Saturday, August 30, 2008

Like A Monkey In My Living Room

Politics. I'm not quite sure what to do with it.

Let me confess right up front that for the last twelve years I have been obscenely lazy when it comes to being engaged with the political scene. Sure, I voted and proudly. I wouldn't call myself a Democrat but I wouldn't call me a Republican either. But was I the most informed voter? Um, no.

Up until last week, I thought I knew for whom I was going to vote. But then I told my husband and he looked at me as if I had told him Jesus was not the Savior. Politics was not something addressed in our wedding vows and so our differing opinions have become the center of many conversations in the last week. And in a really good way, it has made me take a closer look at who I'll vote for and why.

Here's my question for y'all: what are some really helpful sites to go to where I can glean unbiased info about each candidate, their running mates and where they stand on the issues?

Debbie, this is your goldmine. Show me what you got....

6 comments:

  1. I must admit...I gasped when I heard you gushing on Obama!? That surprised me.

    But I also must admit that it's not an easy choice this year. : (

    Poo. I hate politics too. WHERE's DEBBIE?

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  2. But WAIT! I forgot to say that I LOooove Sarah Palin.

    The end.

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  3. Well, not gushing so much...but again, I cannot emphasize the UNINFORMED part of things enough.

    Debbie, help.

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  4. Anonymous10:27 PM

    http://www.issues2000.org/default.htm

    Very eye-opening!
    Love you, cuz!

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  5. I'm so proud of you, Leslie! BTW, make sure you're registered to vote with your new address so you and J. won't miss out on the fun in Nov.

    http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/index.shtml

    If you're looking just at the prez candiates, I think it's nice to compare what they say they believe on their websites. They state all their issues--it's like a Deluxe resume.

    www.barackobama.com
    www.johnmccain.com

    Here's my fave election site:

    www.votesmart.org/

    --a non-profit that offers a ton of info on all candidates for election (local included). For Prez candidates, they offer voting records and campaign donor records from the Senate

    I think all the major news networks have good information too, but I think it's good to look at a couple to be sure you're getting a balanced perspective.

    Plus, here are some other sites I like:
    www.slate.com
    www.economist.com

    Don't forget that other people in your town and state will be up for office too. The local and state newspapers will have lots of info on them.

    Now, if only I could get Nu interested. Ironically, he's the least politically-minded person I know. At least J has an opinion.

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  6. Thanks for realizing my nerdy-civics-teacher dreams!

    ReplyDelete

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