There is so much pressure nowadays to endorse a candidate for presidency ASAP. Our friends and family ask “Who are you supporting?” and you feel the pressure to have an answer, even though we are still a ways away from the Primaries. 

But I think a lot of Americans tend to choose candidates based on arbitrary factors. Like, 1) Who do my friends support? 2) Who is most likely to beat the incumbent? 3) Who will help me get a job? (You’re a slacker, McFly.)

While these factors definitely play a role in selecting a candidate to endorse, they can’t be the primary factors or decided upon flippantly.

I’m not new to politics. It started when I was a little kid as I held up signs for Bush senior. Of course, my arguments for Bush went something like, “Cwinton is da bad guy.” This year I am attending the Florida Presidency 5 Straw Poll as a delegate. Fortunately, my rhetoric has gotten a little more advanced.

The concept of Good Guy vs. Bad Guy is still alive in the psyche of society. When we flippantly side with a candidate, we pit them against the others — even those of the same party. Things get nasty. 

There are a lot of factors that I think about when choosing who to endorse. Here are some tools to help the process:

• Prayer - I believe God Himself wants a certain person to be the next president. Through prayer the Holy Spirit leads us into revelation of God’s heart (1 Cor. 2:10).
• Research
  • Wikipedia - Wikipedia can be edited by anyone and shouldn’t ever be taken as a reliable source. But Wikipedia users are big on citing their sources. Using WikiPedia as a catalyst to legit sources cuts down on research time.
  • FactCheck.org - The team at FactCheck does a good job at researching common controversies in a candidate’s history.
  • Debates - Listening to candidates debate can sometimes be boring or full of side-stepping rhetoric. Political baboonery aside, these debates can be a good way to get your feet wet on a candidates character and beliefs. 
  • Trusted friends and family - Find a trusted group of people that share similar political beliefs. Proverbs teaches that there is wisdom and safety in the council of many. 

Above all else, have patience and make educated decisions. Don’t feel the pressure to endorse a candidate before you’re ready to. It’s a big decision and one that is detrimental to society if taken lightly.

As to how to properly endorse a candidate (I have to answer to the title), I don’t care — tweet about it.