Basic Definitions
Classical Liberal: Juris naturalist. One who believes that the country should have a small, weak government, and free markets, and that the individual is endowed by his Creator with inalienable rights to his life, liberty, and property. Also, one who believes in Natural Law and common law, or Higher Law.
Centrist: Moderate.
Conservative: A person on the right side of the left-right political spectrum. Conservatives believe in economic freedom and social control.
Democrat: A person on the left side of the political spectrum.
Juris Naturalist: syn. Classical liberal. Believes in Higher Law or Natural Law, that right and wrong are not matters of opinion. Believes political power corrupts both morals and judgment. Wants a government that is small and growing smaller.
Liberal: A person on the left side of the left-right political spectrum. Liberals believe in social freedom and economic control.
Moderate: One who is in the middle of the left-right political spectrum. Moderates advocate both economic encroachment and social encroachment, but perhaps not to the extremes that left and right do.
Progressive: One who is on the left side of the political spectrum.
Republican: Conservative.
See my Terms Defined page for more info.
According to the News Miner the candidates have classified themselves as:
Dukes: “I’m conservative. I believe we need a government, but I believe we need a government that is as small as can be but can deliver the needed services.”
Lawrence: “I think politically I’m a centrist who wants to make government work effectively and efficiently for the people.”
Aaron Bennett: A classical liberal, dedicated to upholding the Constitution and representing the people. “We’re supposed to be a constitutional republic. The Constitution is supposed to limit government, and obviously we’ve gotten away from that.”
King: “I would say that I’m very moderate and non-partisan. I don’t follow any political party lines.”
Kohler: “I’m a jumble. I would say I’m a fiscally conservative, pragmatic classic Republican type. Call me a moderate, I guess.”
McFarlane: “I’m a conservative, but on the assembly I will look at each proposal on its worth, not judge it politically.”
Palembas: A registered independent, he said he’s voted in both Democratic and Republican primaries in recent years. “I have no hidden agenda. I think there’s a lot of party agenda being played out in the Borough Assembly right now, and I don’t think it belongs there.”
Sattley: Describing himself as a fiscal conservative and social moderate, Sattley said he’s earned a reputation for being tight with funds. “I don’t waste money, whether it’s my own or public money.”
Joshua Bennett: “I’m limited government. I don’t want to get rid of the government, but I want it to be limited. The purpose of government is to protect private property.” *In an interview I had with Mr. Bennett he said he could also identify himself as a Juris Naturalist.
Blanchard: “I feel I’m a moderate conservative. I’m not anti-government, but it needs to be as small as possible to work best.”
Davies: “You could describe me as a progressive. I believe that we need to work together in a variety of ways, including through local government, to improve the quality of life.”
From my interviews/assessment the School Board candidates appear to be:
John Thies: Unknown
Sean Rice: Classical Democrat (based on interview from 2010)
Ryan Smith: Classical Liberal aka. Juris Naturalist (based on phone interview 9/11)
Sharon McConnell: Unknown
More hints and tips:
- If you’re really not sure on an issue, try applying the Golden Rule or ask yourself if you willing to accept the costs associated with passage of the issue. Ask yourself if you have a right to compel your neighbor to accept those costs.
- It’s okay to leave a blank circle if you feel neither answer/candidate fits your view. Just fill in the circle where you have conviction that your choice is a good one.
- Look at who is sponsoring the candidates. Generally they will be in the same political classification.
- Unions tend to support bigger government legislation. Also, Unions lean toward the social freedom and economic control ideals.
- Centrist/moderates appear to be trying to get as many votes as they can, thus identify themselves as centrist/moderate to hit what they feel the majority of the population leans to. This is not necessarily desirable if you have strong ideals where you feel your representative should be unwavering.
Ultimately, no matter what a candidate classifies themselves as, it could change in actual policies they end up supporting. This can be due to a desire to compromise with the perceived “other side” or it could have been the plan to begin with. We all know some candidates will do or say whatever they feel will get them the winning vote. This is why we need to look at records, keep up on issues, and call them out if they seem to change from their running platform once they are voted in.
Thanks for informing yourself to vote!
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