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Do you vote based on policy or something else?

Does policy direct your vote?

  • Yes. My vote is based on if I agree with a candidate

    Votes: 7 35.0%
  • No. To be honest I vote on things other than policy.

    Votes: 2 10.0%
  • A combination of policy and otter factors

    Votes: 11 55.0%

  • Total voters
    20

Smeagol

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I'm having an interesting discussion with a friend over the upcoming presidential race. To cut to the chase, this year my vote will come down to which do I dislike more:

- One party's platform and policies
~or~
- The other party's culture and values (or possibly the lack thereof)

What determines your vote? Policy, party loyalty, cultural identity, a sense the a party/candidate sees your cultural group as an adversary, desire to see history made, wanting to see change in the political order regardless of how that change looks! Something else?
 
I'm having an interesting discussion with a friend over the upcoming presidential race. To cut to the chase, this year my vote will come down to which do I dislike more:

- One party's platform and policies
~or~
- The other party's culture and values (or possibly the lack thereof)

What determines your vote? Policy, party loyalty, cultural identity, a sense the a party/candidate sees your cultural group as an adversary, desire to see history made, wanting to see change in the political order regardless of how that change looks! Something else?

I would say that my major driver are policy in things I understand and can so estimate the impact a candidate might have. As there are many areas of policy I do not have the faintest idea or only man on the street understanding, I decide by chemistry, truts and the question, whether I think the person has enough experience. Any of these points can knock out voteability.
 
I vote on policy / ideology.
 
Ideology plays a big role in my vote but so does character.
What's the point of voting for someone on policy/ideology if you can't trust them?
This presidential election cycle has come down to lesser of two evils for many.
That's why I am going to sit this one out. Because no matter who you vote for it's still a pathetic, shameful, lousy choice.
Even the Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson, is a farce. Since when do Libertarians drop the ball on 1st Amendment rights?

I will, however, vote for down ballot candidates.

Worst.Election.Ever.
 
To be honest, I'd love to be able to vote 100% on policy, but I can't even remember the last time that I actually liked a candidate and wanted them to win. I only vote to keep the worst option out of the White House. There hasn't been a candidate worth voting *FOR* in this country in decades.
 
I don't vote on what they say their policy will be because they lie. I vote based on what they've done. That's why I can vote for neither Sen. Clinton nor Mr. Trump.
 
I vote based on the following, more or less in this order:

1. Temperament ( a person's nature as it affects their behavior)
2. Intelligence
3. Ideology
4. Policies

Temperament: I have to admit I hadn't given temperament much thought until this election because most of the candidates I have ever had to choose from before were pretty normal on the temperament scale. I realized that even if I agreed with all the policies Trump espouses, I couldn't vote for him. I need a President who is cool and calm under pressure. Who doesn't get knee jerk reactions to criticism. Someone who welcomes good advice and doesn't let their ego get in the way of the right decision. For me the ideal example of a President exercising a perfect temperament was JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Before I cast a vote for a President I ask, "How would he or she have handled such a situation?" The thought of a Trump at the helm in that situation terrifies me to the core.

Intelligence: By most measures I am a reasonably intelligent person. I am not intimidated or distrustful of people smarter than I. I like my President to be at least as smart as I am and preferably smarter. A President needs to be able to absorb and analyze the vast amount of data that comes across the desk and use it to discern the best path forward.

Ideology: A President's ideology gives me an idea of how he or she will react in given situations, what types of legislation will be approved or vetoed, what types of people will be appointed to vital positions, and what types, if any, wars we will get into.

Policies: Of course what a candidate says he or she will do once in office is important but I am not foolish enough to take them at their word. I look at their track record, if they have one, and see if it lines up with what they say they will do. If it par for course then I am more likely to trust that their intent matches their rhetoric. If their track record doesn't match their proposed policies then I tend to discard that part of their rhetoric. For example, I don't for a single second believe Hillary is against the TPP.
 
I chose the third option because otters are adorable.
 
I vote based on the following, more or less in this order:

1. Temperament ( a person's nature as it affects their behavior)
2. Intelligence
3. Ideology
4. Policies

Temperament: I have to admit I hadn't given temperament much thought until this election because most of the candidates I have ever had to choose from before were pretty normal on the temperament scale. I realized that even if I agreed with all the policies Trump espouses, I couldn't vote for him. I need a President who is cool and calm under pressure. Who doesn't get knee jerk reactions to criticism. Someone who welcomes good advice and doesn't let their ego get in the way of the right decision. For me the ideal example of a President exercising a perfect temperament was JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Before I cast a vote for a President I ask, "How would he or she have handled such a situation?" The thought of a Trump at the helm in that situation terrifies me to the core.

Intelligence: By most measures I am a reasonably intelligent person. I am not intimidated or distrustful of people smarter than I. I like my President to be at least as smart as I am and preferably smarter. A President needs to be able to absorb and analyze the vast amount of data that comes across the desk and use it to discern the best path forward.

Ideology: A President's ideology gives me an idea of how he or she will react in given situations, what types of legislation will be approved or vetoed, what types of people will be appointed to vital positions, and what types, if any, wars we will get into.

Policies: Of course what a candidate says he or she will do once in office is important but I am not foolish enough to take them at their word. I look at their track record, if they have one, and see if it lines up with what they say they will do. If it par for course then I am more likely to trust that their intent matches their rhetoric. If their track record doesn't match their proposed policies then I tend to discard that part of their rhetoric. For example, I don't for a single second believe Hillary is against the TPP.

One thing about me is unless an individual candidate openly distances themselves from a candidate or at very least, the specific things another member of their party asserted that I think was so offensive it requires a renunciation, I hold every member of that party accountable. There were a lot of members of my own party who not only lost my vote but got a vote for whoever was running against them after we learned in 2012 "legitimate rape" cannot result in pregnancy unless the victim enjoyed herself.
 
I'm having an interesting discussion with a friend over the upcoming presidential race. To cut to the chase, this year my vote will come down to which do I dislike more:

- One party's platform and policies
~or~
- The other party's culture and values (or possibly the lack thereof)

What determines your vote? Policy, party loyalty, cultural identity, a sense the a party/candidate sees your cultural group as an adversary, desire to see history made, wanting to see change in the political order regardless of how that change looks! Something else?

I vote based on issues and character of who's running.
 
I'm having an interesting discussion with a friend over the upcoming presidential race. To cut to the chase, this year my vote will come down to which do I dislike more:

- One party's platform and policies
~or~
- The other party's culture and values (or possibly the lack thereof)

What determines your vote? Policy, party loyalty, cultural identity, a sense the a party/candidate sees your cultural group as an adversary, desire to see history made, wanting to see change in the political order regardless of how that change looks! Something else?

President, the first thing I do is ask the question will candidate A leave this country in better shape once candidate A leaves office than when candidate A first entered. If I determine the answer is no, I move on to candidate B and ask the same question and on to candidate C. Which in my opinion, Candidates A and B would definitely leave this country much worst once they left office than when they first entered it.

Now if the answer is yes that both candidate A and B would in my opinion leave this country better off once they left office than when they first entered, then I get into the issues, policies, visions on where each want to lead or take America. But getting down to the nitty gritty takes a back seats until I find a candidate I can answer yes to as far as leaving this country for the better.
 
I'm having an interesting discussion with a friend over the upcoming presidential race. To cut to the chase, this year my vote will come down to which do I dislike more:

- One party's platform and policies
~or~
- The other party's culture and values (or possibly the lack thereof)

What determines your vote? Policy, party loyalty, cultural identity, a sense the a party/candidate sees your cultural group as an adversary, desire to see history made, wanting to see change in the political order regardless of how that change looks! Something else?

Policy and personal characteristics. If someone aligned with me a great deal but I thought they were dangerously incompetent or had some other major personal flaw they probably wouldn't have my vote.
 
1. Track record
2. Policy proposals
3. Personality

In the case of Loser Donald, he fails at all three miserably
 
I'm having an interesting discussion with a friend over the upcoming presidential race. To cut to the chase, this year my vote will come down to which do I dislike more:

- One party's platform and policies
~or~
- The other party's culture and values (or possibly the lack thereof)

What determines your vote? Policy, party loyalty, cultural identity, a sense the a party/candidate sees your cultural group as an adversary, desire to see history made, wanting to see change in the political order regardless of how that change looks! Something else?

I picked other.
I vote for a candidate's based on his or her polices as well as past actions. For example I am not voting for Trump. I support many of the things Trump is espousing, like a wall on the border,cracking down on illegal immigration, opposition to outsourcing,put Americans first message, pro-life message,pro-2nd amendment message,supporting the closing of military bases around the world, and many other issues. But Trump has said and done the opposite of those views and has praised, supported and donated money to people who held views that contradicted those things Trump is currently espousing.
 
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