For my interview I decided to ask my friend Dawn Oakes who happens to have a degree in political science and is also in law school. This year she decided to re-elect Obama .She voted for Obama because she believes, given a few hiccups in office, he has done a great job and should be allowed to keep up the good work.
Dawn grew up in very liberal household and the community where she grew up was very liberal as well. However, Arizona’s senatorial representation has always been very conservative, so as she grew up she started liking those republican candidates who did not lobby social politics as much and who effectively voted against party lines at times to pass legislation that was necessary. I asked her if she considered herself liberal, conservative or independent, she responded as, “none of the above”. She is a registered democrat, but considers herself a moderate. Some of her social policy-alignments are a little more liberal than conservative. Also, she’s pretty fiscally-liberal in that she supports higher taxes and re-allocation of federal funds to have effective welfare. As far as whom she will vote for in the future, she’s not sure. She’s a registered democrat but doesn’t feel any kind of allegiance to the party that compels her to a categorically vote for their candidates. She thinks their platform exceeds reason sometimes, but that it doesn’t really matter because she doesn’t think it represents her own views.
I asked what key issues are most important to her when it comes to US policy. Her response was, “I’ll divide this between executive and legislative because I have different expectations of a president than congress (per their constitutional roles). For the president, I support US international policy that won’t get us roped into any more armed-conflicts (if it can be helped). I like a facilitative approach to international relations (IR). I think that the president has done a good job making the US seem less “imposing” on the world-circuit”. For myself I asked, “Do you agree with Obama’s gun control plan”? She responded, “I think that it limits conservative interests enough when it calls to limit what’s been termed “dangerous weapons”. I think the NRA and other interest groups have a strong enough presence in this arena that the president’s plan will probably pass in the house and get shot down in the senate. My own opinion of it right now is too splintered to convey because I have mixed reviews to the individual parts of the proposal.
I asked, “How do you feel about our Supreme Court Justices not being elected and how their decisions are the law if the land? I asked. She responded, “I think it’s the only one of the three branches that benefits by not having to campaign. The justices are only constrained by jurisprudence and the constitution. They have to make decisions based solely on that. I think that if they had to campaign to constituents, it would render their ability to accurately decide constitutional matters basically void. They’d decide by pandering for the vote. As far as being 18 to legally start voting, She thinks 18 is a good age because that’s the age that people can enter the armed forces. That not to allow young soldiers the ability to vote is fundamentally flawed because otherwise the nation would expect them to die for their country, but not to have a say in how its run.
For me, I never really had too much interest in politics and am still not very familiar with certain things. But recently I have discovered that I am an independent. I don’t particularly agree with conservatives but I also don’t agree fully with liberals, I’m for a little bit of both. For the first time in 2012 I decided to vote. I voted for Romney. I believe that Obama hasn’t done much to show us he’s fit to be the president. I listened to a lot of talk radio and watched all different news channels as well as had very intense conversations about politics. Although I’m not as informed as most, I made my decision based on what I had learned and how I felt. I’m not sure why people vote for liberals or conservatives but I do believe that what drives them is probably to have a say in who protects them, and who will make the best decisions based on what they want as a country. Like I said, I’m not too familiar with politics, but I tried my best with this interview. Please feel free to ask questions and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Questions I asked (They weren’t asked in order)
1. How did you vote in the last election? Why?
2. Do you consider yourself a liberal, conservative or independent?
3. What life experiences have shaped your political values?
4. What key issues are most important when it comes to US policy?
5. Who will you likely vote for in the future? Are you happy with your party?
6. How do you feel about our supreme court justices not being elected and how their decisions are the law if the land (lots of power in an un-elected position)
7. Do you think 18 is a good age to legally start being able to vote, or do you think it should be earlier/later?
8. Do you think foreigners who have not become citizens should have the right to vote about the referenda that affect their ability to become citizens?
9. Do you agree with Obama’s gun control plan?
10. What are you looking for in leadership?
