Few details about Presidential Politics

The office of President of the United States is perhaps the most powerful position in the world–and the most demanding. People interested in running for the office have to “survive” a process that has little to do with testing their ability to govern and much to do with testing their health, stamina and emotional stability.

1. First of all, realize that no one who has lived forty years has an absolutely spotlessly clean personal history. Also realize that there are political operatives who make big salaries looking for little things to use to embarrass or call into question the integrity of their candidate’s opponent. What you have to decide as a voter is a) is the latest “revelation” actually relevant or do many people make the same mistake and b) is it part of a pattern of behavior that might have a negative effect on the person whose hand is on the big red phone? Most candidates must pass this “smell test” or they get weeded out in the primary election process.

2. Find out the candidate’s history. Is there experience in a legislative or executive job? What kind of strengths and weaknesses have people and constituents (the people who have been represented by the candidate) noticed in the candidate’s job performance? Regardless of what candidates with long experience would have you believe, how they’ve done the job is probably more important than the job titles they’ve collected. And no matter what the “outsider” candidate will tell you, the ability to compromise and willingness to work with the establishment determines whether or not you get your agenda advanced.

3. Examine the candidate’s views and the platform of the political party that sponsors him or her. If a Republican, is the candidate basically a fiscal and social conservative, favoring the status quo and a federal government that does not regulate closely? If a Democrat, is the candidate basically a fiscal and social liberal, willing to try new solutions and seeing government as a “safety net” for individuals and the economy? If a candidate’s basic ideas are not consistent with the party’s platform, there may be disappointment ahead. Political parties have become more narrowly-focused in the last decades. As a result, third parties have been able to raise money and field independent candidates in many races, including the race for President. Eventually, a major party will either adapt or modify its views to attract new members or it will go the way of historical parties like the Know-Nothings, the Whigs and the Northern Democrats.

4. Question the candidate’s record. Are the reasons for his or her actions consistent? Often a member of a legislature will vote differently on seemingly similar measures. With a closer look, you might find that some non-related sections (called “pork-barrel legislation”) have been added to one measure or that extra provisions that would alter the effect of the measure were added just before the vote. Without knowing the reason for a vote that looks like “flip-flopping,” it is difficult to know whether the candidate is being careless or very careful indeed.

5. Know what you’re voting for. The President does not make laws or act as judge and interpret the laws. The President is the Chief Executive, responsible for enforcing the laws of the United States and administering a huge bureaucracy responsible for everything from defense against foreign attack with nuclear weapons to research on bovine flatulence. The job requires a steady hand, a quick mind and a willingness to seek out people who are the very best in their field to tell the truth in matters of governance.

6. Our job is to make a good choice given only the basic requirements of nativity and maturity outlined by the founders. The U.S. Constitution specifies only that candidates for President must be natural-born citizens, residents of the country for at least fourteen years and at least thirty-five years of age. The writers of that document realized that the office required skills that are not taught in law or business schools but are common to all exceptional leaders no matter what their background.