I:DEA 3 – I Swear I’ve Never Pledged

Independents have another unique position in the electoral process besides being independent. They don’t have to drink the Kool-Aid that the party faithful eagerly consume as if the tenets of party ideology were the essence of life that you can’t survive without. So when candidates come forth to compete for the favor and endorsement of the party’s core, Independents can see if a candidate steps forward eagerly or reluctantly kowtow to the imperative of signing some moronic pledge to one insipid concept or principle or another.

It’s not that taking a position or stance on an issue or policy is a bad thing for a candidate to do. Having a position would actually be expected of candidates. The problem with ‘taking the pledge’ is that it demonstrates a weakness of mind and leadership. Not exactly what you want in your elected officials. The problem with ‘the pledge’ is that it is defined by someone else, not the candidate; it is established to constrain and confine the thoughts and actions of the candidates, to make them conform; and here is the really bad part, it implies that the candidate is less qualified to use their judgment on an issue than the person who crafted the pledge. The reason for the candidate to sign the pledge is obvious. What it says about the candidate’s principles and values is inconsistent with and unworthy of an American leader, particularly one that the nation needs to rely on to address the difficult and thorny problems confronting us. Clearly the Edmund Burke sentiment applies here.

So Independents should be looking for a candidate that does not relinquish their ability to have the options of using their judgment after engaging in thorough and informed discussion of an issue. Someone who hasn’t pre-judged the answer to a problem before they even know the question and the consequences of applying that answer to the specific issue presented by the world and reality. A candidate that is deserving of an Independent’s votes ought to be someone whose judgment you would trust as being rendered from their intelligence and wisdom. Independents are hopefully looking for someone who is smarter than they are. Who would elect someone less intelligent than their self? History doesn’t give us a lot of comfort here.

When offered the option to pledge, what should a smart politician do? Well, they should lead for one; and then they should ask the obvious questions. Now it seems to me that the politicians don’t seem to know the obvious questions; which incidentally is not a good sign. Don’t you think it’s time that Independents started asking the candidates these questions though?

Independents! Rise up and demand an explanation of why a candidate thought signing a pledge was a sign of leadership, and why they didn’t see the fallacy of their pledge? Then follow-up and ask the questions that illustrate the imprudence of their decision.