HEY IOWANS!

Are *you* still an undecided voter? Tired of having to *read* and *learn* all the time about all the different candidates positions? Are you all nervous and sweaty because your caucus is tonight and you're still "undecided"? Well worry no longer because once again - THE INTERNET HAS THE ANSWER!

Some research firm has created this website (based in the Netherlands, I think) where you answer 32 positional questions about your feelings on certain important issues and the site spits out your position on a two-axis graph relative to those of the main democratic and republican candidates and tells you which you are closest to, based on an analysis of the positions they proclaim on their websites, books/articles they've written, transcripts of debates, voting records in Congress, etc. It practically votes for you!

Now, obviously all you professional politicos out there* are probably going to go into all sorts of fits about "how they code data" and "accuracy" and "truthiness" - but my results put me smack dab next to my preferred candidate of choice, so I can only assume they are 100% accurate. It's like the internet knows me so well...

* Yes, I'm lookin' at you Spice and J.Bro

Comments

J.Po said…
Okay, that was TOTALLY fun. And, like you, confirms my selection of candidates this election season. I come out as "Social liberalism: progressive", whatever that means. Obama is my man. GO ILLINOIS STATE SENATOR!

Where's Kucinich on the graph. Did he fall off the edge of leftiness or something?
Stacey Pelika said…
I did not end up near my preferred candidate (Edwards) - but then, I'm more economically and socially liberal than any of the candidates and a lot of my decision-making is influenced by 'electability' calculations rather than just issue positions.

I didn't have any issues with the survey itself (I thought it was pretty good, actually), although the demographic questions (if you clicked on the 'please help our research' button) were obviously written by Europeans - I had no idea how to answer the education question! But given my conversations with a German colleague about the system there, I ended up going with 'university.'
grrrbear said…
Sorry to say it J.Po, but I think the designers are more focused on only the most popular candidates. Hence why there was no Kucinich, Dodd, Gravel, Hunter, etc.

True on the "education" question, Spice. I went with "Professional Degree" since I think an MBA is professional. But now I'm having second thoughts...
towwas said…
Argh. I hate questionnaires that use negative statements so you have to figure out the double-negative thing when you pick your answer. (Says the daughter of a man who designs surveys for a living.)
Cheryl said…
That WAS totally fun, although it put me next to Edwards and I prefer Obama. Still, interesting.
Unknown said…
Late, but I don't have any real problems with the questions either - PLUS, it turned me into a little pencil right in Obama's right eyeball. So I stamp it with my approval.