The Candidates

Did you know there are actually THREE candidates/parties that may appear on your ballot this November?

Of course, there is our current president Barack Obama and our VP Joe Biden.  If you're one of those "I don't like him" people but can't really put a finger on why, your challenge for today is to visit this campaign site and hear what they offer...and I'd love to hear WHY "you don't like him", also.
[COMMENTARY] In a future post, I will tell you why I do : )

From a brief glance at this campaign site, much attention is given to what Mr. Obama has already accomplished. In the Issues->Jobs/Economy site for instance there are a number of graphs provided by the non-partisan Department of Labor demonstrating the progress he has made in improving the private sector job outlook. I am the first to admit that stats aren't always what they seem, so go investigate what the Department of Labor says for yourself.

The Republican ticket includes Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.  Their campaign site is. of course, http://www.mittromney.com .  Under issues, I again selected "Jobs" where you can view a summary of his proposed plan to get us back to work. If you want to know more about Paul Ryan's views you can select his name above to go to his House page. While he is now the VP candidate, it's important, I think, to get a picture of his views as a Congressman.  Should Mitt Romney get elected but later not be available-Mr. Ryan would become our President. [COMMENTARY] As mentioned above, just as I will share why I like Mr. Obama, I will also tell you why this ticket will not be getting my vote.

OK, now for a real surprise! There really IS a third party candidate out there for the Libertarian Party! While Ron Paul was on the ballot in many of the state primaries (as were many others), it is my understanding that Governor Gary Johnson (New Mexico 1995-2003) and Judge Jim Gray are the Libertarian Party "ticket".  Their campaign site, http://www.garyjohnson2012.com includes biographical information for each and a very focused "Issues" section. [COMMENTARY] The Libertarian movement in the US has grown quite a bit as Congressman Paul, while a registered Republican, also holds many of the same views as Mr. Johnson.  I have included his site here so you get a more complete idea of your choices.  I admit to liking some of Mr. Johnson's ideas and when I share my opinion, you'll likely see some of these mentioned.

It is possible that your state ballot for the November election will include other candidates for this high office of president.  Check with your state/county election board to learn more...and do the research as needed!

We are so blessed to have the internet out there.  Keep in mind that candidate campaign sites ARE presented to get you to vote for a particular candidate but do a little comparison shopping and don't take spending your vote for granted! We compare prices to get the best-why not compare candidates to get the best? Open your mind to those issues that are priorities for you.

If you've taken the challenge to really research these folks, I'd love to hear about it. Share something new that you learned.