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frazzled

(18,402 posts)
2. "Character," not necessarily moral character, is important to me in voting
Mon Dec 11, 2017, 06:09 PM
Dec 2017

Morality is a squishy term, and we all have our own boundaries and definitions. For me, having an adulterous (consensual) affair? I don't care all that much. That's an issue between the congressperson and their spouse. Using one's power to abuse women, especially in the workplace? That's a big no no to me—I won't vote for that.

But character goes far beyond such issues of morality (especially private, not public sexual behavior). It of course demands a good degree of financial propriety; it includes honesty, treatment of others, and the kinds of issues the candidate has held to over the years, giving latitude for alterations due to societal changes. I always look back at candidates for consistency in their character over many years—have they devoted time to public service or worked in some way for the public interest? Have they maintained a good record? I don't care what they say they are for against when it comes time to campaign—promises, promises, as they say. I like to look deep into a candidates whole biography, the lives they have lived. And then I decide if they have shown good character. I look at that before I start looking at details of what they are campaigning on. Others' mileage may differ.

To me, Barack Obama was a paragon of "character" on both the personal and public level, beyond at least any president I have known in my lifetime. I looked back at his writings as a young man and saw the consistency in his attitudes and demeanor (not necessarily policy details). I sensed that because he was raised by a single mother and grandmother and had a strong wife and two daughters, that this was a man who respected women. I saw his deep thinking, his calm, his patience, and his pragmatism--all the while fighting to make steps toward his ideals. That's what I call character.

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