Is the candidate a liar?
Does the candidate have a pattern for telling the truth, lying, or evading the facts? Has the candidate not only in his or her political life, but in his or her dealings with others, been honest? Yes people are human and will often fall down and be less than perfect. That I expect. But if the candidate lies when caught with “his hand in the cookie jar or with his pants down” that to me implies he or she will lie about other more important issues. I don’t care if he is perfect, but if he lies easily and continually about one thing he will more than likely lie about others. I have lied, we all have. But I am not running for president and standing in front of a camera to the millions who entrust me with their futures and telling a flat out bald faced lie.

Is the candidate honest or has he made a living screwing people over and making shady deals in backrooms?
Hey, politicians often make backroom deals. I am not so innocent that I am naive to this fact. But, when time and time again our elected officials use their office to do these shady deals to line their pockets, we need to stop them from becoming reelected. At the very least if we suspect a candidate used his office, even once to pad his bank account, we should not elect him as president. Why this even is an issue astounds me.

Is the candidate a racist, bigot, or prejudiced?
Has the candidate shown a pattern of these behaviors? Does he exclude others or dismiss them as not important or deserving of equal treatment or rights? President Woodrow Wilson was a sexist and a racist. But then a good portion of the population then was too. We expect more from our leaders now and we should but we still have a ways to go. I consider myself to be an Atheist. This simple means I have no belief in a God or Gods. That’s it. I believe in honesty, humanity, intelligence, an open mind, family values, and weighing the facts before making a decision. I love Disneyland, science, telescopes, reading, my husband and kids, home, and having fun. I am not evil and I do not want to ensnare others into my non-theist world. I do though; get tired of having others force their beliefs into mine. I find it interesting that candidates are not allowed to be prejudiced against women, other religions than theirs (unless you’re Mormon), race, the disabled, and even gays but candidates ARE allow to be prejudiced and biased openly, against Atheists.

In Chicago 1987, George Bush stated: “I don’t know that Atheists should be considered citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.” In February 2006 Mitt Romney said “ I’m convinced that the people of this nation need a person of faith to lead them.”

There are countless other biased and derogatory statements made by these and other candidates and politicians against Atheists. It appears though, that certain forms of prejudiced are still acceptable in this country, similar to those that were acceptable in Woodrow Wilson’s era. I would like a candidate who while may not agree with my views, accepts and defends me and recognizes my right to believe them.

Is the candidate intelligent? Does he or she have an education and knowledge of the world, science, and the issues?
I don’t care if a candidate went to Harvard, Yale, or worked his way through his home town community college. I don’t often equate education with intelligence but he or she should have knowledge of the world, cultures, science, history, and most of all the constitution. If a candidate believes that Noah actually built an ark the size of a football field and filled it with 2 of every animal on the earth and navigated through a proven non-existent world wide flood that seems less then intelligent to me and actually dumb. I want a candidate who reads more than rubbish and tall tales and then weighs the facts and makes decisions on sound principles and not “fuzzy feelings.”

Is the candidate mentally stable or crazy?
That may seem like a no brainer of a statement but really, isn’t that more important than which religion he or she belongs to? I want a candidate who is sane. I want a candidate who is not suffering from bouts of depression, mania, extreme obsessive compulsive disorder, paranoia, narcissism, or suicidal thoughts. I know many people suffer from these mental disorders, my husband thinks I am occasionally wacko and perhaps he is right but I am not running for office. I expect my candidate to not be as wacko as I am.

There and other kinds of wacko though, a great many Evangelicals are waiting for The Rapture. This is where apparently God one day will magically lift up the righteous (by whose standards) and bring them up to Heaven. Now really think about that, these people actually believe that one day, soon, they will be sitting in their car, grocery store, school or Oval Office, and they will disappear and go up to heaven. Their basis for this is fodder for another story but really, does that sound sane to you? It sure doesn’t to me. In fact, it’s really whacked. I want a candidate sane enough to realize that this belief is looney and who expect to be president the entire term and not just until God floats him up to Heaven. So, let’s expect sanity from our candidates. Is that too much to ask?

Does the Candidate possess common sense?
If he is intelligent and not insane, I would also like a candidate to possess common sense. Oh I know he will make statements that are off the cuff or even idiotic at times but as a general rule does he have common sense and show good judgment? You can be sane and smart and still show poor judgment. I want a candidate for president who will not make a knee jerk reaction to something and in the middle of a rash moment, push the button and start a nuclear war. I want a candidate who will not lash out without all of the facts and then use prudent judgment ere on the side of caution. The average person from time to time may suffer from road rage. I have at times, I am sorry to say, raised my finger to another driver in a fit of idiocy. I want a president who behaves better than me especially with the military and bombs at his disposal.

Does the candidate show a willingness to listen to and council with others?
I don’t expect a president to be an expert at everything. He may be great at foreign affairs and weaker on other issues, and that’s ok. No one is an expert at everything and if they THINK they are, then they are delusional and should not be running for president. I want a president who can gather good people around him and then listen to their ideas and suggestions. Don’t get wrong, I do want a candidate for president who can think for himself. I don’t want someone who is swayed by each and every lobbyist he talked to But I also feel that in a job as important as president of the United States, working with and listening to others is important. What I don’t want though is a president who brings in religious leaders from his church to sit on boards and make decisions for no other reason than they belong to the same religion. I also don’t want a president who fills his cabinet with cronies and buddies instead of other experts in their fields.

Does the Candidate treat others kindly or is he an asshole?
What can I say? I think a president should be an all around nice guy. He should treat others kindly and be fair. He should not be so concerned with his own needs he forgets about others. The president should not be a prick. It’s as simple as that. If he manipulates others, he should not be president. If he treats his wife and family like crap perhaps he needs to find another profession than running for political office. I expect better behavior.

Does the candidate have experience and act in a professional manner?
I want a president who has some life experience and some experience working with others and the complexity of governing others. I don’t expect him to be “on stage” all the time and he should have a personal side to him too. I expect him as president to act with some dignity though. If he is taking a break I don’t want to see him sipping a beer and reading Playboy. I don’t mind hobbies but as president I would not want to see him at a monster truck rally in a baseball cap and tank top. Sorry, just my personal feelings here. I also feel a president should not be having the Secret Service sneak a blond movie star in the back door of the White House for a liaison or should be receiving blowjobs in the Oval Office. I know they should have a personal life but hey, if you are president of my country, keep your dick in your pants for 4 years unless you are in bed with your wife. As president act like a professional and when you are done and your term is through, cat around with the ladies all you like, get drunk, and watch strippers all you want, just not while you’re in office. Yes we are all human but I expect more from a president, we all should. I certainly am not perfect but, I am NOT running for office.

I am sure there are many more things we SHOULD be looking for in a candidate for president but this is all I can think of for now. Let me know what you are looking for in a president.

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