Saturday, January 5, 2008

People in Glass Booths Should Throw Votes

OK, that didn't make much sense. But after you finish this post, it will (i.e. might).

If you're like me, and at least half of you are, you're having a tough time deciding who you like in the '08 election. Friend of TLATL, Ryan, tipped me off to a cool website that gives you an easy way to find with which candidates you may be aligned in your opinions.

Check out www.glassbooth.org and you'll find this simple exercise:
  1. Add points to any of about 12 different issues to weight their importance to you.
  2. Answer a number of "strongly oppose - strongly support" questions based on the issues you weighted.
  3. Submit your answers and wait a few seconds while mumbling to yourself "Please don't be Hillary. My God, what will I do if it's Hillary? Can I take this thing again? What if I do and it's Hillary again? This whole site was created by the Clinton War Machine to make everyone think they're aligned with Hillary! I know it!!"
  4. View a list of the candidates with which your opinions are most aligned, as well as the reasons why.
Well since people are probably wondering, I was equally aligned with Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, both at 76%. McCain came in 3rd at 71%. I've yet to read fully why I am aligned with each of them and not aligned with others, so I'm not sure how accurate it is. I'm quite sure that reading that and taking the quiz again and again could actually alter my thoughts on each candidate, but that's the whole point.

Thanks, Ryan, for the tip. I've since read about it elsewhere, so the site's popularity seems to be growing.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Roller said...

Wow. You know you've made it in the blogosphere when you get your first spam comment. Coovo, we've worked so hard for this moment, especially these last couple weeks, I just wish we could have shared it together.

Ryan said...

Was it a Ron Paul comment? Geesh, those people are annoying.

I took it a little while ago so I forgot the number, but they're like 75%-60%, Paul, Thompson, Hunter.

I didn't even know Hunter was still running.

I think it would be cool if they gave you the full list sorted by percentages, that way I could see what percent Hillary I was... with a magnifying glass.

I bet Johnny's 94% Hillary.

Coovo said...

Roller, I think you should have consulted with me before taking off that comment. I don't think it was spam. I think it was proof of the global impact of The Loop and The Lou.

Did you try to translate it?

Somehow I am 89.2% Mondale.

Roller said...

Actually the 4th column is a drop down of all the other candidates, and you can choose any other one to see how you match up. It also notes the candidates that are no longer running, but still gives you percentages. I was 61% to Hillary, 66% to Obama.

Are candidates all that similar or does the site fail to find the differences? Is this the fault of the two-party system?

Coovo said...

Finally had time to take the quiz. I probably need to research the issues a little bit because I came up 71% Obama, 68% Romney, and 67% Clinton. The latter two are two that I have not considered for my vote.

I am also happy to report a 66% similarity to TLATL subject, Fred Thompson. But it might be misleading. I have 4 very similars, 5 differents, and 1 very different. I actually disagree on more topics than I agree.

How come ditka is not on this list?

Ryan said...

Yeah, Coov, you're right, TLATL should announce their official endorsement of Fred Thompson soon, if it's going to have the national impact it deserves.

I was 36% Clinton, actually 35%-38% for all the Dems, except Richardson, 50%.

Yeah, Rollers, I think it's a huge indictment of the current state of our two-party system. The mainstream republicans and mainstream democrats are not only virtually identical within parties but virtually identical to each other, with just like a couple wedge issues differentiating them.

Depending on the day, my Ron Paul support has risen as high as 88%. However, I am prepared to align forces with TLATL and support Arthur Branch!

Can you imagine Nina Cassady as Secretary of State?

Roller said...

Funny stuff ole' Rye Paul.

How depressing would it be if you took the quiz and your top three were Tancredo, Biden and Dodd?

"Dude, Dodd, an all them." I could say that over and over.