Having worked in politics and campaigns for many years, one issue that has troubled me the most is how foreign policy makers appear to be to the common voter – they don’t feel that they can connect to these abstract people and, therefore, ignore the issues of the day.
One of the things I take the most proud of in regards to my blog is that I feel I humanize politics while still keeping serious issues into the forefront. The other thing I am proud of is that, despite my very obvious bias, I encourage discussion – indeed, I have never rejected a comment so long as it actually had something to do with the post and not just telling me about a fantastic business deal (so long as I give my Social Security Number to an African king).
In an ongoing effort to show that politicians and policymakers are people too, I sent out 15 questions, ranging from “What is the most important amendment in the Bill of Rights” to “Who would win if a bear and a shark fought each other” to every candidate running for office at the statewide level – Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Constitution Party, and Unaffiliated candidates were all included.
It is my hope that voters from across the state can use this as a tool to learn more about candidates as the November election approaches and to become more engaged in the process.
In the interest of full disclosure, here is the letter I sent to every candidate I have an email address for with only minor and obvious changes for each individual:
Dear XXXX
My name is Curtis Haring and I write for the liberal political blog Blue in Red Zion.
As a service to my readers, I would like to invite you to respond to a few short questions so that people have a better idea of who you are and why they should vote for you.
Having filled out many of these before, I know how time consuming and boring these can be, so the questions are a little bit different. Please do not spend more than 10 minutes of your time completing this and have a little fun.
Your response will be directly copied and pasted with only spelling and punctuation being modified. Please know that your opponent will receive the exact same questions.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at curtis.haring@gmail.com or at 801-891-5507.
Thank you in advance for your reply.
Sincerely,
Curtis Haring
Questions:
1) How long have you lived in Utah and what made you move here in the first place?
2) What does your family look like (married; kids; pets)?
3) What do you drive? What is your dream vehicle?
4) What was the last book you finished?
5) What is your favorite store and/or restaurant in your district?
6) Turn your head to the right, what do you see?
7) In 25 words or less, explain why you are a Libertarian.
8) Who would win if a bear and a shark fought each other (feel free to explain)?
9) In 50 words or less, explain why you want to be a public servant.
10) What was the last cultural event you went to?
11) What are the three things you plan to fight for when elected?
12) Do you know what OMGWTFBBQ stands for?
13) What is the most important amendment in the Bill of Rights?
14) What is your favorite band?
15) If you could change one thing about your district, what would it be?
Finally, if possible, please provide a photo, campaign logo, and any contact info you would like included in this questionnaire (Facebook Fan Page, twitter account, website).
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I have already been surprised and pleased with the response I have received. Responses will be posted in the order they have been received and will come out at most twice a day.
I have also set up a permanent site to access these responses. It can be accessed by clicking on the “Meet the Candidates” page along the top of the blog. It can also be found by clicking here.
