Over the past few election cycles (local, state, and national), I've generally had a difficult time gathering enough information to determine which political initiatives or representatives align with my notion of a high-functioning government.
Why is there no platform that contains the political history of candidates (what they voted for, recent remarks, etc.) and similar information for ballots? Does something like this exist that I'm simply not aware of?
So, how do you gather information to vote on candidates and ballot measures? Do you find a publication with similar political views as yours and vote for their recommendations? (e.g., https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2024/california-primary-election-endorsements/#us-senate-full-term-anchor)
Hopefully you have a functional, if barebones, local newspaper, that reports on at least some of the happenings of city council / county board meetings / etc local boards. Combine that with candidate statements (when present, but know that candidates have to pay per word to put those in --- to pay for translation and printing costs). My criteria are 1) does this person appear to make rational decisions and learn from experience. (Are they providing effective and honest government) 2) Does this person tend to make decisions I would like. Usually, I would pick a rational person over a person who does things all over the place but often in directions I prefer --- but not if the effective agent is specifically against my interests.
I look for specificity in candiate statements, but will not vote for candidates who promise things outside the baliwick of office (ex: mayoral candidates promising to fix schools; when schools are generally controlled by a school board, not the apparatus of city government), or unreasonable things (government moves too slowly: open meeting laws require significant advance notice of proposed action - a local elected official can't (shouldn't) do things quickly and promising to do so implies significant misunderstanding of the workings).
For propositions, I read the submitted statements, and the 'non partisan' summary by the election personell, and sometimes the actual text. I try to consider the difference between the intent and the text, and if the text will be effective. In CA especially, I also consider how much of a pain it will be in 10-50 years when it's obsolete but hard to get rid of; and if this is a good idea, why couldn't it get passed as a regular law. In WA, it's less critical, because the state supreme court blocks or makes ineffective a lot of propositions if they feel it addresses something that is the proper job of the legislature.
I abstain from non-binding advisory votes, unless they're on a topic I care deeply about, because I feel they're insulting. For examlple, by WA proposition, we have to see an advisory vote on new taxes, but it's meaningless; the proposition specified the votes were binding, but the supreme court ruled that taxes are the job of legislature, and the people can't usurp it. I would vote to repeal the now useless proposition.
If you're happy with that then by all means, don't vote.
But please then don't complain about taxes, or depending, or policy, or whatever. If you think its all the same, then what's the point of complaining.
Personally, I don't think you'll ever find a politician who shares your exact set of values, much less a party. That's OK. For me, one party represents more of my values than the other. When push comes to shove I'd be happier with more than less.
so rather than vote (or not) for the "lesser evil", i take the approach to objectively look at the probability of benefit to my own situation, period. don't anthropomorphize politicians (or larry ellison).
adjusting for lying, external factors, etc., maximize for your own objective, concrete, benefit. relative "evil"-ness is not a valid factor. for once being selfish is exactly the right thing to do - if everyone did this, then it would yield the best result for the greatest number of people.
if you feel like being romantic or heroic, then look at it as you are selecting for things that best benefit your "values" (as if that word has anything to do with politics) and therefore automatically benefit like minded other folks (who are obviously the "good" ones then) too.
> for once being selfish is exactly the right thing to do - if everyone did this, then it would yield the best result for the greatest number of people.
This assumes a sufficient number of people are capable of _accurately_ assessing what is in their best interest. To some, this might sound as romantic as not believing in lesser-evilism.
Dead Comment
Just gather few interviews, check out opposite perspectives on the person at question. And with a little bit of intuition and some logic - it’s no brainer.
These people don't even know I exist.
edit:
also, biden is not my president.
(bc im not a us citizen lol, we have other clowns in our local circus)
> (bc im not a us citizen lol,
Are you sure ? I'm also not an US citizen but when Biden says something, my country executes.
There are "establishment" Republicans I still respect and might vote for under normal circumstances, but not in today's political environment.
That said, I disagree with a ton of things with the Democratic party and liberals/progressives in general too, but at this point, purging Trumpism is what I see as most important.
Yes, I understand there are broader issues that fueled the rise in Trumpism in the first place, and agree they need to be handled and heard.
I also listen to podcasts, and very recently Lex Fridman had Mark Cuban on (I've binged at least 10y worth of Shark Tank in the past). There was one thing that Mark Cuban said that it hit me. "Trump never admits being wrong" (or something to that effect). And since he's a human (with 3 marriages, a porn-star affair/whatever-that-was while married, everyone near him quits or goes to prison, etc. It hit me! "He never admits being wrong". I then thought my early years in life, where all the bad stuff happening to me were always 'someone else's fault - never mine'. And then I grew up (?!) and I know and admit when I drop the ball, apologise, make things good, learn & grow and move on.
But "never does anything wrong" and "always the fault of other people" are two huge red flags. I do invest in US stocks and ETFs, so whoever you (folks in the USA) vote for, please make sure the economy goes strong :)
> never admits a mistake
https://youtu.be/0cn3VBjfN8g?t=1h35m55s