This is my first presidental election that I will vote in, how do I know who to vote for?

Question

I am tring to keep up with canidates. But, how do you know who is presenting false advertisement about the other? How do I know that the canidate isn't making false promises?

Answer 1

You research and pay attention to each candidate, and vote for the one you feel will best represent the direction you wish to see the country go in.

Answer 2

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I think all the candidates in their direct ads will shy away from outright lying. They will just introduce themselves and talk themselves up. At the end they will say "this is ___ and I approve this message". The really nasty ads full of lies, half-truths and mudslinging are the ones run by political action committees (PACs). Even if the ad is mild and paid for by a mainstream group, like the NEA or the AARP, they still have an agenda so their ad will be biased, meaning they will selectively state facts. So you need to visit every candidate's website and research their real position, and also their voting record to see if it matches their position.

As for <> I think they will all make false promises to some extent because that is the nature of politics. Even the most well-intentioned politician will promise you pie-in-the-sky hoping (but not sure if) he can deliver. You just need to find the least dishonest politician...

Answer 3

First, all candidates are likely to make some false comments... but they're not always intentional.
For instance, a candidate may promise XYZ, but once in office, Congress could vote against it and then it would never come to pass.

Anyways - you need to review the candidates websites and watch how they act in the public eye. Consider their pasts and consider if they've remained consistent in their "beliefs" and if they voted in line with those beliefs.

Then you have to think about your personal life and how all of these issues relates to you. That is how you narrow down which candidate is your favorite. Never let the media create an opinion for you, they're all slighted.

Answer 4

Huckabee and Hunter are the two most pro-life candidates that are for a pro-life amendment to the Constitution. This is critical since simply reversing Roe v. Wade will make it legal to kill babies in some states but not in others. But Hunter doesn't have the executive experience that Huckabee has.

Huckabee and Romney have the executive experience as Governor of AR and MA, respectively. But Romney has a mixed (at best) record on conservative issues, not the least of which is abortion. Therefore, Huckabee is THE top pick for the Republican nomination.

And, while the pundits are praising the rise in the polls of Huckabee right now, they will surely try to bring him down later. Actually, this is good; they tried to do the same thing with Reagan, and the more they tried the more they failed. Even after Reagan got elected, he was underestimated and thought to be a one termer.

There are no guarantees for victory, but on the Republican side -- more often than not --abandoning socially conservative candidates is an assured road to defeat.

Refer to what these candidates VOTED for (or at least ADVOCATED for) by studying the current active legislation at:

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/b_three_sections_with_teasers/active_leg_page.htm#A

Here's a good example of a recent vote:

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00318

Specific candidates views can be found at:

http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/


Finally, refer to some of the most important issues of our time by going to links such as these:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Life_Amendment

http://finance.yahoo.com/focus-retirement/article/103967/The-3rd-Rail-Candidates-Take-on-Social-Security?mod=retirement-preparation

Answer 5

Kandy, you have asked the golden question about which canidate is best.
Really it all comes down to what you beleive is best for the country and yourself, who holds the same core beliefs that you do and who has the most intergrity on the issues that is important to you.
Politics at time seems to be a game of chess, where as one canidate tries to move or predict a move that will beat his or her opponent.
The best thing to do is to block out all of the negatives that may be thrown about and look deeply at the canidates core, his or her "True" campaign platform and how he or she would best govern our great land.
Stay away from the media's sound bytes and look at the person's history, poltical background, strengths and weaknesses.

This should be a decision that is totally based on what you want from a candidate and what you want for our country.

Answer 6

The truth is, they all make false promises. In order to sway voters, politicians will support a variety of issues, with most of their efforts focused on large voting groups (senior citizens, unions, big business, etc.). Once they get into office, they cannot "guarantee" anything they support will ever become law, or have an affect.

For example, the President doesn't personally offer up a bunch of legislative bills - his or her supporters in Congress and the Senate draft the bills that support their agenda. The bill then has to pass both houses, and in the interim, a lot of "baggage" in the form of special interests and funding are tacked onto the bill. So what they "promise" may never become a reality.

As frustrating as politics are, your voting is one of the most important things you can do as a citizen. The democratic system provides us our freedoms. When you look at the different campaigns, look at the major themes, and support the one that you feel comfortable with. That way you are supporting the person who, if he or she becomes President, shares your values and carries your voice as they try to implement their policy.

Answer 7

Ok, Hillary Clinton is a liar, so is Giuliani. You know president Reagan. He called Ron Paul one of the most honest men he ever met, Paul never changes his views on a subject. But of course, vote for someone you believe in.

Answer 8

Take the most honest guys running on both sides, Dennis Kucinich, and Ron Paul. Then compare them, and their records/past to the rest of the mostly claptrap. Romney is not honest - look at his record, look at little shenanigans during this run, look at how much of his own money he puts in. Huckabee wants a theocracy, and is soft on illegal immigration (look at videos of him on youtube, look at his record as gov. of AK), Obama is a little wet-behind-the ears (and I don't agree with most of his policies).

Notice that no one mentioned you should vote for Clinton? There is a reason for that, you have find it yourself however (it's not hard if you spend more than 10 minutes looking into her and her past).

Answer 9

First you find out what you believe in. Then when you do that then you then you try to determine on what is good for America. Because even though it is good to find a candidate that believes like you is not quite that great when America is totally balkanized because of Americans many different beliefs. Either we are going to be only one nation standing united or we can become divided and forget America ever existed. It is either United we stand or divided we fall.

Answer 10

Find a candidate that you agree with on about 9 out of 12 issues and vote for that one. It will be hard to find 1 that you agree with 100% of the time.