What do you look for in Presidential candidates?

My main issues are Iraq (I want out) and Health Care for all (Iceland and Canada can do it). If someone could pull off those two things I would like them to STFU for the rest of their term.

Also:
* End Gitmo
* Restore habeas corpus

chris6137 With the country so politically divided as it seems to be, I highly doubt any of the present candidates would make everyone happy.

Restore Americas old ways..like respect for the old American family it is the key to survival of our country. We have to do whatever it takes to save our children, values, and our respect for our history.

Love ya gooch, I really do. But you’re talking “family values” (in quotes). I would like some candidate to recognize that 95.7 million Americans who are single or unmarried have values too. As soon as one of the candidates begins speaking to the 43% of the population (50% in my home state of NY) I’ll begin to listen. The single and unmarried people are fast catching those family folk in number. When’s a candidate going to pledge a return to singles values? Or don’t we matter?

@ breed I do belive all matter. I am saying we have to help families stay togther ie. Children in safe unbroken homes with education and values. This helps them to grow by satisfying basic needs instead of having to fend for themselves.

I’m with you on that.

I agree with you gooch. How about that fact that a union electrician, like myself, about 15–20 years ago, could raise a family of 4, on his own, and be very comfortable. Now, my girlfriend and I, with 0 kids, both of us working, are somewhat struggling. I am NOT complaining, but I feel when both parents are pretty much forced to work, alot of the family values goes out the window. It is alot more stressful, the kids get less attention paid to what is going on in their lives, and the parents are basically working to survive. What has brought about this lifestyle in this country?

@ chris i hear that! The struggled to honestly and fairly raise our children who will be our future leaders is tough.

How about this for a leader?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cs-0AXWV8so

Character. The willingness to do what is right for the country, even when it is unpopular, not going to get you reelected, irritates your party, or breaks promises you made to get elected. The will to reduce the size, cost and role of the federal government, even though it means reducing their own power base. If I believe a candidate has this sort of character, I’m willing to accept most differences we may have on the issues.

chris, after Mr. Paul is out of the race, will we get a break from these video links?

Im not really sure what your getting at Hossman? He is everything you just said. Are the videos that bad? There is a good reason alot of this stuff is not on TV. Are these ideas wrong? What do you want from this country or its leaders? Do you think I should just shut up and go along with what our “leaders” tell us? Should I go and bust my ass every day at work, to accept what the govt allows me to keep after they are done taking what they want from me? Why are you so against him and these videos?
If you dont want to see the videos, dont watch them.

I am disappointed with everyone except Ron Paul. I found myself oddly confused and a bit uncomfortable at failing to find something wrong with his message. – I can’t find anything that doesn’t resonate with some form of ‘truth’ even if I don’t like that which is ‘truth’. I realized that my discomfort which would normally lead become suspicious was mostly the result of years and years of being accustomed to the unworthy, self-serving, two faced, secretive, manipulative, egocentric YET charismatic candidates we are forced to choose from. The very fact that such a man as Ron Paul has gained a platform is a direct indication of how the American people are feeling about EVERYTHING. You name it. Yes, I think we are quite through with the old ways. Pretty much everyone is getting the idea now that our government has been very busy doing a damn good job at keeping us in the dark about everything here and abroad. Only the jig is up when we turn around and don’t know why everyone hates us. We are not that gullible. All it takes is a short period before we put two and two together to realize our government has been up to no good all over the place and in our name. This is what I call injustice. We’ve got to take the government back and place in the hands they were meant for- the people. I suspect that in the early youthful days of this beautiful country this was how candidates were selected. I am SO sick of charisma and agendas and the friken secrecy. And I am sick and ashamed of falling for that garbage. Everything seems to be changing -chiefly the people. Ron Paul is a Republican and I used to be a Democrat till I declared long ago no association with any party. However, I am going behind the curtain again and voting for the man. We have massive egos running the country and that is very scary. It’s like they are having their own party and decided not to invite us anymore! ... it’s the other way around! It’s OUR party, OUR government, our rules. We choose who comes & goes, etc. Hey, I’d say the old ’ checks & balances’ engine has to be revised cause it’s not working.

ur a nutjob jaybee. LOL. Nice answer

Awe, Chris keep those video link coming. Post them generously. You will be appreciated later.
I have to say I’m still a little light headed from that profoundly moving comment Breedmitch made about the plight and struggles of the ‘single and unmarried people’ and their unrecognized ‘single values’.
I was truly perplexed and disoriented at first and momentarily felt myself loose hope of a better future. Though, I’m better now. And am reminded that there are all kinds of people on this earth and we all have a right to our opinions and points of views. It’s a beautiful thing… :-)

Reduce the size of federal government, reduce federal spending, reduce taxes.

Look, I’m single. I have no plans of marriage. I have no plans of raising children. And yet every candidate speaks only of what they would do to make our country better for our families (and that is something I am COMPLETELY in favor of.) All I’m saying is it would be nice to hear a candidate tell us how he/she is going to make America better for single people. I’d like equal time.
And dude, your tone is so condescending.

@breedmitch
I never really understood why the state needs to be involved when you get married. I always thought if was a religious ceremony. My dad is born again, and would never let my girlfriend stay over bc we weren’t married. My question to him was why do I have to get a license to say we are married? I love her and am faithful, but don’t have a marriage license. It just didn’t make sense to me.
The main benefit I see with marriage, is tax breaks. I think this is a big reason people somewhat rush to get married. Now look at the divorce rate. If we get rid of the Federal income tax, via Ron Paul, there would be no extra incentive to rush into marriage, and a single person wouldn’t need to get married to save some dough.

My main thing I look at is intelligence and steadfastness. I want my president to be SMART and able to stand up for what he/she believes in. Of course, I want to agree with them but honestly, I look for the first things first then get to what they stand for. No one can make decisions without knowledge.

chris, there is no federal tax break for those who are married, just the opposite, there are penalties.

The truth. As painful as it may be.

I look for the most liberal human being possible. It’d be nice if s/he were not in the pockets of big money donors, but that is unlikely to happen until federal elections are federally funded. I don’t see anyone completely satisfactory in the current crop, though I would settle for an Obama/Edwards ticket if I must. I like that Obama lived overseas as a kid and that Edwards openly talks about how shameful poverty is in a country with the resources of the U.S.

Hmmm… but Mr. Edwards doesn’t seem to be sharing any of his own bucks. . . still minimizing his income taxes by taking dividends rather than income. . . hello, this is mouth, where is money?

Solutions. I want to hear about solutions to problems and then decide if I think they are viable. Too bad most candidates only give theoretical ideas or wishy-washy rhetoric to win votes.

I reject the concept that the President’s duties include making everybody happy. Whatever happened to “I am not Santa Claus?” I don’t want my President to give one rat’s patootie about making me happy. We were guaranteed the right to pursue happiness, not an entitlement to happiness itself.

I want my President to do what is right, as best they possibly can, for the country. That might or might not include making me happy. In fact, a lot of the things that would make me happy would not be right for the country. I would like the right to paint ball every moron that insists on driving in the left lane next to, and never passing or falling behind, the car in the right lane. I would like the right to 24 hour Chinese takeout. I would like the right to lingering foot rubs from Jennifer Aniston. I’m not going to get any of these things, why should the rest of you be happy?

Part of what I think the President should be doing is making his job as unimportant as possible by making government as local as possible and only interfering with the private sector when absolutely necessary. But this “gimme” attitude, now adopted by both parties (O stingy Republicans, where art thou now?) is bankrupting us. Marcus Aurelius recognized that once the masses figured out they could use their voting power to elect representatives that pandered to the desires of the masses and not the needs of the society, the government was doomed, as politicians would provide bread and circuses to keep the public happy and keep their jobs. It worked then, its working now, but sooner or later the Goths, or Mongols, or Chinese, or somebody willing to work leaner comes in and pushes you off your fat behinds (and mine).

deep breaths hossman. deep breaths.

Oh, I wasn’t really ranting. Just writing vigorously. Thanks for the concern about my blood pressure, though.

And Jennifer’s here with a tube of rosemary/eucalyptus lotion, so. . . gotta go. That’s it, dig into the instep. . .

A gigantic penis. Hands down.