Letter: Criteria for judging candidates

I’ve been thinking about how I choose election candidates.

1. I pay close attention to where and who the money comes from to support a campaign. I don’t pay much attention to the words that the money buys.

2. I pay attention to the candidates’ résumés, to see how they put have their values into action.

3. I pay attention to truth scores from several fact-checking organizations.

4. I listen for cognitive dissonance in campaign rhetoric — how closely a candidate’s words align with their actions over time. When they change positions, I try to discern whether that change stems from personal growth or election strategy.

5. There are “lies, damn lies, and statistics.” I take all numbers with a grain of salt.

Then I pray that the winners in this election, regardless of party affiliation, truly have made the “common welfare” of the all the people in this country their highest priority. (And that may involve the economy, but no way is it synonymous with the economy).

Patty Page

Vancouver