Introduction
It was the beginning of 8 th grade. The date for student council elections was just announced. Megan thought she might want to be student council president. For one of her teacher nominations, Megan asked Ms. Smith. Before completing the nomination form, Ms. Smith asked Megan why she thought she was qualified for the position of president. Megan thought for a second and replied, "Well, I am pretty, popular, and I am captain of the cheerleading squad." Fast forward to election day, Megan is on the stage giving a speech about how much fun it would be to be student council president. As her visual aid, she brought out a fellow student who proceeded to dance like the movie character Napoleon Dynamite. Megan won the election by a landslide.
Let's look at another situation. It is 1899 at the Globe Hotel in Richwood, Ohio. Two men are having their shoes shined. One is a lawyer and a lobbyist. The other was a newspaper editor and soon to be an Ohio state senator. The lobbyist observed the other man to have a courteous and generous good nature, a resonating voice, an impression of grace and virility, and a well–proportioned physique. The lobbyist's first thought was, "Wouldn't that man make a great–looking President?" 1 Indeed, the newspaper editor did eventually become President of the United States – President Warren G. Harding, generally agreed upon to be one of the worst Presidents in American history. 2
What factors lead "we the people" to make that ultimate choice? The Founding Fathers were early Enlightenment thinkers. They believed human life could be improved through the employment of logic and reason. 3 The concept of deliberative democracy 4 is based upon the idea that "we the people" are adroit at making a rational decision about the qualifications and aptitude of the presidential candidates and can ascertain whether the candidates' views are congruent with our own 5 as long as we keep a balance between reason and emotion. 6 Fast forward to election day. You are at your polling place standing in the voting area. You are staring at the ballot, pen in hand. What goes through your mind? What factors or issues do you consider when making your choice? Do you weigh the issues like the Founding Fathers intended or do you go with your gut choice? While the physical act of checking the box appears reasonable and straight–forward, the developmental and emotional influences can serve as an impediment to an otherwise reasonable choice. Whichever man is victorious, Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, history will be made. Our lives, our children's lives, will be directly and indirectly affected by the decisions and policies of this one man. Is there a more important decision?
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