In the effort to attract more voters,
Democratic and Republican candidates are leaning toward the center of the
political spectrum. Their moderate campaign promises often obscure differences
between the parties.
The 2008 election campaigns started early and carried voters through months of speeches, debates and primaries. After picking apart the candidates on each side of the sharply divided Democratic and Republican parties, the nominees were narrowed down.
Barack Obama and John McCain both pledge to improve education and plan to support paths to help illegal immigrants become citizens; however, the two candidates have different opinions on many other issues, including health care, abortion, gun control, Iraq war and civil unions. The president's political ideology can also influence Supreme Court and cabinet appointments. The president's
political idealogy can also influence supreme court and cabinet
appointments.
The following sites allow voters to compare candidates' viewpoints on
important issues.
Presidential Election
- On The Issues
Reports the viewpoints of all presidential and vice presidential candidates.
Visitors can choose an issue that concerns them and read statements by each
candidate.
- 2decide.com
Provides a clear and concise chart outlining the presidential candidates' viewpoints on a lot of main issues.
- The New York Times: Election 2008
Gives a key issue and highlights the candidate's opinions on the issue by quote and summary.
- Nationalplatforms.com
View detailed profiles on both Obama and McCain . Voters can also read each candidate's vision for America and their stance on key issues.
- USA Today
Breaks down views on the issues by topic and by candidate. Viewers can also find links to articles dealing with the issues.
- CNNPolitics.com
Lists the opinions of Obama and McCain on various aspects including stem cell research, abortion and Social Security.
Congressional and State Elections
The president is not the only elected official who influences public
policy. The governor, senators and representatives you elect can be just as
important. Project Vote Smart surveyed many elected officials about their
position on significant issues. Access the
National Political Awareness Test
to find your representatives at the state and national level. The NPAT Matching Game
allows voters to compare their views with those of their elected officials. Project Vote Smart also offers
voting records for current senators and representatives.
Presidential Quizzes
The Internet offers even more help for the indecisive voter.
VoteMatch and selectsmart.com ask a series of questions, then point out
which candidate fits your responses. Results may be skewed, since
not all candidates provided opinions for every issue.
Issue Reference Sites
To arm yourself with information before you reach the polls, visit
SpeakOut.com. You'll find background information on a wide variety of issues. Yahoo! News
offers recent audio and video news clips relating to public policy. Visitors can also read alerts
from organizations lobbying for certain issues.
--- J. Britten
Note: Some links in this article are no longer available. We apologize for
the inconvenience.
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