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Highlands Today

Presidential Candidates Are Good, But Are The Voters?

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 31, 2008

If you're a political junkie, the last few days have been dazzling. This week promises more of the same. If you are tired of all the hoopla, well, it won't be going away any time soon. As citizens of this country, it's our duty to deal with the long campaigns and do our homework on the candidates we have. Partisan voters don't listen to facts, they just listen to the positives their candidates have and tout all the negatives against opponents. We understand this, but it's discomforting to think that some people are so unwilling to open their minds while making such critical decisions. It seems Americans want to sign up as many people as possible to vote in an election, because the more voices, the better decision. That sounds good - in theory. However, there's an argument to be made that if someone is so out of touch with voting, perhaps he or she doesn't deserve to take part. That's harsh, and controversial, but do we want uninformed people who don't have the initiative to learn about candidates making these critical decisions? Probably not.

Anyone who believes Sen. Barack Obama is a Muslim shouldn't vote, because that's just a vicious lie spread to make people hate him. And anyone who believes Sen. John McCain's adopted daughter is from some illicit affair, as Republican operatives whispered when he ran against George Bush Jr. eight years ago, also should stay away from the polls. But unbelievably, people still buy into this kind of viciousness about our candidates.

We believe the Republicans and the Democrats have quality candidates with strong differences. They are people of good character who love their country. Neither side holds the moral high ground nor is one side more patriotic than the other. Only people unwilling to engage their brains believe that way.
Conservatives have the duty to listen to Obama's ideas on what he would do as president and give it fair consideration. Liberals have the same duty to understand McCain's positions on the issues. Don't discount either one out of hand. Listen and read about them, and not take any one source of election information as gospel. Listen to pros and cons. Consider how it will affect you and every other American. Then make a choice. That's the responsible way to elect a president.

These are exciting times. The presidential election will be historic no matter who wins. We have skilled, knowledgeable people running for our highest office during a critical point in our nation's history. This is important and our candidates have the right stuff. Do the voters?

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