Vote Smart

A presidential campaign has to be the longest and hardest job interview a person ever endures. I suppose it's appropriate because the job is the most important and difficult in the world. Too bad we don't approach it more like an ordinary job interview where we look more closely at a person's qualifications and ability to do the job instead of their personality. Of course, personality is important. We want a president who can lift our spirits and help us discover the best parts of ourselves. Unfortunately, we don't have that now. But, competence, intelligence and experience may be more important. We don't have that now either, and look where its gotten us.

How do we pick a president when the goal of their job interview, like any other, is to present their strengths and positive qualities while minimizing or hiding their negatives? First, we have to be willing to pay the price, which is time. At work, a job interview is inconvenient. I have to stop what I'm doing and pretend to be interested in a total stranger while listening to canned responses to correctly anticipated questions. But, that's the price I have to pay in order to select the best person for the job. I can't just catch a glimpse of them in the lobby and hire them because I like them. Selecting a president is no different. I have to be willing to invest the time to read, think, watch the debates and listen for those brief moments when the real person behind the facade peeks out and reveals himself or herself. For example, last week Mitt Romney was asked if he would consider qualified Americans of the Islamic faith for cabinet positions in his administration. His response reveals much more about him than all of his slick debate performances. Too many people missed this because they were numbing their minds with mindless sitcom crap on TV or just too lazy or uninterested to read about the great political drama that is unfolding in front of us.

In this electronic age that we live in, its never been easier to be well-informed. The internet gives us a wide range of information that covers the entire political spectrum from right to left, unlike the major news networks. If you're listening to Fox News all the time, you're only getting one side of the story regardless of how fair and balanced they say they are.

Check out Project Vote Smart - a link is in the sidebar of this blog. It's a non-partisan site that will give you information on all the candidates. It's a good start, and it's easy.

Vote smart. We've seen what happens when we don't.