Leave It Behind > Brian Bailey

Election Season: Party, Person, and Issues

Choosing a candidate for any office is a very personal decision and each of us goes about it differently. Sometimes, it's nothing more than which political party does he or she belong to. In other cases, especially if you happen to live in Iowa or New Hampshire, it's determined by your personal interaction with the candidate.

I wouldn't call myself an issues voter, which to me is one of the three main factors that affect how someone will vote. Is your vote determined primarily by party, person, or issues? In my early 20's, I considered myself a Republican, even to the point of making a small contribution which led to nearly five years of fundraising letters. Even though I've never voted for a Democrat, I now call myself an independent, so party is not a critical piece.

On issues, I remain generally conservative in the Reagan and Wall Street Journal editorial page sense. I find myself agreeing with most things written by Peggy Noonan and Bill Kristol (of the Weekly Standard and now, incredibly, the New York Times). But I have certainly become more of a moderate over time, mixing conservatism with bits of libertarian and liberal elements. If we were honest, we'd admit that most of the time our votes are motivated by frustration, and my frustration has increasingly been with both parties and that nebulous entity called Washington that seems so profoundly dysfunctional.

So, the deciding factor for me is often the person. This is where the Republican party has been so disappointing. In the last 12 years, there are have been so few national leaders that are truly dynamic, honorable, and inspiring. I tend to agree with Republican positions, but the way they are framed, the tactics used, and the people championing them make it hard to be enthusiastic. The endless personal (corruption, sex scandal, and family failures) and political hypocrisy (we're for limited government, reduced spending, and reform, except for when we're in power) doesn't help either. President Bush campaigned on being an open, bipartisan leader and though the Democrats certainly didn't help, he slowly succumbed to being satisfied with appealing to a smaller and smaller portion of his supporters.

This approach has infected the entire party (and to be fair, you see the same obsession with the base by the Democrats). Remember "Reagan Democrats"? Other than John McCain and maybe Rudy Giuliani, is there a national Republican who acts like they even want a Democrat or independent's vote? How about Hispanics and African-Americans? I thought it was pathetic when Democratic candidates refused to participate in a Fox News debate (let's see, you'll meet with Hugo Chavez but not Brit Hume?), but worse was the major Republican candidates skipping a PBS debate focusing on minority issues.

Looking toward the next president, most conservatives and Republicans I talk to still believe in the ideas and principles of the party, but wonder why we can't have a leader who makes the best case for them, who can sell them vigorously to the country, and lead and inspire the whole country.

I don't have a litmus test for candidates and simply answering correctly to a multiple choice list of issues doesn't determine my vote. I'm looking for a leader I can truly respect, whose judgement I can trust, and who will lead the entire country in a way that will bring us together to tackle big problems in a new way.

Next up, a look at the major candidates.

Election Season: How I Got Here

Before I write about this year's race, here's an overview of my political background. I grew up in Michigan, lived briefly in Chicago after college, and have lived in Texas ever since. Politics wasn't a big part of my childhood until my teenage years. I remember Reagan being elected in 1980 and being happy about it. I was much more interested in 1984 and by that time was a huge fan of both Reagan and Alex P. Keaton. I also started subscribing to National Review, reading William F. Buckley books, and rushing home from church on Sundays to watch Firing Line. By the time I graduated high school, I called myself a conservative and a Republican, and would happily argue with anyone who wasn't (which included my oldest sister).

My problem, like a lot of Republicans, is that no one has ever matched Reagan or those dramatic eight years. Reagan was certainly flawed, but he was a towering figure of big ideas, conviction, trust and goodwill. During the 1988 primaries, I was an early supporter of Jack Kemp and was disappointed when George Bush won the nomination. He was an easy choice over Michael Dukakis, though.

Bush's four years seem terribly competent in retrospect, but I was mostly dissatisfied. I thought the Gulf War was an impressive achievement, but was very frustrated with Bush's reluctance to tackle anything substantial on the domestic front. There didn't seem to be any real reason to run again. Plus, he refused to replace Dan Quayle (the Bush family loyalty has proven more harmful than good).

To make my dissatisfaction clear, I joined 19% of my fellow Americans in voting for Ross Perot in 1992. A little hard to believe, and embarrassing, upon reflection. It's my version of experimenting with drugs in college. I wasn't willing to vote for a Democrat, but Perot was just credible enough for me to justify my protest vote.

The Republican field in 1996 was very disappointing, and that included Senator Dole, the eventual nominee. I admit to enjoying the constant political story that was the Clinton years, but I still voted for Dole in the end.

The 2000 Republican primary was the first time I signed up to support a candidate - Senator John McCain. I liked Governor Bush, but I had lived in Texas the entire time he was governor and wasn't aware of anything he had done that would make him a likely choice for president (other than win two statewide elections).

McCain was the first Republican candidate since Reagan that I believed in. I appreciated his willingness to work with Democrats and be civil with his opponents. I thought he would attract wide support like no other Republican and could unite the country. I volunteered for the campaign, watched every debate, reveled in his New Hampshire victory and was very disappointed when he left the race weeks later. The Bush campaign had more money, institutional support, and spin ("A Reformer with Results"), but I remain convinced that McCain would have been a better president.

I voted for Bush in 2000 and again in 2004. I wasn't particularly excited about those votes, but I knew I couldn't vote for Al Gore ("No controlling legal authority...") or John Kerry. For me, the only exciting political moment of 2004 was a speech at the Democratic Convention by a skinny kid with a funny name.

Next up, issues and candidates.

Election Season

I've written a lot about the presidential race over the past few months. Now, that the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary are just days away, it's time to take a stand. Over the next couple of days, I'll share a little bit about my political background, my thoughts on the race, choice for president, and predictions. Then, join me on twitter Thursday night to follow the Iowa results live.

I have no illusions of my influence, but I think it's a healthy thing for each of us to take a good look at the candidates and choose sides. And I think a lot about the example I set for my son. It's been wonderful to share the campaign with him, and he may have caught a little of the political bug from me, but I don't want him to see politics as a spectator sport to be enjoyed from the sidelines, perpetually unsatisfied and free of risk or responsibility.

More tomorrow!

Introducing Family Reads!

Our new family project, Family Reads, is now live! We launched early this morning. Visit www.familyreads.com to get the scoop.

What is Family Reads? A fun site all about the best books for kids. Lori, Ben and I not only all love books, but we love reading books with each other and sharing them with friends. Finding the best books can be a challenge, though. Lori spends hours upon hours scouring Amazon, book lists, and catalogs to find the  truly special ones. It's like living with a children's librarian!

Over the years, we've often bought books for families and friends of Ben, and we inevitably hear, "How did you find this book? I've never heard of it!" or "My daughter doesn't usually like to read, but she loved that book."

We want to share those books and our love for reading with you, along with many clever ideas to help make reading a quiet refuge in your family's busy life. That's why we started Family Reads.

We would also love to include your contributions. We're even supporting a fantastic non-profit through the site. You can find all of the details and much more on the site.

Whenever I think about a blog, I always remember Scoble's idea that the best blogs are passionate and authoritative. We hope Family Reads is a fun, helpful destination for you and your family.

» Visit FamilyReads.com!

Coming Soon

On December 26th, the Bailey's are launching a new project. It's an idea that came to us over six months ago. From the first time the three of us talked about it, we knew we had to do it. We've been working on it on and off ever since and are almost ready to go live. We can't wait to share it with you.

The project has been a huge amount of fun, since it's something we've all been able to work on together. In fact, my 12-year old son, Ben, came up with the name and is doing much of the work. Actually, if I had listened to his advice from the beginning, we most likely would already be live!

So, what is it? I'm sworn to secrecy, but if you read this Publishers Weekly article, you'll start to get the idea.

More to come in just 3 days!

twitterpated

I've been spending a lot of time with Twitter of late. You'll find updates, short thoughts and ideas, and links at twitter.com/bb. It's a quick and easy complement to the blog. If you're on Twitter, stop by and say hello.

Here's the twitterpated definition in case you're curious.

Huckabee in a landslide

The votes are in and Governor Mike Huckabee has won a decisive victory for best Christmas commercial! Here's a pretty graph to prove it.

Thanks to everyone who voted or left a comment; the results were very instructive.

First, nearly everyone's favorite commercial was done by their favorite candidate. In a way, this should be obvious, but I still found it surprising. It's instructive to realize that when you're watching a speech or commercial by your candidate and thinking, "How could anyone not like this guy?", others are wondering how anyone could. Once you've found a candidate whose message you connect with, you view everything about that person and his or her opponents through a filter. It's rare that another candidate is going to break through that.

Second, Governor Huckabee has attracted a lot of support, particularly among Christians. Again, this certainly isn't news in Iowa, where he now leads, but I'm surprised to see how widespread it is. I have no numbers to back this up, but presumably a high percentage of readers of this blog are Christians, particularly people involved in ministry in one way or another. Many of you have apparently found a lot to like about the governor.

And which was my favorite? The Obama video. I enjoyed it's simplicity (notice there is no background music) and having the entire family be part of it (and not just as decoration). I also loved it's hopeful spirit, that there might be more that unites us than divides us.

I appreciated John Edwards' emphasis on the least of these and Huckabee definitely comes across well. However, I'm not a fan of politicians who pour themselves into a campaign for president, than suddenly step back and say, "I bet you're tired of all this. And you know what, so am I." It strikes me as a ploy to seem above it all.

I laughed at both the Giuliani and Clinton ads, but they also reminded me why I don't want either one of them to be president. I know that the commercials are supposed to be humorous, but there's always some truth behind good humor. Both of these ads strike me as very arrogant, as if either of these flawed human beings can "give us" anything. Rather than talking about what we can accomplish together as a country, they have the feel of a king or queen making promises to the peasants. Again, this would be funnier to me if I didn't believe that both of them largely see the world that way.

Here's one more Christmas ad, this one for John McCain.

Vote for your favorite Christmas campaign commercial

Here are the first five Christmas-themed commercials from the presidential campaign. Each provides an interesting look at the candidate. Which one works for you? After you watch, you can vote here. I'll post my opinion late tomorrow, along with the totals, so I don't skew the results.

Barack Obama

Rudy Giuliani

John Edwards

Hillary Clinton

Mike Huckabee

Now, go vote already!

The latest from the trail

» Mitt Romney is on Meet the Press for the full hour tomorrow, the last major candidate to appear before the voting begins. After National Review's endorsement of Romney, the various questions being raised about Huckabees past statements and actions, and the continued decline of support for Mayor Giuliani, Romney still has an opportunity to present himself as the best, most electable, conservative in the race.

» Where Bloomberg Fits in Election from the WSJ.

Those close to Mr. Bloomberg said the 65-year-old billionaire is considering a White House bid, despite his repeated denials. Moreover, friends and advisers said, developments make a candidacy more conceivable.

» The Gospel of Paul by Kimberley Strassel for the WSJ.

If Mr. Paul has shown anything, it's that many conservative voters continue to doubt there's anything "heroic" or "compassionate" in a ballooning government that sucks up their dollars to aid a dysfunctional state.

» Saint Barack of Iowa by Stephen F. Hayes for The Weekly Standard. Excellent look at Obama's campaign and speeches from a conservative viewpoint.

Obama's inexperience is actually the flip-side of a positive quality: He is fresh and voters believe that he is more likely to bring real change to Washington than the other two senators.

» When you hit the top of the polls, the in-depth profiles are never far away. Governor Mike Huckabee is the subject of two lengthly articles this week: The Huckabee Factor from the NYT Magazine and A Pastor's True Calling from Newsweek.

» A couple of friends have asked whether I've chosen a candidate or not, and whether I'd announce my choice here, while others have politely wondered how many more political posts they should expect to read here on Leave It Behind (followed immediately by a sympathetic "not that there's anything wrong with that!" worthy of Seinfeld). More on both of these questions soon!

Ringtones for your iPhone, on the cheap

Fun, fun, and more fun! Apple released an update to GarageBand today that allows you to create custom ringtones for your iPhone. Now, you can have the exact ringtone you want, from any song you want, for free.

Apple's instructions try very hard to leave the impression that this is designed for music you've created yourself, but the fact is you can drop any MP3 into Garageband, pick the excerpt you want, and then click a single menu item - Send Ringtone to iTunes. It couldn't be any easier (note: songs you've purchased from iTunes won't work). Now you know what I'll be doing late into the night - deciding which song best matches which friend!

Here's lifehacker's step-by-step instructions.