OUR TURN: THE FIELD IS SET. NOW WHAT SHOULD BUSH, KERRY TALK ABOUT?

CANDIDATES SHOULD TALK ABOUT IDEAS; BUT CHARACTER COUNTS
FROM: THE GREENVILLE (SC) NEWS [link]
PUBLISHED FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2004

Some say, "Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words."

Me? Well, through layers of cynicism, beats the heart of a foolish idealist.

I like to think that while a person’s actions provide valuable character insights, ideas actually matter. I want to know not just what a person thought in the past but what he or she believes today and what those beliefs mean to our future.

I’m one of those rare voters who reads a candidate’s direct mail. I watch debates, listen to speeches and want to understand the implications of a candidate’s statement beyond a carefully crafted sound-bite.

I want to know what separates candidates in terms of character, philosophy and issues. I want to decide for myself who will get my vote instead of some talking-head telling me who should get it.

I know what issues are important to me. You know what issues are important to you. President Bush and Sen. Kerry know what issues are important to them. That’s all irrelevant now.

It’s time to talk about issues that are important to America, and if I have to tell a presidential candidate what those issues are, that person has no business in the White House.

TAFT MATNEY, 31, LIVES IN GREENVILLE AND IS THE PRESIDENT OF A LOCAL PUBLIC RELATIONS AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS FIRM.