When Deciding Who To Vote For, What Should Each American Consider?

“When deciding who you should vote for, for President and Vice President during this year’s election season, remember to prioritize the following four P’s and vote accordingly - personal preference, polling, personality, and policy.” History & Constitution Professor Stephen M. Putney

1. Personal preference:  Don’t vote based on your personal preference. That is, don’t vote for a candidate based on what is of benefit to you or your preferred special interest group (“special welfare”) but which is in the best interest of everyone who is genuinely pursuing & maximizing their own individual potential, free of coercive control (“general welfare”).

2. Polling: Don’t be influenced by public opinion polls. Don’t go along to get along. The purpose of current polling is not to reflect public opinion but rather to subtly shift public opinion in a certain direction.  Rather than a cross sampling of true public opinion, polling questions are designed to shape or create a perception of public opinion.

3. Personality: When choosing which candidate to support don’t strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.  Move beyond focusing on his or her personal flaws and idiosyncrasies. Look past a tunnel vision focus on those traits.

4. Policy: Base your voting choice on policy: Which candidate holds policy positions that are the most consistent with the US Constitution, the customary practices flowing therefrom, and which will protect liberty at home and prevent needless American involvement in conflicts abroad, and as a Christian, by all means remember God’s limited design for civil government.  

Vote for someone who has the requisite leadership skills for the job.  Someone who is a proven leader.  Someone who is willing to do what needs to be done regardless of whether or not it is popular in the immediate to do so. Someone who says what needs to be said whether it will tickle the ears of listeners or not. Someone who will fulfill the duties of his/her office based on the absolute standard of the laws of nature and nature’s God, not someone whose governance is based on polls demonstrating their cowardice and lack of principle.

Retired Professor Stephen M. Putney, Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia