Send in the puppeteers

I don't "do" political polls.

What I really want, is a candidate who knows his/her own mind - and speaks it - without changing it to match whatever "public interest topic" is the coup du jour of that campaign stop. This "all things to all voters" doesn't cut it with me. I value consistency. The things one stands for should be the same no matter what the circumstances, or what interest group one is speaking with.

I want to see representatives who tell us what they believe, and hold to be important. I don't want someone who polls us to tell them what they should stand for. (especially since that can change according to whomever they are talking to at the moment.) If a politician's stance closely matches mine, that person has my vote. If it doesn't, they don't. And if their stance changes according to how the wind is blowing that day, I tend to vote against them even if I don't agree completely with their opponent. As I said, I value consistency - I want to know what to expect, good and bad, from the people I help elect.

Because a campaign promise should be more than, as Bill Clinton once said, "just something everyone knows you need to say to get elected."