Every election season we are treated to refrains of who we should vote for based on who we are. Women–you must vote for the first woman president! Latino–you must vote for the first Latino president! African American–you must vote for the first black woman president!

It gets a little ridiculous.

Gloria Steinem on Bill Maher, minimized young women everywhere when she said, “When you are young you are thinking: Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie.” A few days later Madeline Albright, chastised women who do not vote for Hillary Clinton by saying, “There’s a special place in hell for women who do not help one another.”

I’m all for helping women, children, men and puppies. But I don’t want to “help” anyone become Commander-in-Chief. I want them to earn it. I want them to show that they can handle the pressure and make the right decision on matters that affect my family.

To be overly-simplistic, I just want a qualified candidate.

If you want my vote, give me a clear understanding on how you are going to fix the economy.   Have a plan centered here in reality on how you plan to shrink the wage gap. Fulfill a promise that whatever plans you have for our Country, it will not send us back into a recession. Don’t just close tax loop holes, but bury them in concrete. Entice companies to keep our jobs here.

Last year our family’s out of pocket for health care was almost $8,000 and that we have insurance! Obamacare was a start, but inform us on how you are going to make health care affordable for all. Promise me you will have every federal employee (including elected officials) on the exact health plan senior citizens and poor are enrolled in. Even better have every federal employee utilize the Veteran’s Administration health system.

Tell me how you are going to bring my brother home from war and support him emotionally afterwards. Let me see your plan for fixing the VA. Give us the list of people you will put in charge and a timeline for changes.  Remind our Representatives that if they are sending our children to war, they need to send their own.

There is a homeless epidemic happening in this country, right now. There are millions of children going hungry, in our own backyard. Explain how your presidency make real changes that will help those who need it most.

Let me see flow charts, timelines, benchmarks and a written down plan for how you will succeed.

I could go on…and on with how a candidate can earn my vote. Their race and/or gender isn’t even a factor.  Both leaders of feminism have stated that women “have” to vote Hillary because to do otherwise we are not supporting our fellow woman.

Probably why they are not promoting Carly?

Does that make me an anti-feminist? That I don’t want to vote for a woman, simply to vote for a woman.  I believe in feminism. I believe women should support one another and help them succeed. I believe that woman are equal to man in every way (well, except the ability to pee in the woods, men have that down!) and are equally qualified to serve our Nation.

I just don’t think it should be the only qualification in casting my vote.