A friend and I were discussing my blog on Health Care Reform at Caribou today. A woman sitting near us asked if she could join the discussion as she felt uninformed about the bills currently being merged by the Senate and Congress. It was a fun & lively conversation and led us to talk about what the average citizen should be doing as it relates to having a voice with our government.
Before I continue, let me state that I don’t advocate violence (I’m not calling for THAT type of revolution). As a matter of fact, I don’t advocate rudeness in discourse either. What we need here is a revolution using our power as voters. We are privileged to live in a land where we have the ability to vote every year in local elections and every couple of years in national elections. As a people, our vote is our truest voice. It is the one that no special interest group or PAC can take away from us if we use it wisely.
People need to vet their candidates. What do they stand for? What do they stand against? We need to push for term limits and campaign finance reforms and hold our elected officials accountable by voting them out if they refuse to put forth and vote for legislation that ensures we no longer have life-time politicians and that gives the every-man without access to special interest or DNC or even RNC dollars the ability to run for office and make a difference.
Make sure your candidate answers the questions that you care about; are they for smaller federal government? for state’s rights? for boot-strap programs versus handout programs? for reforming education? for affordable health care? for national security? for immigration reform? If they aren’t answering your questions to your satisfaction then consider backing a candidate that does. Also, see where their money comes from; is it from large numbers of small donors (grassroots) or huge donations from a smaller number (special interest and the elite looking to control a candidate).
Don’t be fooled by campaign promises if they’ve been in politics awhile and their voting or speaking record shows different. The old adage that a leopard can’t change its spots holds true in politics.
Watch how they treat ordinary citizens outside of media events. Will they speak with people in more informal forums without getting angry (town halls). If you email them through their site, do you get a canned response or a personalized response that at least addresses your specific issue if not your specific question.
Research negative ads that you see about your preferred candidate or put out by your preferred candidate and their supporters. How true are the accusations? If your candidate allowed a negative ad to be put out, let their campaign know you don’t advocate or support that type of campaigning. We have to force our politicians to campaign on the issues and not on negativity. (The “I’m not so-and-so” doesn’t cut it)
The 2010 election cycle is kicking off. Make your vote count – be an informed and active voter!