A piece written by Mark Hanson of the Practical Ethics Center at the University of Montana at the time of the last presidential election, which, in my mind is even more relevant today:

The techniques of the presidential campaign seem more designed to reinforce negative stereotypes and personality qualities as a way to rally the party and draw more members to its side. This makes the election as much about marketing as about platforms. It seems, then, that the candidate with the better personality and public relations firm has at least a strong a chance as the candidate with the most ethically defensible policies. And the marketing of a candidate depends on money—lots of it.

Democracy is not healthy under such conditions. Too much is at stake in the world for candidates not to be straightforward, and for voters to rely merely on party allegiance. To be sure, there are many good candidates running for office at all levels because they believe in honest public service. They make our job easier, and they should be commended. But as the stakes get higher, our job gets tougher. What can we do?

The challenge for the voter is to look past the techniques of political marketing to see what really matters. Policies do make a difference. Exercising true choice and asserting individuality means being mindful of the lenses through which we have come to interpret the world and asking ourselves how they may be distorting the truth. In some sense, we all ought to become independents, even if just for election day.

We also have to call our political leaders to account. Where democracy is being hindered—as it currently is by such moves as voter suppression, deception, and policies developed for big money donors—we need to speak up.

Our biggest responsibility is to vote for the candidates who best promote the values of democracy and the common good. We, the holders of our great democratic experiment, have an awesome responsibility to keep the government worthy of its people.

I added the emphasis above.

PLEASE VOTE TODAY AND VOTE THE ISSUES NOT THE PERSONALITIES.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive