Politics · Advice & Questions · Oct 19

A candidate was kind when I met her. How much should that affect my judgment?

Politics

She held the door while I wrestled a box of books into the hall, remembered my name later, and asked a question I hadn't heard anyone else ask. I came home saying, "She seems like someone I'd trust."

Then my partner asked what I thought of her proposals. I had read the first page of one leaflet.

This was an ordinary meeting with a local candidate, not a request for casework. I don't want to dismiss kindness as a performance just because an election is involved. I also know that a comfortable ten-minute conversation hasn't answered the questions I care about on the town's future.

How can I give that encounter its proper weight without turning either charm or cynicism into my whole assessment?

Discussion

2 community replies

@maren17

You can let the meeting count as a pleasant meeting. She helped with the books and listened; those are the observations you have. "I'd trust her" is a larger conclusion, and you can leave it provisional while looking at her proposals and public work.

@northstar88

Calling every kindness calculated would be another unsupported leap. A candidate can be personally considerate and still have proposals you question. You don't have to reverse the favourable impression to begin reading critically.

A candidate was kind when I met her. How much should that affect my judgment?

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