pr0ner wrote: Thu Nov 21, 2019 1:18 pm
Jaymann wrote: Thu Nov 21, 2019 1:06 pm
I think those questions are too binary.
That was definitely an issue I had with the questions I had the biggest issue with. Like the government getting into college pricing question. Not sure how I feel about the government getting involved with that, and there was no "stay out of it" answer.
The cancelling student debt question was another one I have issues with. I get that it's an issue, but I don't see how the government can make $1.6T in debt that's probably not held by the government just vanish.
Yeah, I don't like the questions either. A HUGE part of the equation is also which candidate would be able to best do what they say they will do.
Here's one crappy binary choice.
Health care for many Americans is provided by private insurance plans paid through their employers. In an overhaul of the American health-care system, private insurance should
Be Eliminated
Continue to Exist
For me, I think a 21st Century Economy would be best served with a basic Medicare for All type coverage, and Employers/Insurers can offer supplemental Insurance.
Nuclear power is another one - where is invest in Fusion?
Electoral College is a third. I've argued here that we should keep it, but raise the number of representatives based on population for now (current # fixed almost 100 years ago - it's time to make our representatives more equal in the number of people they actually represent, and more responsive to them).
My answers gave me:
7 Steyer
6 Biden
6 Booker
6 Harris
6 Yang
5 Klobuchar
4 Buttigieg
4 Sanders
4 Gabbard
3 Warren
But, for the remaining issues, I'll probably vote Warren. I also want increased financial regulation and investigation, and she would be tops at that. I want tax plans favoring increasing inequality (and, given Citizens United and Dark Money) reined in - Warren will be best at that. Warren also has indicated to me that she actually listens to the issues people have (see her visits to coal country for example, whereas other candidates are mostly playing the talk on TV and treat CA like an ATM), and will formulate policy accordingly. I don't know about the rest.
If this were a normal election (when was the last time we had sane candidates and a sane entrance - 1996 maybe?), I'd be inclined to vote more conservatively (Harris/Biden probably), but it's not.
I have no faith in Steyer and Yang (Billionaires with no prior Government Experience need not apply - see Trump),
I have little faith in Biden to do more than creep back towards an Obama status quo (and maybe get halfway there, or less, based on how ill-prepared he appears to be for GOP resistance).
I may take another look at Klobuchar and Booker, but I see them as also-rans currently.
Mayor Pete needs to do better with the Black vote projections - if he starts doing better there, I"ll look more closely, but I see him more like the billionaires w/o relevant experience.
Sanders I see as lesser than Warren, as I see her as more practical (which is odd, given some of her policy preferences), but it's based on how they stump. I like that both have strong ground games, as I think that is the key electability concern.
