[To ask Tuffs a question, shoot her an e-mail at asktuffyluv@gmail.com]

Dear Tuffy Luv,

Hi!
Okay, here’s my question: This year is the first election for president that I can vote in. My parents support McCain but I dont think I agree. How can I decide who to vote for? Sorry if this is a stupid question!

– Confused Voter

Dear Confused Voter,

First of all, can I please just congratulate you on making an effort to be an informed voter? Yeah? Thanks. Congratulations!

So many people (sadly, often including lil’ ol’ Tuffs) just vote based on party without bothering to research the stuff that’s actually important to them (education, reproductive rights, etc.).

And before supes left-wing Tuffy goes on, I just wanna give a little shout out to Senator John McCain, who was totally freaking adorable on SNL this week. SO adorable.

That said, honey, the only way to really know what’s going on is to read the news. A lot of it. From all different sources.

Look, reporters are people too, right? No news is completely objective. So if you read a lot of different news from all different slants, it will allow you to make an informed decision based on how you really feel and not how a specific news corporation wants you to. So watch the news on TV, read it online, heck, even buy a paper once in a while.

But there’s so much news, you exclaim! How can I ever possibly stay abreast of it all? (Haha, you said breast.)

The best way is to make a list of the issues that concern you. Are you worried about civil liberties? Vanishing social security? State rights? Whatever your issues are, use them to evaluate the candidates. Whose views seem most reasonable to you?

And above all, please, please don’t forget that you ain’t just voting for an individual. When you elect a president, you elect their party too (hence the voting on party lines [which still isn’t a good idea]). The president is just one person; their administration is the force that’s actually running the country.

So choose carefully, little skullzo. Don’t be reined in (or pushed away) by a presidential campaign, because that’s just the advertising slogan. Dig a little deeper and try to find the president (and administration) you’d want representing you to the rest of the world.

Hearts & Skulls,
Tuffy Luv