Somewhat early this year, the quadrennial political season is upon us once more. This year, with the rise of the political blog, there are more and louder opinions than ever before. Thoughtful and open-minded analysis generally seems to be lacking, however: I get the distinct feeling that most political bloggers aren't really open to changing their minds . No matter what events may transpire, or no matter what new information we may learn.

And that's OK.

But let's be honest about it: if you're not willing to change your own mind, then you can't honestly say that you're engaging in a serious debate. You're just reiterating your position without being willing to seriously consider opposing views. 

So I have a challenge for political bloggers: if you support either Bush or Kerry this year, what specifically would make you change your mind.

It can be improbable or farfetched--that's good to know. If the only reason you'd vote for Bush is that space aliens came to Earth and announced that they control Kerry's mind, at least we know how partisan you are. If the only way you'd support Kerry is if he personally went to Pakistan and brought back bin Laden's head (literally), then it is clear how much you distrust the man.

Personally, I've decided I'm going to vote for Kerry . Here's what it would take for me to change my mind:

1) Bush has to get religion (so to speak) about fiscal responsibility. Come up with a serious plan to get rid of the structural deficits, even if it means raising taxes. This is the Big Issue for me, since Bush has done more damage to our federal budget than any president I can remember.

2) Admit mistakes, be open, and be cooperative. Ditch the "trust me, I'm the boss" schtick; and excessive secrecy has no place in a democracy.

3) Let Patriot expire. That is a bad law, and it's about time to let it go.

You'll note that all these are reasons why I'm voting against Bush, as opposed to for Kerry. Presidential re-elections are more about the incumbent than the challenger, and I have a lot of issues with this particular incumbent. But there are some things which would make me vote against Kerry, too:

1) Serious scandal. Not sex-with-interns (what a joke!), or sometimes-changes-his-mind (get real!) but serious as in corruption, embezzlement, vote fraud, that kind of thing.

2) A viable, deficit-hawk, 3rd party centrist candidate. Something like a more-normal, less-paranoid version of Ross Perot, with PowerPoint rather than flip-charts. Let's suppose Warren Buffet decided to run for President on a balanced-budget platform.

So....there's mine. The challenge is out there for political bloggers. Tell the world what it would take for you to change sides, or admit that you're a partisan hack.