There is an old saying that the only thing sure in life is death and taxes. Recently, I heard a person add to that by saying, “And politicians are liars!” You may chuckle at that remark, but in reality, we should not expect lawmakers and candidates to lie. After all, ours is supposed to be a government of the people, by the people, right? As a result, we should never expect someone running for office to break the Ninth Commandment (let alone any commandment), especially if that someone is campaigning to be President of the United States. We may not be electing a Pastor-in-Chief, but honesty and integrity are characteristics I will take in a Commander-in-Chief any day of the week. But how do we really get to know a candidate and where he or she stands on issues important to us?
What Is Politics?
Before we go any further, let us examine the meaning of “politics.” Like many words in the English language, “politics” has several definitions. The most common understanding of politics is an activity relating to influencing the actions and policies of a government, or getting and keeping power in a government. Politics can also be the work or job of people (such as elected officials) who are part of a government. Meanwhile, the opinions someone has about what should be done by governments are another way of describing politics. Some may even be inclined to break the word down into its two components: poli, meaning many; and tics, meaning blood sucking creatures. But we won’t read into that too much.
These days, people in office want control. Other people may want to replace them in office, and their supporters get involved in a battle of wits and pocketbooks to make it happen. Unfortunately, lying may be one of the ways they attempt to win. To be sure, a lie is a lie is a lie, but many candidates and their supporters may view lying as part of the job. You can fight this with truth.
The Internet Is Your Friend
I admit the subhead is a cliché, but even a trite phrase or expression can be true. And for our generation, there is a seemingly endless amount of information at our disposal online. We just need to know where to look because who has time to surf the web for months on end when we could be having a perfectly happy time binge-watching Netflix?
Many non-profit, nonpartisan groups offer voter guides every election season. While they may be in support of certain platforms, these groups are supposed to avoid endorsing candidates in order to be considered non-profit or “tax-exempt” by the government. This helps voters in that information is presented in a way to (1) show where candidates stand on an issue, and (2) how they have voted on those issues, if ever. My advice is to consult more-than-one voter guide. With so much information available on a given politician, it is easy for one voter guide to overlook or not have room to include certain details. It is also possible organization purposely leave information out of its voter guide, and some organizations are just better than others when it comes to content and presentation.
In addition to voter guides, many news outlets offer interactive material to help people see which candidate(s) they are most in line with on various issues. Matches are based on anonymous questionnaires filled out by the person doing the web surfing. During the 2012 campaign, I was matched with a few candidates, some of which I never even thought about supporting prior to the results of my questionnaires. If you like to experiment, you can answer the questions differently and ensure participants do not always end up with the same candidate.
Speaking of past campaigns, candidates are notorious for having a position on an issue and then taking a different stance in office. For example, candidates may say they are pro-life, but they have taken a pro-choice stance in the past. To be fair, all politicians (like all people) have opinions and beliefs, some of which can change based on a candidate’s research or discussions with constituents or potential voters. Still, news articles or campaign ads on a candidate’s supposed flip-flopping are all too common during election season. While some are accurate, or based on information people are discussing, news articles and campaign ads could be taking things out of context. Therefore, I recommend watching a longer or uncut version of the candidate’s comments in question. YouTube is a good source for these types of videos. At the end of the day, it is possible that a candidate is being unfairly criticized. Then again, a candidate’s position on things may boil down to his or her donors. That brings me to the next point.
Follow the Money
Currency makes the political world go ‘round. Better yet, donations keep a candidate’s world on its axis. The good news is that it does not take much to find out who is throwing money behind a candidate, and how much. Use a search engine to research things such as “How to Track a Candidate’s Donors?” If you are not already aware, the top sites that appear tend to be the most reliable. To give you an idea of sites I have used for news purposes, OpenSecrets.org and the Federal Election Commission’s FEC.gov should offer you an idea of where candidates get their money. If you see groups you oppose funding a candidate that should give you an idea of where and why a candidate stands on issues relating to those donors.
Not every candidate is a liar. Some are just poor communicators. Either way, checking sources does not make you a bad (insert political affiliation here). Instead, think of the aforementioned tips as being part of a balanced political diet. Whatever you decide in terms of a candidate is your decision, informed or otherwise. However, it is important that someone vote his or her conscience. Moreover, men and women have made huge sacrifices for you to have the right to vote. Whether you are in a caucus state or a primary state, and regardless of what your plans are this November, make time to vote. A government for the people, by the people needs your input.
