The president doesn't have as large an influence over issues as the campaigns suggest, but ideology is a factor - the president leads his party and influences the legislators of his party, doesn't he?
Yes, of course. I was speaking more for me, on how I vote. However, even the influence can be overexaggerated. Lott & Hastert has controlled the Congressional agenda more than Bush. They are all usually in agreement though, so that's hard to really know. I don't vote for President based on ideology, this is why while Grump wants to call me a true blue liberal, I have yet to ever vote for a Democratic candidate for President.
Experience is only relevant in how it shapes the President's principles. Education not at all.
Sorry, I meant to say intelligence, not education.
How is mandating healthcare coverage un-American, but mandating Social Security is not? Mandating basic emergency and public health services makes sense to me, while keeping the rest of the medical field private.
I don't believe in mandating people to do something. If the government wants to provide programs for people who do not have the opportunity in the private sector, that is a good thing. But to mandate is to bring the U.S. close to many of the socialized economies of the E.U. and I personally do not support that.
