1. Left Limit, Right Limit: An Approach to Understanding Political Issues Part I

Something I was taught in the Army many years ago offers a point of view I think both voters and candidates can apply with great effect to political issues and voting. I’ll focus on the Presidential race for illustration, but I think you’ll quickly see the applicability to other situations. My remarks are focused on the Independent voters seeking to learn how to make better voting choices, rather than partisans. Partisan voters will still find lessons they can use in appealing to partisan voters.

This will be a multi-part topic done over several weeks of Ezines. First I will introduce a concept and then provide specific examples based on literature I have from both parties.

One of the concerns of having multiple people with firearms interacting as a group is doing what is necessary to keep them from accidentally shooting one another. When I started in the Army, setting up an individual fighting position required two steps. First, I was assigned a sector to fire in. That sector was defined by a point in front of me on the left and a point in front of me on the right. Those points were called my left limit and my right limit. If I fired on targets left of my left limit or right of my right limit, then not only could my firing be ineffective, but I risked injuring fellow soldiers on my left and right.

Second, to keep from firing past my limits in the darkness of night, I was taught to place stakes in the ground in front of my firing position. The stakes kept me from swinging the weapon’s barrel too far to the left or right.

Here’s how this applies to voters and candidates in considering an incumbent Party, issue or candidate. (In Part II, I’ll talk about considering a challenging Party, issue or candidate.) Voters want to know where Parties and candidates stand on issues. Where are their left and right limits on the commonly used spectrum of left vs. right, liberal vs. conservative? Are those positions within the left and right limits you’re comfortable with or not? Will those limits enable them to hit what you feel is the most threatening target/issue?

This election presents a unique situation for the Presidential race for the fact that no incumbent President or Vice President is running. The question to consider, then, is the contrast between the policies of the incumbent Party as practiced by the existing President and the proposed policies of the Presidential candidate. Keep in mind that the Presidential candidate you vote with also comes with the baggage of their Party’s policies. Will the candidate keep the stakes where they are now, or will the stakes be moved? Is the placement of the stakes working now or not? In other words, is the placement of the policy stakes affecting you positively or negatively?

Various polling and special election results indicate the American public is not happy with how the stakes are placed right now. 82% of Americans say the country is moving in the wrong direction. Three separate special elections have been won by Democrats, the most notable last night in Mississippi.

With results like these, one would think that Republicans would be looking to change where the stakes are. But, even if they do, would you as an independent voter trust them to actually make those changes upon election? Or would they be like Aesop’s fable of the frog and the scorpion with the ending of “You knew I was a scorpion when you let me climb on your back”? (By the way, you’ll see some intriguing entries if you Google “You knew I was a Scorpion”.) What incentive does the ruling party have to change its behavior if the voting public votes for them despite their track record of performance?

As Kevin said in his response to my request for input last week;

“Here are my top three concerns if John McCain becomes President:

1.  That the economic policy of the US continues to be one of squeezing the middle-class to feed the poor and enfranchise the rich.

2.  That foreign policy will be similar to that of Bush...trying to bully the Middle East rather than work with them for sensible and manageable solutions in Gaza and Lebanon.

3.  That he will not be able to have enough power to overturn bad decisions by a partisan Congress.

Despite sentiments like this, McCain remains competitive in polls. Why is this? Because voters fear where a Democratic President will place the party’s policy stakes.

Accordingly, my next Ezine will be about two things and I would appreciate your input. Actually, the two things are two sides of the same coin expressed differently. One is the answer to this question. What do you fear most about a Democratic Presidency? The second thing is the answer to this question. What are the reassurances you want from Democrats in order for you to vote for them? (And, of course, the frog and the Scorpion applies here, too.)

Perhaps most importantly, the essential question I hope you are beginning to ask yourself is this. What are the outcomes you want from government? If we can start with the end in mind, then maybe we will have a much greater chance of actually getting there.

2. College World Series Tickets

I have an offer for those of you who would like to attend the College Baseball World Series here in June. I have access to a packet of 10 General Admission Tickets. Normally, these are priced at $10 each ($100). I can get them for you for $70 if you contact me before June 7, 2008.

If you’re interested, then please email me at author@KindredMindsEnt.com. If you haven’t been to the Series, (even if you’re not a baseball fan) then I can assure you that you’re missing a unique cultural experience.