[stuartcr]

You’ve been here long enough to know that ploy is useless. We’ve all read stuff here over the years and remembered what threads were about, but do not remember the date and thread number. If you must, go back to any election time, and you will see that personal baggage is a very big part of what freepers discuss.

How many have you asked about how important a candidates morals are?

[Durus]

I don't use ploys. My intent was to demonstrate that no matter what a politician tells you, they are generally not anywhere near as honest, as smart, or as moral as they would have you believe. Basically actions speak louder than words. Morality can never really be determined unless one happens to be a mind reader, however we can derive something based from their actions. Further their purported "morality" isn't as important as those actions they make while in office.

In terms of voting record while in office who best demonstrated conservative values? Other than voting record how effective were they in conducting The People's business? How does their rhetoric match their actions? Finally is there anything they have done out of office that mitigates what they have done while in office?

Based on these criteria "personal baggage" may or may not be of much help determining "morality". Further we can see that some mushy measure of "Morality" isn't a precursor to effectiveness in office nor is it an effective way to determine how someone will vote.

What it basically comes down to is a careful weighing of positive and negative actions. I'm a sinner so I'm not fit to judge another soul, but I'm fit enough to determine how I will vote. Mitt Romney for example doesn't appear to have ever committed adultery or at least it didn't result in a divorce. Do I think he is more moral that Newt Gingrich? No, not by a long shot. Romney has made a career of telling people what they want to hear and then once in office being a liberal...and it doesn't matter that he has been happily married all his life or not. Lying and liberalism are not moral and that immorality far outweighs his purported marital fidelity.

As another example take Rick Santorum who calls himself the "True Conservative". Is his the most conservative voting record? Was he the most effective forwarding the conservative agenda? Does his rhetoric match his actions? Do his actions out of office mitigate his actions while in office? Santorum falls far short of being the "true" conservative by this criteria.

I doubt that I've changed your mind as I've been here long enough to know that it isn't likely.