Internet quizzes are usually pretty stupid things. When Dan Drezner recommended a 36-question issues survey to see where you fit on the political landscape, it was a foregone conclusion that I would click the link in a moment of procrastination, but my expectations were low. To my surprise, the questions were smart and as unbiased as they could possibly be. Better still, the site provided a wealth of sources about how they determined the various candidates' positions. I was quite impressed.
Of course, since it was an internet survey, it didn't take a lot to impress me. But there are far worse surveys out there, based on nothing resembling data. I recommend that those of you who have used such surveys in any sort of serious way check your results against the one prepared by professional political scientists.
So where did I come out?
Now that result surprised even me, considering that no small amount of my support for Obama derives from considerations of character.
Unlike other surveys (like the one above), this one allows you to check exactly where you stand against the candidates, issue by issue. Details below the fold.
The website includes citations from debates and Senate votes, which is excellent. In other words, they actually determined the candidates' positions, instead of relying on impressions and stereotypes. It's quite informative.
So here is how I stacked up against Barack Obama, issue-by-issue and question-by-question.
50% agreement Gun control
75% agreement Environment
83% agreement Iraq
83% agreement Economy
83% agreement Income
67% agreement National security
92% agreement Family
83% agreement Immigration
75% agreement Health care
75% agreement Law and order
83% agreement Education
100% agreement Terrorism
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