Voter's Choice: Preparing for the 2008 Elections

The Wall Street Journal ran an article on January 2, 2007, entitled "An Epochal Battle." The author poses that the United States is in a rare political state in which neither the incumbent party of the executive branch, nor the majority power of the legislative branch, has a strong advantage with voters. With issues such as terrorism, the war in Iraq, and growing economic anxiety, the election looks to be anyone's guess yet.

Indeed, voters in the United States have a special opportunity to redirect the nation after a long Republican-dominated era, one whose issues have been occasionally muddled in a fast-evolving world. It goes without saying that as voters in the States, our votes in the 2008 elections will make a difference. What voters may not take time to realize, however, is that they have the chance in the months before the elections to redefine themselves politically - not just the nation. It is time that American voters take a good look at their own beliefs before those of presidential candidates. Here's how we can direct ourselves toward change.

The best first step in political reevaluation is self-awareness. This isn't about identifying party affiliations; it's about identifying issues that have personal importance. Make a list of all the political issues you can think of - from broad items such as foreign policy, to narrow items such as specific state rights. Once you've battered out all possibilities that initially come to mind, identify the ten most important to you. These items should be those that you are personally involved in, and those that have acted as deciding factors in your votes. Look at these ten issues now as your core values - leave the rest of the issues aside for later evaluation.

The second step is perhaps the easiest - establishing your current position on these issues. You may find some are easy to define as pro or con. Others may challenge you with ambiguities. Don't be afraid to write your opinion on trickier issues as "I think that . . ." or "I don't know." This step is only to identify your current inclinations.