed miserably on fixing the broken system [well, they didn't even try, for the GOP there is no health care problem in the USA].
The DEM candidates are now FORCING the GOP candidates to TALK about health care [and they will TALK about it, we will see if they DO ANYTHING about it].
Health care is a BIG issue for my family.
Terry, have a fine East Coast evening.
cfs
p.s. Terry, you don't want to see my spread sheet! Not done yet, I have a long way to go.
Obama, Giuliani, McCain, Romney...
im learning a lot from ur blog.
thank u so very much! :)
Niki
Thanks for dropping by. On the candidates, we have a BUNCH of them now. By the end of the month of February 2008 there will be only TWO names left [one on each party]. Right now [based on a large majority of polls] those TWO names are RUDY and HILLARY - but we have a LONG way to go and anything can [and will] happen. Have a fine JAPAN day!
cfs
I like your spread sheet idea. I think that most of us already do a mental spread sheet ... but actually putting it on paper may give us some surprises.
The reason we could be surprised is that when we do it in our head, we are factoring in things like personal likeability.
One of the things that I would put on my excell spread sheet is "trust". Would I trust this candidate to do the right thing (as he sees it) for the country ... or would he/she just be another political hack.
Nice post
Paul
TRUST is not on my spread sheet, but it is part of the equation and at the end of the day I will vote for the candidate I TRUST [I will vote for a NON-divider]. Have a fine TEXAS evening.
cfs
ADDITION
Alan Keyes, Radio Talk Show Host
He is running for president on the Republican Party. Alan Keyes was not happy with the current candidates, so, he joined the long listing of wanabees. In the 2004 election Alan Keyes ran for the Senate, but took a whipping from Barack Obama - Alan Keyes was a last minute fill-in candidate in IL after Jack Ryan dropped out in the middle of another GOP scandal.
cfs
One of the reasons that Alan Keyes got thumped by Obama is that leaders in the Black community came right out and said that Keyes wasn't "black enough". They pretty much assasinated him as an "Uncle Tom". Talk about racism!
Paul
I remember the race for the senate seat of Illinois, Alan Keyes came in way too late, by the time he entered the race Obama had an unsurmountable lead - and then the so-called Black Leaders turned against him [now they say Obama is not Black enough]. Have a fine TEXAS evening.
cfs
WHY SO MANY GOP SCANDALS?
In ref to my note on "Jack Ryan dropped out in the middle of another GOP scandal." Why do we have so many GOP scandals and only a few DEM scandals? Is it due to the DEM friendly media trying to cover the DEM and trying to embarrass the GOP team? Are GOP politicians picked on due to their Family Values? No, we are not talking about Denny's $4.99 family value breakfast - now, that's true family value, and I had a one yesterday! Have a fine Evening!
cfs
Why so many GOP scandels?
Because the GOP has set themselves up as the party of purity and goodness. Any time I see a holier than thou fellah fall, I'm happy ... I'm not proud of myself for it, but I'm happy. I think the media homes in on it because a lot of their readers feel the same as I do.
Paul
I have noticed at least two GOP candidates [Rudy and Fred] distancing themselves from the MMW [moral majority wackos]. It is possible that they don't want to be associated with the Family Values types. We shall see how this plays out in the next couple of months. The FFWs [focus on the family wackos] are on record saying that they will NEVER vote for Rudy - the FFWs not supporting Rudy because he is not a Family Values type? That's ONE reason for the rest of us to vote for him!!! Have a fine Texas evening.
cfs
My most important issues:
Healthcare ... for obvious reasons!
I worry constantly about running out of insurance again or not being able to afford co pays etc...
Matthew is uninsurable if anything happens to Mike and I lose insurance.. it's scary.
Immigration control ... for a bazillion obvious reasons!
Protection against Terrorists ...
for obvious reasons!
Terri
Fixing the Health Care System is the number one issue for a large number of Americans [it is for my family]. I have no idea what is going to happen after the GOP victory in 2008 [health care was not - and is not not - a priority for the GOP]. Have a fine Vegas evening.
cfs
ATTACKING HILLARY-CARE
In ref to Health Care fiasco in the United States, now the GOP have something to talk about during the primary season.
Now they can attack the Hillary-Care. Hillary Clinton's plan is not a perfect plan [and I do not expect anyone to come up with a perfect plan], but there are some good things in her plan [and there are some shakey things in her plan].
Hillary-Care is not a free lunch, as per my numbers it would cost tax payers about HALF of what we WASTE in one year in IRAQ.
For all those politicians having fun attacking Hillary-Care, I want to see YOUR plan!
Waiting ... waiting ... waiting.
Have a productive day!
cfs
I would like to see a plan that provides the minimum health care needed with an emphasis on prevention. If you want to go to your own doctor, then you would have to pay for anything "out of the ordinary" for your condition. I currently pay for all of my family"s medical expenses ... and believe me, I pay for nothing extra. It would be nice if the government did the same.
But most of all I would like to see some tort reform. This will never happen as 80% of the legislature are lawyers and they wouldn't want to cut into their post-elected office income.
Paul
I believe that the number of those wasting time visiting doctors and hospitals is VERY low. I know there are some of them but the number is low. We all hate to go to hospitals or to the doctor office! By the way, my next visit [cancer detection appointment] to the VA Clinic in San Diego is next Monday and believe you me, I am NOT looking forward to that mess! Have a fine Texas evening.
cfs
Yes to what Paul said...
TORT REFORM!
Terri
Yes we need it, but again, we can not expect our lawyers in Congress to pass any law affecting their pre election and post election careers. Solution is to fire all those lawyers acting as Congress persons. Good luck. Have a fine Vegas evening!
cfs
Post a Comment