Quote:
Originally Posted by scbelle
I don't know, maybe I come from a different school of philosophy. I think that voters absolutely should investigate fully the agendas of the candidates. Voting is a serious issue, and should not be done without being fully educated on the issues. Candidates are NOT teachers (except for maybe Ross Perot; God love him and his pie charts.). Democracy is an exercise in intellect.
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Well, this is a fine opinion, but I would guess it's demonstrably false - the candidates bear the full burden of "educating" voters on the reasons to vote for that candidate, and voters bear the burden of making an informed choice, it would seem. However, I'm not sure the candidate side actually benefits from meeting that burden - and most campaign strategists seem to agree.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scbelle
I'm tired of people thinking that all the information should just come to them. That could be as a result of the media age we live in, but I think it needs to be changed. Why not write to the campaigns and ask questions? I do this frequently, and do get answers. Go to a rally and ask a question. This isn't high school. It's not a popularity contest. You really need to seek the answers to your questions before you cast a vote.
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While I like the aplomb with which you meet your own needs, often these questions (especially in "town meetings" and debates) are met with the same lame, hollow rhetoric that infects the speeches, web sites and publications from each candidate, are they not? In my experience, they most frequently are - and, of course, YMMV.
One thing - I think you're really ignoring the extent to which the answers people seek are hidden, intentionally obfuscated, or don't actually exist in any substantive (or reasonably accessible) form.