What are your political priorities?

[ADoyle90815]

For me, my big concerns are reproductive rights and single payer healthcare beyond what Obamacare has done. I'm independent, but at this rate, I'm voting for the Democratic nominee because the Republicans scare the crap out of me, especially Trump. On the Democratic side, I like Martin O'Malley as to me, he's more of a compromise between Hillary and Bernie Sanders.

[ShepherdontheRock]

So interesting to learn everyone's priorities!

Right now I am favoring (in no particular order):

1)candidates that would not put the next Scalia/Thomas/Alito in the Supreme Court if(quite probably when) notorious RBG either dies or has to step down due to health problems...

2)candidates that respect Roe vs. Wade/ abortion rights in general. See above.

3)candidates that read the "well-regulated" part of the second amendment. Ideally, this would mean pushing for closing gun show loopholes, background checks, banning automatic weapons, and other restrictions on firearms.

4)candidates that do not believe we need to bomb the hell out of the "enemy" (cough, Trump, cough Cruz)

5)candidates that would not try too hard to compromise with people who are on a scorched-earth policy (what disappointed me about Barack Obama)

6)candidates that want to do something about climate change

Honestly, I can't say there are any specific deal breakers* (ie I'll never vote for someone who supports X,) because I feel like every candidate in this election is somehow problematic in a certain way. I tend to look at candidates as a whole and what I think they'll operate like in the white house, rather than their public image**, or their positions on one thing in particular. I don't like viewing candidates in the light of one or two issues, because I think a lot of these are intertwined in more ways than we think, and to quote Audre Lorde "There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives."

I've never voted for a Republican in my short time as a voter, and identify as solidly left leaning (by US standards, at least) for the most part, but I have some individual views on things (such as fiscal policy) that I think are more centrist or even conservative than a lot of my liberal peers. Of course, a lot of my peer group is actually fairly radical... I'm low key planning to vote for Hillary, barring any legitimate scandals...

*Okay, I lied. I'd never vote for someone who supports child abusers. But let's be real, I don't think I was ever going to vote for Mike Huckabee anyway

**I try not to take in consideration when choosing a candidate "Trump seems angry all the time" "Hillary Clinton is a sleazy bitch." "Bernie seems really nice! And he would stand up for the PEOPLE!" Dubya seemed like a nice guy, and look what happened there.

[sparkles]

Healthcare, education reform including greater emphasis on science and technology, reproductive rights, equal rights, racial issues, equal justice, climate change and the environment, foreign affairs, privacy (ha!)… necessarily in that order because they're all equally important. The older I get, the more liberal I become. 

Oh, and a complete overhaul of our divisive two-party political system.

[GiggleOfGirls]

In no particular order:

Reproductive rights, social justice, racial issues, environmental issues, right to privacy (against Patriot Act-type measures), anti-interventionist in other countries, pro-taxes going towards helping people, anti-corporate welfare, and pro-ending the war on drugs (at the very least marijuana). 

So... I usually vote 3rd party. 

[Tdoc72]

will be voting Dem for:

1--protecting my federal union job

2--women's rights

3--possible Supreme Court nominees

4--education spending

5--keeping Obamacare & welfare

6--lgbt equality

& 7--war/bombs/military involvement being a last resort instead of immediate decision

 

I like some of each of HRC's & Sanders' platforms, but probably lean more toward HRC.  I think she'll have a hard time like Obama w/getting any help from across the aisle, but Bernie would have it even harder. 

I don't agree w/most Repubs on much so I guess I'd say John Kasich might be the lesser of all evils.  I despise Trump & Ted Cruz.

 

 

 

[sisterwives]

I'm not sure if I will be voting this election because my views tend to be pretty far left. But my priorities are anti capitalism/imperialism/interventionism, free education and protecting public universities against budget cuts, immigration reform, reproductive rights, gun control, cutting funding to Israel, and issues relating to Latinos (abuse by ICE, deportation, etc)

No candidate really agrees with all my views so I have no idea who I'd vote for really.

[THERetroGamerNY]

All I care about is foreign policy, and not a single one of these twerps has a solid grasp on that - and what they have said is either outright stupid, or dangerous.

Like how several of them said they would "carpet bomb the heck out of ISIS" - there's no such thing as "carpet bombing"!

I'm with sisterwives: Not voting. I'm not throwing my own personal ethos out the window to vote for people I have zero faith in.

[Mrsaztx]

This most recent debate was nice without trump, you really got to hear what is important to the candidates. Ted Cruz is awful in every realm, Rubio leaned waaaay too hard on religion, i believe it was Kasich who wouldn't answer the question about leaving abortion up to the states, Christie answers every question with "Hillary is bad, here's why", I appreciate that Jeb said we can't hate on all Muslims because we need Muslims to fight ISIS, and Carson seems to have been paid by SNL to take a dive so they would have ample fodder for sketches. I so wish we could immediately elementary any candidate who outright says "I will put my religion before the constitution", but that seems to be what people want to hear for some crazy pants reason (hey guys, that's how you get ISIS, religion coming before the laws of the country)

[medimus]

I can't believe it's time for another election again. Ans we're already talking about it, the news website here already has a dedicated page for the american elections and they're still 7 months away! They don't have a page up for the federal elections here that long in advance!

I really, truly hate the winner takes all system in the US, but I'll be voting in a swing state for the first time this year, so I'l going to vote. I much prefer our system of tons of parties who have to work together because nobody has an outright majority ever (there are just too many parties), plus small parties take part in government and a small party can suddenly become a big one from one election to the next.

Also look at the 'spread' of candidates in the US this year, they're all the same: http://www.politicalcompass.org/uselection2016

If you look at 2012; http://www.politicalcompass.org/uselection2012

2008: http://www.politicalcompass.org/uselection2008

and 2004: http://www.politicalcompass.org/uselection2004

The spread of opinions has really narrowed dramaticaly;

 

Anyway priorities: women's and minorities rights, socialist welfare state (schools, healthcare, public transport etc) and environmental policy, those off the top of my head. 

I've just learnt that one of the republican candidates was born in canada? I didn't think you could be president if you'd been born outside the US even if you were american. 

[Mrsaztx]

Isidewith.com is an interesting little quiz that tells you who you align with on a plethora of issues. Turns out I need to vote for Bernie. Thankfully Cruz ended up at the bottom of my list

[sawasdee]

1 hour ago, Mrsaztx said:

 I so wish we could immediately elementary any candidate who outright says "I will put my religion before the constitution", but that seems to be what people want to hear for some crazy pants reason (hey guys, that's how you get ISIS, religion coming before the laws of the country)

ELEVENTY!!!111!!!!111!!!!! When did religion become the be all and end all of the GOP? Saying that you would put your religion before the constitution should immediately disqualify you from standing, as it means you will not only be ignoring the separation of church and state  but also disenfranchising those who do not share your particular brand of belief.

[Sundaymorning]

16 minutes ago, Mrsaztx said:

Isidewith.com is an interesting little quiz that tells you who you align with on a plethora of issues. Turns out I need to vote for Bernie. Thankfully Cruz ended up at the bottom of my list

This quiz is interesting to say at least. I took it, despite the fact that I don't really know all that much about some domestic political issues, and I got Clinton 85%, Sanders 81% and Bush 80%.

I looked how they weighted the answers, and I often said: yes, but... or no, but... and the sentence behind the but was acutally an important condition, but they simply put my statement and the statements of other candidates under: issues we side on, despite the fact that I didn't give the same answer as them. For example, they counted yes and every statement yes, but... as agreement, although they often don't really say the same.

[Mrsaztx]

9 minutes ago, Sundaymorning said:

This quiz is interesting to say at least. I took it, despite the fact that I don't really know all that much about some domestic political issues, and I got Clinton 85%, Sanders 81% and Bush 80%.

I looked how they weighted the answers, and I often said: yes, but... or no, but... and the sentence behind the but was acutally an important condition, but they simply put my statement and the statements of other candidates under: issues we side on, despite the fact that I didn't give the same answer as them. For example, they counted yes and every statement yes, but... as agreement, although they often don't really say the same.

I don't think I answered the simple yes or no's on many, mostly just the "should the government fund planned parenthood" (yes, no caveat) should gay marriage be legal (yes, no caveat), should assisted suicide be legal (yep). Beyond those, I think most of the questions were much more nuanced than a yes or no

 

[Sundaymorning]

6 minutes ago, Mrsaztx said:

I don't think I answered the simple yes or no's on many, mostly just the "should the government fund planned parenthood" (yes, no caveat) should gay marriage be legal (yes, no caveat), should assisted suicide be legal (yep). Beyond those, I think most of the questions were much more nuanced than a yes or no

 

Questions like the Planned Parenthood one show why I don't really like simple quizzes like that. I like to look at the bigger picture.

Generally, in an ideal world, I would say that the government shouldn't fund any private organisations at all. But, the reason why some conservatives don't want the government to give any money to PP is simply because they want to take freedoms away from women, they hate the fact that it offers abortions, birth control and such, and therefore, they try this dirty trick to get their way. They don't care about other organisations, they just want to enforce their own values upon others. Government, lead by conservatives, also made it very difficult in some states to get an abortion, activists harass doctors and women, so PP is often one of the only places a woman can go to. Therefore, I absolutely support government funding in this case.

[Pupalup]

Raising minimum wage, reproductive rights, lgbt rights, gun control, affordable education.

Someone who's pro marijuana legalization/drug policy reform would be a plus but I'm not going to be one of those people who votes for a candidate just because they support it.

[IWriteFeministStuff]

I'm Canadian (and looking at the current state of US politics, I'm extremely grateful I wasn't born south of the border), so that's that context where my priorities come from. 

In no particular order:

1. Protecting Canada's universal healthcare system and adding coverage for prescriptions and dental care to it

2. Raising the minimum wage and implementing a universal guaranteed income

3. Making post-secondary education more affordable (and ideally free)

4. Adding gender identity and gender expression to the list of protected grounds in the federal Human Rights Act

5. Protecting reproductive rights and expanding access to abortion in places like Atlantic Canada, the Arctic, and rural areas

6. Implementing ALL of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report

7. Doing more to protect the environment than just paying lip service to the issue

[Mama Mia]

My biggest priorities involve a shot at a basic, decent standard of living for everyone. So single payer health care, tuition free university/ technical training, affordable housing, end to mass/ differential incarceration. 

I strongly believe the government should provide an expanded base of universal services with a combination of cuts in redundant beuracracy, close of loopholes, incentives/penalties for moving jobs oversees and some rise in taxes. Climate change and the environment are other priorities and I think another good use of tax dollars would be investment in those areas - in particular in developing green jobs.

Once the basics are covered I think the economy would actually expand, making the system manageable and promoting individual entreupeneurs. 

I generally rate as a libertarian socialist on those sorts of quizzes.

 

[EmmieJ]

The issues of most concern to me are:  the environment; a woman's right to make her own health care decisions every step of the way; improving our education system; making college affordable*, breaking up the big banks, stop criminalizing marijuana, stop the for-profit prison system, an overhaul of our police departments (I think we've seen that letting the police police themselves is not working), keeping church and state separate, either expanding Medicare to be available to all, or otherwise expanding Obamacare into a single payer system.

We pay plenty of taxes right now - and a vast amount of that money is wasted on defense appropriations.  I'm all for fully funding our military and our V.A. system - but I am strongly opposed to so many programs to build more and more bombs, build multi-billion dollar stealth planes and the like.  There is a ton of money that just disappears into the black hole referred to as the military industrial complex.  Take some of that money and spend it on repairs to our infrastructure (which would then provide more jobs and safer roads and bridges), spend it on education, spend it on greatly reducing the cost of state colleges and universities, etc.  There is a ton of money but most of it is funneled into the war machine and I'd like to see that change.

[Lillybee]

I did that test and I came out a 97% Bernie Sanders supporter; but then I am an old hippie.  I am against any candidate who wants to return us to being a Christian nation. I have a huge fear of patriachary.

[AlysonRR]

My priorities, in no particular order, are education, scientific research, women's rights over their own body, decreasing military involvement overseas and therefore military spending, decreasing income inequality by increasing taxes on income over some amount ($250K?), universal health care.

I'm sure there's more, but those are the aspects on which I concentrate when reviewing politicians and their alignment to my views.

[notfundy]

Thinking about politics this morning after watching that debacle of a Republican Debate last night.  

Any discussion that included one candidate accusing another of saying he'd "drop his pants and moon everybody" has my attention!  (see my post under "Trump" in Quiver Full of Politics")

1)  Decent health care for all through whatever method makes the most sense.  We are the only first-world country where health insurance is tied to employment - where you work, if you work.   Huh?  

2)  Income inequality, to be addressed via some tax reform and adjustment of minimum wage, perhaps enhancing the EIC (earned income credit) even considering a "basic income" for all.  Carefully designed, this could work.  Paul Ryan is even talking about this!  Of course, as much of a Republican as he is, now the far right says he's a RINO.  WTF.  

3)  Focus on education 

4) Improve our infrastructure:  airports, railroads, high-speed trains, bridges... you name it, it's falling apart.  It would be an  stimulus to the economy to have the government invest in fixing infrastructure (this worked on a limited scale in 2008-09 but didn't get any press or support after the midterms in 2010)

5)  Fix immigration.   Immigration has always been a net positive for our country over many years.  And if you look at the facts, people are NOT streaming over our borders during the Obama administration... numbers from Mexico are actually down.  STOP THE FEAR MONGERING!  

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

One ultimately shut down the tea party and send them back to their underground bunkers where they belong.  I'm sick of the bickering and these fools who hate government and run because they say it is broken then get elected and proceed to break it to prove they are right.  , 

I'm also very concerned about reproductive rights, and the rights of women to be autonomous and not beholden to men for their survival.

The environment, if I want my kids to be able to have kids and my grand kids to have kids and a clean planet to live on we have to do something about it now.

Heathcare, we need to fix it.  Either single payer or take the profit out of insurance. 

Get rid of "right to work" laws, they rig an already rig system in favor of the rich. Also fix the tax code,not sure if a progressive tax would work in reality, but one were the more you make the higher percentage you pay.  Get rid of loopholes for the rich and corporations. 

Over turning Citizens United and getting that damned money out of politics, Sheldon Addleson and the Koch bros should NOT be allowed to buy America for their servitude. 

Infrastructure, not sure how much longer our bridges, roads, water facilities, and other utilities can last with out complete failure. Also making internet a utility. 

More money for Education.

Better immigration rules/laws.  Fine business for hiring illegal workers. allowing for more work visas. But also require all immigrants to learn English and our culture as part of the naturalization process and help them succeed in our country and not be taken advantage of by crooked employers/individuals.  

This is all I have off the top of my head. 

[NakedKnees]

I consider myself fairly far leftist, although I'll hear out and consider just about anything. In approximate order, the most important issues to me are:

• Closing the income gap and alleviating US poverty. Related: raising minimum wage, taxing the wealthy.
• Environmental sustainability. Electing someone who follows the guidance of scientific experts- not doomsday religious types, and not corporate interests. Investing in environmentally friendly technologies and companies.
• Foreign policy. Ending/preventing wars that involve us. I'm SO not well-educated in that area, but I feel it's important.
• Addressing violence in the US, including gun control, police abuses, street and domestic violence, etc.
• Reproductive justice, a phrase that I prefer over "pro-choice." Not just the ability to choose legal abortion, but access to birth control, sex/birth control education, support for women who choose to carry pregnancies to term, and focus on the reproductive rights of imprisoned, detained, and undocumented women. 
• Continuing to expand healthcare access.
• Criminal justice reform. Decriminalizing marijuana (within reason/treating it more like alcohol), ending for-profit prison systems, creating rehabilitation programs and supporting convicts' re-entrance into society.
• Education reform. Supporting professional teachers to do their jobs at the grade-school level, and some more student loan debt forgiveness (I like how the UK does it).
• Religion left as far out of all of these discussions as possible (I know this one is tricky and subjective, but I'd like a president that can keep their beliefs to themselves, and when they need to voice them, doing so in the most universal terms possible).

Racial, ethnic, religious, sexuality, ability, and gender-based discrimination issues are all very important to me across the board, but I didn't give them bullet points because they weave in and out of just about all of this.

Something else that is important to me in a candidate is sheer experience- that's why I don't write off Hilary completely. I view voting a bit like I view hiring, and a President's resume should matter. I'd want someone who understands US and Global Politics and can choose a decent cabinet of experts. I had no trust in Trump on this level early on, before his scathing -isms started really coming out. Now I'm just horrified at him and his fans.

[feministxtian]

1, Universal Health Care

2. strengthen education - get rid of any biblical "creation science" bullshit

3. Raise Minimum Wage

4. cut federal student loan rates

5. Invest in infrastructure - bridges, roads, mass transit (HUGE job creator)

6. Resurrect the space program (over 400,000 jobs created during the Apollo program)

7. Protect women's rights (choice, contraception, wage equality)

8. Stay the hell out of Middle East issues...we have no business over there

9. Demand an audit of the DoD

10. Cut the F-35 program, the plane is a piece of shit

11. Strengthen unions and apprenticeships (taking the test for IUOE Building Inspector apprentice one week from tomorrow)

12. Get rid of "right to work" laws because they're bullshit

These are what I can think of right now...and I'm buzzed on Percoset b/c my back is being a little bitch.