The Politics of the Plate

Just came across this astonishing article in Gourmet. I should have known my winter rubies came at a price.

Mike's Blogging Debut: The Election

I have yet to blog, but I feel the election is important enough that I should throw it a bone, and, as a preamble, let me just say I am an independent, I think there is a lot of good on both sides of the aisle.

When working in D.C., I did a lot of editing for my boss who worked part-time as a political science professor for American University. I helped him with a book that he was writing that evaluated the US presidents from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush. Through the course of his research, he developed criteria for making political decisions that I found rather impressive, so much so that I have adopted his criteria for my own. It is as follows...

When choosing a president, evaluate each of these factors. Character, Policy, Politics, and Vision. While these inevitably overlap with one another, for me it help to look at them separately.

1. Character- Is the person honest and forthright.

Fo For me, I would be more comfortable with Jimmy Carter as president (who I feel was a good guy, but save camp David, did not leave a particularly notable legacy) compared to Richard Nixon or Bill Clinton, who have both proven less than honest.

I feel Obama is the stronger candidate in this regard. I think that to some degree you have to follow your gut in making this evaluation. I also take careful stock of each of the candidates' spouses. I feel much more comfortable with Michelle than Cindy. In addition, I think who each chose for his running mate is revealing. Truthfully I think both candidates are good, honest men; however, I lean towards Obama because of the way he has conducted himself in debates and been forthright about the issues.

Policy- What are the policies the candidate will push, especially foreign policy issues? How do they align with the policies I want to see realized?

This was the hardest decision for me; there are so many issues and some are much more salient than others. I strongly side with McCain on same-sex marriage, and abortion (with the circumstantial exceptions of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother). Likewise I agree with conservative judicial theory and would want to support a president that nominates conservative judges. I agree with both on issues of torture. On foreign policy issues, I tend to favor Obama. I feel he was one of the few politicians with the foresight to realize invading Iraq was premature at best. And now, I feel the time has come to withdraw troops, and I am pacified knowing General Powell feels the same way. I also side with Obama on some economic issues. I feel we have an obligation to take care of our poor. Sure there are those who take advantage of the system and the system is far from perfect, but I still maintain that it is a society's responsible to take care of the poor. Likewise on education, I think anyone who wants to should have the opportunity to go to college. I took out Pell Grants and I felt incredibly thankful for the opportunity and hope it such opportunities can be extended to more people. Needless to say, I feel torn as I evaluate the candidate on issues of policy. Because we have to be decisive on these issues, in the end I lean toward McCain’s policies.

3. Politics- How do they get the job done? Can they work with both sides?

Senator Hatch (the reddest of Republicans), told us during a group seminar that the best politician in the United States is without question Bill Clinton. He explained that Clinton worked with both sides the same way Ronald Regan did, and that in many ways his administration was much easier to work with than the current Bush administration.

I tend to favor Obama on this subject. I think he has the potential to be a great diplomat in a way that John McCain doesn’t. His tact and capacity for critical reasoning could serve us well, especially in the Middle East and Korea. I think he is a better communicator and in negotiation that is paramount.

4. Vision- where does he/she see the country going? What is the ideal America?

I admit I don’t know enough about either candidate to say definitively that they have x view of what America should be (Yes, I will be doing more research before I go to the polls). But I do know that both seek to create a unified America, which is a vision worth supporting.

Regardless of what happens, I will support the man in office. Nothing can damage an administration like the lack of support we have seen for the current one. When he steps into the office, he is my president and I feel he needs our support and prayers more than ever.

Now all you jive turkies get out there and vote!