WHO SHOULD I VOTE FOR??
I have friends and family on both sides of the political spectrum with very strong opinions about who they (and apparently I ) should vote for in the upcoming presidential election. Personally I have never before felt so strongly the weight of my vote. Not so much because I think it will make that big of a difference—living in a state that always swings democratic takes some of the pressure off—but because I feel a strong moral imperative to do my due diligence in supporting the person that I think is most fit for the job.
Most of you know that I am a faithful (though imperfect) member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and as such I often seek counsel from scripture and leaders of our faith. As I have wrestled with my decision I sought guidance from our Church Handbook of Instruction which states:
In accordance with the laws of their respective governments, members are encouraged to register to vote, to study issues and candidates carefully, and to vote for individuals whom they believe will act with integrity and sound judgment. Latter-day Saints have a special obligation to seek out, vote for, and uphold leaders who are honest, good, and wise (see Doctrine and Covenants 98:10).
While affirming the right of expression on political and social issues, the Church is neutral regarding political parties, political platforms, and candidates for political office. The Church does not endorse any political party or candidate. Nor does it advise members how to vote.
I take seriously this mandate and I take exception with those of my faith who profess to tell others how they should vote or make assertions that “faithful members” should vote for a particular candidate. I also believe that the counsel given could aptly apply not just to members of my faith, but to all who are participating in the voting process. After all, don’t we all want leaders who are “honest, good, and wise?”
The trick is trying to figure out exactly who that is. It’s no secret that the media is biased. (I joke that every day I read CNN and Fox News and then try to find the truth somewhere in the middle.) Numbers can be skewed, news clips are spliced together to present a biased viewpoint and the amount of factually wrong memes, youtube compilations and quotes that are making the rounds on social media is exhausting.
So where does that leave me? I decided that the most unbiased information I could get comes from, for lack of a better phrase, “straight from the horse’s mouth.”
Enter, Twitter.
The beauty of Twitter is that these are tweets put out by the individual themselves. (I realize we could make a case that the tweets are molded and fashioned by writers or PR teams but unless I happen to get invited to brunch with President Trump or Joe Biden, this is the closest I can get to what they actually are saying.)
So I did a little research. And I found it super fascinating. I’m not going to tell you my thoughts on the candidates at this time—I don’t want to bias you. But there is something about reading exactly what each one of the puts out there that is quite eye opening. In all honesty, it’s been the most helpful thing I’ve found so far to help me in my quest to “seek out, vote for, and uphold leaders who are honest, good, and wise.”
Perhaps you are interested as well. If so, I’ve compiled the links I used here. Happy reading!
Trump’s Current Twitter Feed: https://twitter.com/potus?lang=en
Site that has categorized President Trump’s Tweets: http://www.trumptwitterarchive.com
Deleted Trump Tweets:
https://projects.propublica.org/politwoops/user/realDonaldTrump?page=2
Deleted Biden Tweets: https://projects.propublica.org/politwoops/user/JoeBiden?page=2
Archive of Biden’s Tweets from presidency: https://twitter.com/vp44?lang=en
Biden’s current tweets: https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
(I looked for a site that categorized Joe Biden’s tweets but have not yet found it. If you track one down, I would love to see it!)
Note: lest you think that I am strictly using Twitter as my voting barometer, rest assured that I'm studying up on the platforms and policies as well. But those Twitter feeds...they are fascinating...
*Photo Credit: Clouds In Bloom Photography
