By Joseph Delli Gatti ––
In 2008, I fell into the same trap as a lot of voters: I learned about the candidates from the arguments and accusations of the competition. I watched the mainstream news media, and accepted what they said at face value. I didn’t know that it was a problem either – until shortly into the 2012 Republican primaries.
In 2012, I lightly researched the candidates, and settled on Tim Pawlenty because of the fiscally and morally conservative values that I believed he held. When Tim bowed out of the primaries early, and endorsed Mitt Romney, it caught me off guard. I went online and argued with people about how I couldn’t vote for Mitt Romney because of his positions on abortion, taxes, healthcare, and marriage. Someone responded to a comment that I made: it was a plea to research Mitt Romney’s positions to more depth on at least one issue. So, half out of spite and half out of curiosity, I did. Continue reading