Last time I described what I generally look for in candidates for local office, focusing on qualities more than issues. I also promised my readers a list of things candidates can do or say to encourage me to vote for someone else. That's today's topic.

David Rodeback's Blog

Nine Ways to Lose My Vote

I recently held forth on the weeks or months potential candidates spend considering whether to run or not. This early phase of our electoral process is below the radar for most offices, but it's as important as anything in our politics. We must get the right kind of people on the ballot, so we can vote for them. Today's topic is how to recognize them once they're on the ballot.

What I Want in My Candidates

A billboard I passed on the freeway the other day urged me to live the American Dream, but the dream it offered was not the real one.

The Real American Dream and the Counterfeit

Election days are important in our democratic republic, and so are the campaigns which precede them. But one of the most crucial phases in our self-government comes much earlier. It ends with the filing period, but it begins long before.

A Crucial Phase

Hi! Remember Me?

Many military veterans deserve more praise and gratitude than they have ever received. The late Sergeant John Scott Pinney is among them. Veterans Day seems like an appropriate time to tell you his story.

Veterans Day: Sergeant John Scott Pinney

It's hard to believe something which makes us so uncomfortable is a good thing, but it really is.

The Importance of Not Being Unified

Here are some words I don't say every decade: I'm voting for a Democrat.

I Met the Candidates in American Fork

This blog post is rated PG, because talking about New York politics involves adult themes. You've been warned.

The Green Hornet of Justice, Among Others

Today's word is socialism. We'll talk about it and its role in the present debate over the Alpine School District's official mission, goals, and values.

What the Words Mean, Part IV: Socialism

What the Words Mean, Part III: Democracy

If you're a lion, the zebra effect makes it hard to distinguish specific animals in a running herd. In politics, well, stay tuned. I'm about to invent a meaning.

The Zebra Effect

What the Words Mean, Part II: Republic

A lot of what's being said these days in school board races and in the Alpine School District generally turns on the definitions of words with many definitions.

What the Words Mean, Part I: Setting the Stage

As I write, it's still National Punctuation Day, but only just barely. And I've been campaigning again . . .

I Almost Missed National Punctuation Day, and I Need to Unload My Desk

Commentary on Local Politics and Culture, US Politics and Government, Life Among the Mormons, and Other Stuff