If you knew that line came from The Twilight Zone, the TV classic, you might be a Baby Boomer – and you MIGHT decide this election.

Boomer or not, many feel America is in our own twilight zone nowadays; but that’s another matter for another day. Today, The Modern Moderate (TMM) offers some helpful suggestions, we hope, for using your awesome power – your vote – wisely.

Candidates publish their issue positions, and organizations score them on particular issues. Environmental groups, for example, score candidates’ positions on enviro issues, so members can compare candidates.

But what about candidates’ values and beliefs, unrelated to issues? How can voters decide which candidates’ align with their own? Difficult, compared with issues, since candidates’ values and beliefs aren’t publicized. But evaluating them reveals their character – also important in selecting leaders.

If we asked most candidates about values and beliefs we hold dear, they’d provide answers we want to hear – likely “apple pie and motherhood” generalities that sound good but mean little.

So assessing candidates’ values and beliefs can be challenging and subjective. But because TMM feels they’re important to Moderates, we devised our Moderate Leadership Test (MLT) based on them.

We’ll compare, in upcoming posts, presidential candidates’ differences in values and beliefs – based on verifiable evidence, not subjective opinion. An imperfect attempt, but hopefully helpful as Moderates decide which candidate earns their vote.

To evaluate candidates’ Vital Values, we used TMM’s 2018 effort to define them, long before this campaign. Here are those Values (see original post for full explanations), followed by MLT’s attempt to clarify them in comparing candidates. We’ll evaluate Basic Beliefs in an upcoming post.

Vital Values:

• Moderation… a key to successful living – and leading. In politics, extreme views are short-sighted and ineffective.

MLT: Have candidates shown moderation in their views, choices and lifestyles? Supported moderate political positions vs. radical/extreme positions?

• Honesty… Always the best policy. America has been served best by leaders who tell the truth.

MLT: Have candidates demonstrated honesty, telling the truth? Exhibited honesty and integrity in professional and personal lives?

• Respect… We should respect our fellow Americans and their beliefs, including those different from our own.

MLT: Have candidates manifested respect for other people, including opponents, and their ideas/positions?

• Compassion… We want our country to extend a helping hand to those less fortunate, and we want our leaders to display compassion on our behalf.

MLT: Have candidates displayed compassion toward others, especially the poor, elderly, sick?

• Modesty… Many Modern Moderates were taught to do our best… but not shower ourselves with praise. Recently departed Congressman (and hero) John Lewis provided best example.

MLT: Have candidates revealed modesty in professional and personal lives? Shared credit for successes with others? Let their records speak for themselves?

• Fidelity… Also known as faithfulness, includes loyalty.

MLT: Have candidates proven themselves faithful in careers and personal lives? Demonstrated loyalty to our country?

• Equality… Prejudice and discrimination, based on race, gender, religion (or lack thereof), country of origin, sexual orientation, or other factors, are unacceptable and UN-AMERICAN.

MLT: Have candidates championed equality for all kinds of people? Supported equality campaigns, such as civil rights, women’s rights, religious freedom, LGBQT rights?

• Nonviolence… Threats, insults, intimidation, and violence (including bullying) are NOT acceptable ways to address conflicts.

MLT: Have candidates condemned violence (or threat of it)? Supported nonviolent protests/movements?

Moderates, if candidates’ Vital Values are important to you, TMM suggests using this test to compare them. That way, we can allow what’s in their HEARTS, as well as their HEADS, to help determine our votes. Please score them yourselves; in future posts, we’ll offer our scores.

Boomers, remember – we just might decide this election. VOTE.