Take this quiz to find out what you believe!

Those little quizzes on Facebook and in teen magazines usually drive me crazy, but if you like talking politics, you might want to check out http://www.glassbooth.org. You can take a quiz that connects you to the 2008 presidential candidate that represents your beliefs the best. What I like about this quiz is you can adjust it to reflect the issues that matter the most to you. (For example, my most important issues were healthcare, foreign policy, and economics and trade. Less important were issues like abortion, gay marriage, and gun control.) I also like  how the site clearly and objectively explains the candidate’s positions on various issues.

While I don’t like relying on 10-question quizzes to think for me, I like that this quiz requires you to prioritize which issues matter to you the most. If anything, it’s a good way to generate some discussion!

Oddly enough, you can still get matched with candidates who have already dropped out of the race. In fact, last time I took the quiz, I lined up with John Edwards more than Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. This time (in a frightening turn of events) Mike Gravel showed up as being compatible with my beliefs. In the end, I had 79 percent similarity with Hillary Clinton and 76 percent similarity with Barack Obama. I still plan to vote for Obama because I think he’ll do a better job of uniting the country and because he hasn’t taken money from registered lobbyists.

So, what issues are most important to you in this election? Iraq? Foreign policy in general? The environment? Dependency on foreign oil? Healthcare? Abortion? The economy? Education?

Let me know what’s on your mind and maybe we could have a guest blogger or two assist in a little online debate about the issues you want to talk about.

Anyone else taken the quiz?

Anyone out there still undecided about the election?


Mandy
Comment
i took it : )
Reply #1 on : Thu April 17, 2008, 13:58:10
Hmmm that was interesting!
I am apparently a Gravel girl. Although I have never given him a second thought ! Then Hillary, then Barack.

My most important issues are in this order
1. Iraq (we can’t focus on anything until its resolved, I don’t think)
2. Trade/economics (I can get fired up about some NAFTA stuff)
3. Health Care (free for all!)
4. Environment/energy (Kyoto should be the tip of the iceberg…we should be more regulated than any other country, and yet we are the opposite.)
5. Taxes and budget (the ever-widening gap between rich and poor, among other things. Down with taxing the middle class.)
6. Immigration, civil liberties, and social security (path to citizenship for immigrants, protecting and upholding civil liberties all the time…not just when it’s easy, and social security because those baby boomers are going to bring the pain onto our economy if we don’t prepare for them to start retiring. And it shouldn’t be privatized.)

I like that quiz…I’m voting for Hillary….unless Barack gets the nomination, in which case I would certainly vote for him.
It was a good debate…although focusing entirely too much on not-important issues, focusing on Barack’s “small-town mentality,” comments, focusing on Hillary’s Bosnia misstep, focusing on Rev. Wright…..It was like ABC was going for the jugular (metaphorically) of both candidates…for the sake of ratings maybe. Who knows?
Rachel H. Evans
Comment
Amen!
Reply #2 on : Thu April 17, 2008, 14:10:06
Amen to your comment about the pointless debate questions, Mandy! I checked the clock and the first 45 minutes were spent re-hashing these silly stories that get WAY too much coverage on cable news anyway...on both sides.

(I'll vote for HIllary if Obama doesn't get the nomination. What would you think of a joint ticket? Probably not going to happen, huh?)
Mandy
Comment
Re: Take this quiz to find out what you believe!
Reply #3 on : Thu April 17, 2008, 14:25:13
I think a joint ticket would …blow everyone’s mind ! Either of them in either role would just really appeal to a huge demographic…like, every demographic.
And they could take all their weaknesses and turn them into strengths…
Hillary’s too much a part of the establishment? That’s ok, she’s got bright young Barack.
Barack is too wet behind the ears? —don’t worry, he’s got mama bear Clinton on his side.
It would be a dream team, in my opinion. I think Hillary probably would be less inclined to run as Barack’s VP…for various reasons (like she likes to be the boss:) …and if Hillary gets the nom (tho’ it’s a bit doubtful), Barack might think he could just wait until 1212 and run again….but it would be a smart move for either of them. I know there might be a lot of McCain folks out there…but he would be in a real pickle if they got on the same ticket, in my opinion...
Rachel Dyer
Comment
Thoughts from a non-voter
Reply #4 on : Sat April 19, 2008, 20:45:26
Hi! The blog is great - so I hope you don't mind me jumping in and commenting! :-)

I like these kind of things. As a relative newcomer to this country (in my 4th year now!), and not having grown up with the parties and politicians you have here (in the USA), I like the insight it gives to what the politicians think - too often CNN/ABC/Fox et al. give sound bites that have more to do with "entertainment" than substance. And debates...I wish they'd move on to things that matter!

I was put most closely with Obama - and if I was allowed to vote here (having always voted since I was 18 and able to vote in the UK, this frustrates me!!), then that is probably where my vote would be going anyway! :-) With my top four areas being (in no particular order):

- health care - for all it's faults, having a national health system in the UK seems to work better across the board than health care does in the USA (and I haven't experienced being without health care here),

- trade and economics - with a good dose of social justice thrown in there (fair trade does not equal free trade....)

- environment and energy - I've been looking more and more recently at how energy feeds into so many factors of how we live - where our food comes from being one of those things and the challenge of living more locally

- education - kinda has to be as I work for a non-profit involved in this area! :-)

I'll be interested to see how the voting turns out this time. I moved to Tennessee just in time for the 2004 election - things were being looked at very differently in Europe to what I discovered seemed to matter here.
Rachel H. Evans
Comment
a European perspective!
Reply #5 on : Sun April 20, 2008, 00:35:41
Rachel - Thanks for the comment! It's great to hear from a European, especially about the healthcare issue. Healthcare is one of the most important issues to me, as I'm seeing more and more of my peers (many with full-time jobs) struggling to pay for medical bills and insurance premiums. And then there's the millions without any insurance at all...many of them children.

Some folks say that if we have a healthcare system like the UK's people would have to wait for weeks and weeks to get an appointment as the system would be overloaded and doctors wouldn't have as much incentive to practice. Sounds like your experience wasn't so bad. When I write a longer post about this issue, I'd love to hear more of what you think!

Sorry you can't vote! That must be frustrating...We're glad to have you on this side of the pond, though!
Kristen
Comment
Gravel?
Reply #6 on : Fri April 25, 2008, 13:59:51
I also ended up most aligned with Gravel, which I wasn't expecting--80% similar. Clinton was close behind, though, at 78%. Obama at 70%. So, I'm okay with that. I'm definitely a Clinton supporter, but Obama will certainly have my vote if he's on the ticket. Here's hoping for them both being on it. Probably not going to happen, unfortunately.

This was fun!
kristen
Comment
Re: Take this quiz to find out what you believe!
Reply #7 on : Fri May 02, 2008, 17:47:09
tee hee hee. i got nader at 81%. and gravel, also at 81%. i'll be honest and say that i don't even know who that is. next comes clinton at 74% and 73% for obama. i would love to vote for obama. we will see how that works out.

and just to chime in:
from my brief experience with NHS in the UK, in centers of high population, appointments had to be made that day. this prevented the long wait. so, i didn't have any problem getting an appointment. the issues were that the over specialization means that appointments took much longer (seeing a different md/rn/technician for each test) and that results took longer than here. also, all of my friends who could afford it, made use of private healthcare. rachel would probably have a much better assessment.

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