How to run an election -- #1

American elections can spawn bad behavior.  I suppose elections anywhere can do the same, but my focus is on elections in the USA, because that's my country.

The bad behavior is mostly in our campaigning.  I don't want to contribute any bad behavior.  Whatever I contribute should be well-behaved.  So, these are some rules that I have set for myself.  These are my rules for how I will behave during the campaign, right up to election day.  This affects my actions as a part of the electorate and as an advocate for my candidates.  They apply to me as I observe, evaluate and write about the positions of the candidates and the parties, and they will apply to my conduct in supporting any candidate or political party.

Since these rules are good enough for me, I think they ought to be good enough for everybody else, too, including the candidates, the parties, and the entire electorate.  I don't think that's too much to ask, but you be the judge for yourself as you read the rules.

Rule #1 -- don't question the other candidate's patriotism

I've been watching American elections since 1960--well, yes, I was mighty young then, and barely self-aware, but still have a dim recollection of the televised Kennedy-Nixon debates--and in all that time I have never seen an unpatriotic candidate for any national, state or local election.  Just because somebody is running for elected office--U.S. President, governor, senator, dog-catcher, or what-ever--and has positions that don't agree with my ideas doesn't mean that I am entitled to questions said candidate's patriotism.

By extension, this rule also limits the use of labels.  Labels are usually a mixture of accuracy and inaccuracy; as soon as you call somebody a "liberal," you find out that that person also has some "conservative" beliefs, and vice versa. Brand affiliations--such a Democrat, Republican, American Independent, Green, and so on--are OK, since they are usually self-inflicted.  It's easy--and somewhat descriptive--to politically-label somebody as "left wing," "right wing," "conservative," "liberal," or the much-coveted but ultimately wishy-washy "middle-of-the-road."  So, I imagine I will occasionally descend to the use of such labels, and accept that fact that others will, too.

But I draw the line at labels that are used for a disparaging effect.  For clarity's sake, I'll be blunt here:  if Barack Obama is to be called a "socialist," then Mitt Romney will be called a "fascist."  The truth of the matter is that Obama is not a socialist, and Romney is not a fascist.

Like I said, don't question somebody's patriotism, whether done directly or indirectly.

Stay tuned for Rule #2.