Rush Reagan's Real Deal

As election time nears, and all the campagns heat up with debates advertisements and personal appearance across the U.S. and specifically here in Indiana, I would like to share some advice with all of you. My advice to all voters is to know what you believe in and to not let yourself be swayed by what you see or hear.

One place where many students may be swayed to vote one way or another is the classroom, especially classrooms where political science is being discussed. For example, last year, in an Intro to American Politics class that I took, I was temporarily swayed to be a follower of the Democratic Party. I took my new positon on politics because the professor of the class was a die-hard liberal. Everything that he taught was taught with a democratic slant. Eventually, I heard enough of his slants to change my perspectives on politics, if only for a few weeks.

Another example happened just a few days ago, again in a political science class. I was attending my American Political Controversies class when the professor announced that there would be a guest speaker during that class. The speaker is running as the Libertarian candidate for the U.S. House seat here in the 8th district. The speaker proceeded to speak about his beliefs, along with those of his party. Among his beliefs are the legalization of marijuana, a belief shared by the man running for prosecutor of Monroe County. The speaker then opened the floor for questions from the students. Many of his positons, while un-realistic, seemed to be positons that students would like, such as no age restrictions on alcohol.

As I listened to the ramblings of the candidate, I wondered to myself "How many people in here will vote for this man?" But then a better question came to mind. "How many people here will vote for this man only because they would like to see legalized marijuana or no age limit on alcohol?"

The people that vote for the Libertarian candidate because they would be the people that answered yes to the second question are not being fair to themselves, nor are they being fair to our political system. You should vote for the person that you think will do the best job, not the person that will do the best job for you.

The point I am trying to make is that someone can be very persuasive when there is only one side to listen to. If you only have one idea to listen to, such as one presented by a candidate or a professor, after you hear it over and over again enough times, you will start to believe it.

So, as you watch the political races over the next few weeks, make sure that you filter out the lies from the truth. That way, when election day finally roles around, you will be able to make an informed choice, and a fair one. Don't let anyone sway you, but vote for the candidate that you truly believe will do the best job. And that's the real deal.