Following James Dobson’s lead, I think it’s time for me to make an election pledge of my own:
1) I will not vote for any candidate who thinks it is ok to torture people–that is, to extract information from prisoners (or “detainees”) through violence and intimidation.
Any candidate who believes that torture is a legitimate activity for a state lacks the character and moral fortitude necessary to be Commander in Chief, and lacks the compassion to make decisions that routinely effect millions of the most vulnerable people in the country.
2) I will not vote for any candidate who tells me that we can lower taxes, decrease the deficit, and increase spending all at the same time.
Any candidate who says all of these things is either a) willing to say absolutely anything to get elected and cannot be trusted at all, or b) lacks even a basic understanding of economic and fiscal policy and cannot be trusted to manage the American economy.
What I find particularly depressing about the current election is that these two simple checks exclude every Republican (except possibly Ron Paul), and one or two Democrats. How pathetic.
Which Democrats fail your test, out of curiosity?
Go Ron Paul! (says the libertarian).
I’m strongly opposed to torture and in favor of fiscal responsibility. But I worry about setting absolute rules like that. Being a one or two issue voter means that those two issues outweigh all other issues combined, and that strikes me as a terrible way to make a decision. If a candidate was perfect but for his stance on torture, I would be angered by his torture stance, but try to rely on congress and the courts to counter that, while being happy that his policies were good for all other issues. (granted congress and the courts haven’t been too reliable recently…)
However, both Ron Paul and Bill Richardson (my candidates of choice in each party) would fit your requirements, so for once we actually agree on who should be elected!
Silence, I don’t know for sure, but I’m worried about both Gravel and Biden. I’m skeptical of Gravel’s fiscal policies, and Biden often tries to take a middle road on foreign policy–and while it disturbs me that supporting torture might be a middle ground, it’s the world we’ve come to live in. I’d be thrilled to see him say otherwise, however, as I have not thoroughly researched Biden’s position on this particular issue.
And Doc, while I don’t think one-issue voting is generally a good idea, I do think it is useful to set minimal standards. For instance, I wouldn’t vote for any candidate who thought it was a good idea to reinstitute slavery or take away Women’s voting rights. Supporting torture is about on that same level, in my mind. I also wouldn’t support a candidate who thought that the best way to stave off Alien invasion was to build big glass pyramids on top of all federal buildings; and the idea that we can reduce the deficit while cutting taxes and increasing spending all at the same time makes about as much sense.
When the Martians take over America because of our lack of glass pyramids, I’m blaming you…