Matt's Excellent Keystone Adventure

The Difference Between Issues Voters and Character Voters

I was reminded of this by a friend who sent us a note explaining how her five year old, when being told about debates, suggested they just give the job to whoever had the most money. She seems to have caught on about how elections work quite young.

I was explaining elections to Duncan two years ago when I was off working at the poll and Mommy was home taking care of him instead that day. I explained how if you voted for something, it was like getting to make a choice, but you could only have one thing. (He was 2 yrs 9 months at the time, mind you.)

"Say I gave you a choice of apple juice or orange juice. You could vote for either apple juice or orange juice. Which one would you vote for?"

"I vote for...apple juice AND orange juice!"

"Voting is like being able to choose only one. If you could choose only one between apple juice or orange juice, which one would you vote for?"

"Apple juice...AND orange juice....and buttered toast...and broccoli stew!" [he is quoting from a Boynton book.]

"OK, so if you had to choose between buttered toast and broccoli stew, you would vote for ONE. Which one would you vote for?"

"Buttered toast...broccolli stew..." (pause just long enough for effect) "...AND A COOKIE!!!!"

Daddy, trying a new tack:

"Let's try this: would you vote for Daddy, or would you vote for Mommy?"

Duncan, without any hesitation:

"I VOTE FOR MOMMY!"

Superhero

Mika got back from a trip to DC yesterday, and for a present, brought Duncan a Barack Obama action figure. Duncan was so excited, first he had Obama "fly like Superman!" through the air, and then, he found the Superman figure he'd rescued from a geocache this weekend, and had Obama fly through the house with Superman in tow. I suggested maybe Superman could be Obama's running mate and would become Vice President, at which Duncan started chanting, "Obama 44! Superman 45!" So...congratulations, Joe Biden!

He then proceeded to pull out his Presidents of the United States of America place mat, which conveniently has two spaces in the last row. He laid the Obama figurine over one of the blank spots, and said, "Obama goes here...and my picture goes HERE!" indicating the other blank spot. Mika's comment: uh-oh, now when he's in a debate, they're going to bring up the fact he had an ambition to be President dating back to pre-school.

(Click on the picture above to see a bigger version of my two Superheros.)