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 →