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Tuesday, November 06, 2012

2012 Political Party Platforms and Endorsements


Charts are from Illinois Family Action 
http://www.illinoisfamilyaction.org/?p=1002
Printable Version of these two charts

The main message today is VOTE!! It is a right we are fortunate to have and like any right, we should exercise it regularly. As they say in the fitness world, "Use it or lose it". A lot of great information out there to help decide. If you're still "undecided" at this point, perhaps you are just confused. 

I think we all feel like this young girl by now:

Tired of Bronco Bamma and Mitt Romney

 
She's bi-partisan which is refreshing.


Party Platforms Presented as a public service from Advocates for Self-Government. 

2012 POLITICAL PARTY PLATFORMS

VoteMatch - REPUBLICAN PLATFORM

Candidate's Political Philosophy
The below is a way of thinking about the candidate's political philosophy by dividing the candidate's VoteMatch answers into "personal" and "economic" questions.  It is only a theory - please take it with a grain of salt!
Personal Questions:  Liberals and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while conservatives and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictions answers.
Economic Questions:  Conservatives and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while liberals and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictions answers.
 
Candidate's Score
The candidate scored the following on the VoteMatch questions:
 
Personal Score15%
Economic Score88%

Where the Candidate Fits In
Where the candidate's Personal score meets the Economic score on the grid below is the candidate's political philosophy.  Based on the above score, the candidate is a Hard-Core Conservative.
Political Map
 
Personal Score
This measures how much the candidate believes government should intervene in people's personal lives. Personal issues include health, morality, love, recreation, prayer and other activities that are not measured in dollars.
  • high score (above 60%) means the candidate believes in tolerance for different people and lifestyles.
  • low score (below 40%) means the candidate believes that standards of morality & safety should be enforced by government. 
Economic Score
This measures how much the candidate believes government should intervene in people's economic lives. Economic issues include retirement funding, budget allocations, and taxes. 
  • high score (above 60%) means the candidate believes in personal responsibility for financial matters, and that free-market competition is better for people than central planning by the government. 
  • low score (below 40%) means the candidate believes that a good society is best achieved by the government redistributing wealth. The candidate believes that government's purpose is to decide which programs are good for society, and how much should be spent on each program.
This measures how much the candidate believes government should intervene in people's economic lives. Economic issues include retirement funding, budget allocations, and taxes. 
How We Score Candidates
    How we determine a candidate's stance on each VoteMatch question:
  1. We collect up votes, excerpts from speeches, press releases, and so on, which are related to each question. Each of these are shown on the candidate's VoteMatch table.
  2. We assign an individual score for each item on the list. The scores can be: Strongly Favor, Favor, Neutral/Mixed, Oppose, Strongly Oppose. The scoring terms refer to the text of the question, not whether the candidate strongly opposed a bill, for example.
  3. We then average the individual scores, using the numeric scale: Strongly Favor = 2, Favor = 1, Neutral/Mixed = 0, Oppose = -1, Strongly Oppose = -2.
  • If the average is above 1, the overall answer to the question is Strongly Favor.
  • If the average is above 0, the overall answer to the question is Favor.
  • If the average is exactly 0, the overall answer to the question is Neutral.
  • If the average is below 0, the overall answer to the question is Oppose.
  • If the average is below -1, the overall answer to the question is Strongly Oppose.
  • When you do a VoteMatch quiz, your answers are compared to each candidates' overall answer to come up with a matching percentage.
  • To get the political philosophy of the candidate, we sum up the answers on two scales, the Personal/Social scale and the Economic Scale. Some questions aren't used in the political philosophy calculations.
  • The VoteMatch table indicates the number of scale points from each answer (any one question can provide from 0 to 10 scale points on one scale or the other).
  • The combination of social/moral scales and economic scales produces a political philosophy description. A more detailed explanation appears below.

Examples
The chart below indicates how four "hard-core" political philosophers would answer the questions. From this example, you can see how the candidate fits in with each philosophy.  The candidate's answers are on the left.
  • A "hard-core liberal" would answer personal questions to minimize government involvement, but would answer economic questions to include government intervention.
  • A "hard-core libertarian" would answer both personal and economic questions to minimize government involvement.
  • A "hard-core conservative" would answer personal questions to include government intervention, but would answer economic questions to minimize government involvement.
  • A "hard-core authoritarian" would answer both personal and economic questions with proposals that include government intervention.
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
 
Personal IssuesThe candidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
Abortion Is A  Woman's Right
 
Sexual Orientation Protected By Civil Rights Law
 
Organized Prayer In Public Schools
 
Death Penalty 
 
Mandatory "Three Strikes" Sentencing Laws
 
Drug Use Is Immoral: Enforce Laws Against It
 
Allow Churches To Provide Welfare Services
 
Link Human Rights To Trade With China
 
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
Economic IssuesThe CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
Require Companies To Hire More Women/Minorities
 
More Federal Funding For Health Coverage
 
Privatize Social Security
 
Spend Resources To Stop Global Warming
 
Make Income Tax Flatter And Lower
 
Immigration Helps Our Economy - Encourage It
 
Support and Expand Free Trade 
 
Continue Foreign Aid to Russia, Israel, Others
 
The CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
Issues Not Counted In PhilosophyThe CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
Absolute Right To Gun Ownership
 
Parents Choose Schools Via Vouchers
 
More Spending On Armed Forces Personnel
 
Reduce Spending on Missile Defense ("Star Wars")
 
The CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
Final Notes
To ensure balance among political viewpoints, we arranged the wording of the questions so that half the time, the answer involving more government is answered by "support", and half the time by "oppose." Hence, each of the "hard core" philosophers would choose "support" for 3 or 4 of the Personal questions and for 3 or 4 of the Economic questions.
There are four questions which are not counted in the candidate's political philosophy. Those questions do not fit this theory -- for example, Democrats typically oppose unrestricted gun ownership, while a 'hard core liberal' would support it on grounds of the government not intervening in a personal issue. These omissions ensure that the theoretical definitions match with current-day politics.
Many of these statements cross over the line between personal issues and economic issues. And many people might answer what we call a "Personal" issue based on economic reasoning. But we have tried to arrange a series of questions which separates the way candidates think about government activities in these two broad scales.
Political Map and some content from Advocates for Self-Government.




VoteMatch - TEA PARTY

Candidate's Political Philosophy
The below is a way of thinking about the candidate's political philosophy by dividing the candidate's VoteMatch answers into "personal" and "economic" questions.  It is only a theory - please take it with a grain of salt!
Personal Questions:  Liberals and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while conservatives and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictions answers.
Economic Questions:  Conservatives and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while liberals and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictions answers.
 
Candidate's Score
The candidate scored the following on the VoteMatch questions:
 
Personal Score50%
Economic Score65%

Where the Candidate Fits In
Where the candidate's Personal score meets the Economic score on the grid below is the candidate's political philosophy.  Based on the above score, the candidate is a Moderate Libertarian Conservative.
Political Map
 
Personal Score
This measures how much the candidate believes government should intervene in people's personal lives. Personal issues include health, morality, love, recreation, prayer and other activities that are not measured in dollars.
  • high score (above 60%) means the candidate believes in tolerance for different people and lifestyles.
  • low score (below 40%) means the candidate believes that standards of morality & safety should be enforced by government. 
Economic Score
This measures how much the candidate believes government should intervene in people's economic lives. Economic issues include retirement funding, budget allocations, and taxes. 
  • high score (above 60%) means the candidate believes in personal responsibility for financial matters, and that free-market competition is better for people than central planning by the government. 
  • low score (below 40%) means the candidate believes that a good society is best achieved by the government redistributing wealth. The candidate believes that government's purpose is to decide which programs are good for society, and how much should be spent on each program.
This measures how much the candidate believes government should intervene in people's economic lives. Economic issues include retirement funding, budget allocations, and taxes. 
How We Score Candidates
    How we determine a candidate's stance on each VoteMatch question:
  1. We collect up votes, excerpts from speeches, press releases, and so on, which are related to each question. Each of these are shown on the candidate's VoteMatch table.
  2. We assign an individual score for each item on the list. The scores can be: Strongly Favor, Favor, Neutral/Mixed, Oppose, Strongly Oppose. The scoring terms refer to the text of the question, not whether the candidate strongly opposed a bill, for example.
  3. We then average the individual scores, using the numeric scale: Strongly Favor = 2, Favor = 1, Neutral/Mixed = 0, Oppose = -1, Strongly Oppose = -2.
  • If the average is above 1, the overall answer to the question is Strongly Favor.
  • If the average is above 0, the overall answer to the question is Favor.
  • If the average is exactly 0, the overall answer to the question is Neutral.
  • If the average is below 0, the overall answer to the question is Oppose.
  • If the average is below -1, the overall answer to the question is Strongly Oppose.
  • When you do a VoteMatch quiz, your answers are compared to each candidates' overall answer to come up with a matching percentage.
  • To get the political philosophy of the candidate, we sum up the answers on two scales, the Personal/Social scale and the Economic Scale. Some questions aren't used in the political philosophy calculations.
  • The VoteMatch table indicates the number of scale points from each answer (any one question can provide from 0 to 10 scale points on one scale or the other).
  • The combination of social/moral scales and economic scales produces a political philosophy description. A more detailed explanation appears below.

Examples
The chart below indicates how four "hard-core" political philosophers would answer the questions. From this example, you can see how the candidate fits in with each philosophy.  The candidate's answers are on the left.
  • A "hard-core liberal" would answer personal questions to minimize government involvement, but would answer economic questions to include government intervention.
  • A "hard-core libertarian" would answer both personal and economic questions to minimize government involvement.
  • A "hard-core conservative" would answer personal questions to include government intervention, but would answer economic questions to minimize government involvement.
  • A "hard-core authoritarian" would answer both personal and economic questions with proposals that include government intervention.
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
 
Personal IssuesThe candidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
Abortion Is A  Woman's Right
 
Sexual Orientation Protected By Civil Rights Law
 
Organized Prayer In Public Schools
 
Death Penalty 
 
Mandatory "Three Strikes" Sentencing Laws
 
Drug Use Is Immoral: Enforce Laws Against It
 
Allow Churches To Provide Welfare Services
 
Link Human Rights To Trade With China
 
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
Economic IssuesThe CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
Require Companies To Hire More Women/Minorities
 
More Federal Funding For Health Coverage
 
Privatize Social Security
 
Spend Resources To Stop Global Warming
 
Make Income Tax Flatter And Lower
 
Immigration Helps Our Economy - Encourage It
 
Support and Expand Free Trade 
 
Continue Foreign Aid to Russia, Israel, Others
 
The CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
Issues Not Counted In PhilosophyThe CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
Absolute Right To Gun Ownership
 
Parents Choose Schools Via Vouchers
 
More Spending On Armed Forces Personnel
 
Reduce Spending on Missile Defense ("Star Wars")
 
The CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
Final Notes
To ensure balance among political viewpoints, we arranged the wording of the questions so that half the time, the answer involving more government is answered by "support", and half the time by "oppose." Hence, each of the "hard core" philosophers would choose "support" for 3 or 4 of the Personal questions and for 3 or 4 of the Economic questions.
There are four questions which are not counted in the candidate's political philosophy. Those questions do not fit this theory -- for example, Democrats typically oppose unrestricted gun ownership, while a 'hard core liberal' would support it on grounds of the government not intervening in a personal issue. These omissions ensure that the theoretical definitions match with current-day politics.
Many of these statements cross over the line between personal issues and economic issues. And many people might answer what we call a "Personal" issue based on economic reasoning. But we have tried to arrange a series of questions which separates the way candidates think about government activities in these two broad scales.
Political Map and some content from Advocates for Self-Government.





VoteMatch - LIBERTARIAN PARTY

Candidate's Political Philosophy
The below is a way of thinking about the candidate's political philosophy by dividing the candidate's VoteMatch answers into "personal" and "economic" questions.  It is only a theory - please take it with a grain of salt!
Personal Questions:  Liberals and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while conservatives and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictions answers.
Economic Questions:  Conservatives and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while liberals and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictions answers.
 
Candidate's Score
The candidate scored the following on the VoteMatch questions:
 
Personal Score83%
Economic Score95%

Where the Candidate Fits In
Where the candidate's Personal score meets the Economic score on the grid below is the candidate's political philosophy.  Based on the above score, the candidate is a Hard-Core Libertarian.
Political Map
 
Personal Score
This measures how much the candidate believes government should intervene in people's personal lives. Personal issues include health, morality, love, recreation, prayer and other activities that are not measured in dollars.
  • high score (above 60%) means the candidate believes in tolerance for different people and lifestyles.
  • low score (below 40%) means the candidate believes that standards of morality & safety should be enforced by government. 
Economic Score
This measures how much the candidate believes government should intervene in people's economic lives. Economic issues include retirement funding, budget allocations, and taxes. 
  • high score (above 60%) means the candidate believes in personal responsibility for financial matters, and that free-market competition is better for people than central planning by the government. 
  • low score (below 40%) means the candidate believes that a good society is best achieved by the government redistributing wealth. The candidate believes that government's purpose is to decide which programs are good for society, and how much should be spent on each program.
This measures how much the candidate believes government should intervene in people's economic lives. Economic issues include retirement funding, budget allocations, and taxes. 
How We Score Candidates
    How we determine a candidate's stance on each VoteMatch question:
  1. We collect up votes, excerpts from speeches, press releases, and so on, which are related to each question. Each of these are shown on the candidate's VoteMatch table.
  2. We assign an individual score for each item on the list. The scores can be: Strongly Favor, Favor, Neutral/Mixed, Oppose, Strongly Oppose. The scoring terms refer to the text of the question, not whether the candidate strongly opposed a bill, for example.
  3. We then average the individual scores, using the numeric scale: Strongly Favor = 2, Favor = 1, Neutral/Mixed = 0, Oppose = -1, Strongly Oppose = -2.
  • If the average is above 1, the overall answer to the question is Strongly Favor.
  • If the average is above 0, the overall answer to the question is Favor.
  • If the average is exactly 0, the overall answer to the question is Neutral.
  • If the average is below 0, the overall answer to the question is Oppose.
  • If the average is below -1, the overall answer to the question is Strongly Oppose.
  • When you do a VoteMatch quiz, your answers are compared to each candidates' overall answer to come up with a matching percentage.
  • To get the political philosophy of the candidate, we sum up the answers on two scales, the Personal/Social scale and the Economic Scale. Some questions aren't used in the political philosophy calculations.
  • The VoteMatch table indicates the number of scale points from each answer (any one question can provide from 0 to 10 scale points on one scale or the other).
  • The combination of social/moral scales and economic scales produces a political philosophy description. A more detailed explanation appears below.

Examples
The chart below indicates how four "hard-core" political philosophers would answer the questions. From this example, you can see how the candidate fits in with each philosophy.  The candidate's answers are on the left.
  • A "hard-core liberal" would answer personal questions to minimize government involvement, but would answer economic questions to include government intervention.
  • A "hard-core libertarian" would answer both personal and economic questions to minimize government involvement.
  • A "hard-core conservative" would answer personal questions to include government intervention, but would answer economic questions to minimize government involvement.
  • A "hard-core authoritarian" would answer both personal and economic questions with proposals that include government intervention.
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
 
Personal IssuesThe candidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
Abortion Is A  Woman's Right
 
Sexual Orientation Protected By Civil Rights Law
 
Organized Prayer In Public Schools
 
Death Penalty 
 
Mandatory "Three Strikes" Sentencing Laws
 
Drug Use Is Immoral: Enforce Laws Against It
 
Allow Churches To Provide Welfare Services
 
Link Human Rights To Trade With China
 
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
Economic IssuesThe CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
Require Companies To Hire More Women/Minorities
 
More Federal Funding For Health Coverage
 
Privatize Social Security
 
Spend Resources To Stop Global Warming
 
Make Income Tax Flatter And Lower
 
Immigration Helps Our Economy - Encourage It
 
Support and Expand Free Trade 
 
Continue Foreign Aid to Russia, Israel, Others
 
The CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
Issues Not Counted In PhilosophyThe CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
Absolute Right To Gun Ownership
 
Parents Choose Schools Via Vouchers
 
More Spending On Armed Forces Personnel
 
Reduce Spending on Missile Defense ("Star Wars")
 
The CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
Final Notes
To ensure balance among political viewpoints, we arranged the wording of the questions so that half the time, the answer involving more government is answered by "support", and half the time by "oppose." Hence, each of the "hard core" philosophers would choose "support" for 3 or 4 of the Personal questions and for 3 or 4 of the Economic questions.
There are four questions which are not counted in the candidate's political philosophy. Those questions do not fit this theory -- for example, Democrats typically oppose unrestricted gun ownership, while a 'hard core liberal' would support it on grounds of the government not intervening in a personal issue. These omissions ensure that the theoretical definitions match with current-day politics.
Many of these statements cross over the line between personal issues and economic issues. And many people might answer what we call a "Personal" issue based on economic reasoning. But we have tried to arrange a series of questions which separates the way candidates think about government activities in these two broad scales.
Political Map and some content from Advocates for Self-Government.





VoteMatch - DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM

Candidate's Political Philosophy
The below is a way of thinking about the candidate's political philosophy by dividing the candidate's VoteMatch answers into "personal" and "economic" questions.  It is only a theory - please take it with a grain of salt!
Personal Questions:  Liberals and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while conservatives and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictions answers.
Economic Questions:  Conservatives and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while liberals and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictions answers.
 
Candidate's Score
The candidate scored the following on the VoteMatch questions:
 
Personal Score60%
Economic Score15%

Where the Candidate Fits In
Where the candidate's Personal score meets the Economic score on the grid below is the candidate's political philosophy.  Based on the above score, the candidate is a Populist-Leaning Liberal.
Political Map
 
Personal Score
This measures how much the candidate believes government should intervene in people's personal lives. Personal issues include health, morality, love, recreation, prayer and other activities that are not measured in dollars.
  • high score (above 60%) means the candidate believes in tolerance for different people and lifestyles.
  • low score (below 40%) means the candidate believes that standards of morality & safety should be enforced by government. 
Economic Score
This measures how much the candidate believes government should intervene in people's economic lives. Economic issues include retirement funding, budget allocations, and taxes. 
  • high score (above 60%) means the candidate believes in personal responsibility for financial matters, and that free-market competition is better for people than central planning by the government. 
  • low score (below 40%) means the candidate believes that a good society is best achieved by the government redistributing wealth. The candidate believes that government's purpose is to decide which programs are good for society, and how much should be spent on each program.
This measures how much the candidate believes government should intervene in people's economic lives. Economic issues include retirement funding, budget allocations, and taxes. 
How We Score Candidates
    How we determine a candidate's stance on each VoteMatch question:
  1. We collect up votes, excerpts from speeches, press releases, and so on, which are related to each question. Each of these are shown on the candidate's VoteMatch table.
  2. We assign an individual score for each item on the list. The scores can be: Strongly Favor, Favor, Neutral/Mixed, Oppose, Strongly Oppose. The scoring terms refer to the text of the question, not whether the candidate strongly opposed a bill, for example.
  3. We then average the individual scores, using the numeric scale: Strongly Favor = 2, Favor = 1, Neutral/Mixed = 0, Oppose = -1, Strongly Oppose = -2.
  • If the average is above 1, the overall answer to the question is Strongly Favor.
  • If the average is above 0, the overall answer to the question is Favor.
  • If the average is exactly 0, the overall answer to the question is Neutral.
  • If the average is below 0, the overall answer to the question is Oppose.
  • If the average is below -1, the overall answer to the question is Strongly Oppose.
  • When you do a VoteMatch quiz, your answers are compared to each candidates' overall answer to come up with a matching percentage.
  • To get the political philosophy of the candidate, we sum up the answers on two scales, the Personal/Social scale and the Economic Scale. Some questions aren't used in the political philosophy calculations.
  • The VoteMatch table indicates the number of scale points from each answer (any one question can provide from 0 to 10 scale points on one scale or the other).
  • The combination of social/moral scales and economic scales produces a political philosophy description. A more detailed explanation appears below.

Examples
The chart below indicates how four "hard-core" political philosophers would answer the questions. From this example, you can see how the candidate fits in with each philosophy.  The candidate's answers are on the left.
  • A "hard-core liberal" would answer personal questions to minimize government involvement, but would answer economic questions to include government intervention.
  • A "hard-core libertarian" would answer both personal and economic questions to minimize government involvement.
  • A "hard-core conservative" would answer personal questions to include government intervention, but would answer economic questions to minimize government involvement.
  • A "hard-core authoritarian" would answer both personal and economic questions with proposals that include government intervention.
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
 
Personal IssuesThe candidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
Abortion Is A  Woman's Right
 
Sexual Orientation Protected By Civil Rights Law
 
Organized Prayer In Public Schools
 
Death Penalty 
 
Mandatory "Three Strikes" Sentencing Laws
 
Drug Use Is Immoral: Enforce Laws Against It
 
Allow Churches To Provide Welfare Services
 
Link Human Rights To Trade With China
 
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
Economic IssuesThe CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
Require Companies To Hire More Women/Minorities
 
More Federal Funding For Health Coverage
 
Privatize Social Security
 
Spend Resources To Stop Global Warming
 
Make Income Tax Flatter And Lower
 
Immigration Helps Our Economy - Encourage It
 
Support and Expand Free Trade 
 
Continue Foreign Aid to Russia, Israel, Others
 
The CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
Issues Not Counted In PhilosophyThe CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
Absolute Right To Gun Ownership
 
Parents Choose Schools Via Vouchers
 
More Spending On Armed Forces Personnel
 
Reduce Spending on Missile Defense ("Star Wars")
 
The CandidateHard-core LiberalHard-core LibertarianHard-Core ConservativeHard-Core Authoritarian
 = Strongly Support     = Support     = No Opinion     = Oppose     = Strongly Oppose
Final Notes
To ensure balance among political viewpoints, we arranged the wording of the questions so that half the time, the answer involving more government is answered by "support", and half the time by "oppose." Hence, each of the "hard core" philosophers would choose "support" for 3 or 4 of the Personal questions and for 3 or 4 of the Economic questions.
There are four questions which are not counted in the candidate's political philosophy. Those questions do not fit this theory -- for example, Democrats typically oppose unrestricted gun ownership, while a 'hard core liberal' would support it on grounds of the government not intervening in a personal issue. These omissions ensure that the theoretical definitions match with current-day politics.
Many of these statements cross over the line between personal issues and economic issues. And many people might answer what we call a "Personal" issue based on economic reasoning. But we have tried to arrange a series of questions which separates the way candidates think about government activities in these two broad scales.
Political Map and some content from Advocates for Self-Government.




VoteMatch - GREEN PARTY

Candidate's Political Philosophy
The below is a way of thinking about the candidate's political philosophy by dividing the candidate's VoteMatch answers into "personal" and "economic" questions.  It is only a theory - please take it with a grain of salt!
Personal Questions:  Liberals and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while conservatives and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictions answers.
Economic Questions:  Conservatives and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while liberals and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictions answers.
 
Candidate's Score
The candidate scored the following on the VoteMatch questions:
 
Personal Score98%
Economic Score0%



from the American Presidency Project:
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/2012_newspaper_endorsements.php


2012 General Election Editorial Endorsements by Major Newspapers
  
Top 100 Newspapers Based on Daily Circulation

   
Click on Link to Read Each Editorial   -   Changed Party Endorsements Indicated in Bold Italics
  Last Updated on November 5 @ 22:15 GMT (Final Update)
ScorecardBarack ObamaSPLIT
or
"undecided"
Mitt RomneyNO
ENDORSEMENT
Total Endorsements4113523
Total Circulation10,014,98078,8196,475,8157,028,874
Endorsed Obama in 20083911211
Endorsed McCain in 200810223
Did not endorse in 20081008
SPLIT in 20080011
view 2008 editorial endorsements page

NewspaperCirculationEndorseePublished2008 Endorsee
The Wall Street Journal2,118,315Generally does not endorse candidates
USA Today1,817,446Does not endorse candidates
The New York Times1,586,757ObamaOctober 27Obama
Los Angeles Times616,575ObamaOctober 21Obama
The Daily News (New York)579,636RomneyNovember 4Obama
San Jose Mercury News575,786ObamaOctober 27Obama
New York Post555,327RomneyOctober 25McCain
The Washington Post507,615ObamaOctober 25Obama
Chicago Sun-Times422,335No longer endorses (1)Obama
Chicago Tribune414,590ObamaOctober 26Obama
The Dallas Morning News405,349RomneySeptember 28McCain
The Denver Post401,120ObamaOctober 21Obama
Newsday (Long Island, NY)397,973RomneyNovember 3Obama
Houston Chronicle384,007RomneyOctober 21Obama
The Philadelphia Inquirer325,291ObamaOctober 14Obama
The Arizona Republic (Phoenix)321,600RomneyOctober 21McCain
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul)300,330ObamaOctober 27Obama
Tampa Bay Times (Formerly St. Petersburg Times)299,497ObamaOctober 21Obama
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH)286,405ObamaOctober 20Obama
The Orange County Register (CA)280,812Did not endorse (10)none
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ)278,940ObamaOctober 21Obama
The Oregonian (Portland)247,833NONEAugust 14Obama
The Seattle Times236,929ObamaSeptember 28Obama
Detroit Free Press232,696ObamaOctober 28Obama
The San Diego Union-Tribune230,742RomneyNovember 3McCain
San Francisco Chronicle229,176ObamaOctober 26Obama
The Boston Globe225,482ObamaOctober 29Obama
Las Vegas Review-Journal220,619RomneyOctober 7McCain
Honolulu Star-Advertiser209,915ObamaNovember 4none
Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN)205,171Does not endorse candidates (2)
Kansas City Star200,365ObamaOctober 27Obama
The Sacramento Bee196,667ObamaOctober 14Obama
Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, TX)195,455RomneyOctober 20Obama
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette188,545ObamaOctober 28Obama
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review188,405RomneyOctober 20McCain
St. Louis Post-Dispatch187,992ObamaOctober 7Obama
Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel185,710No longer endorses (3)Obama
The Baltimore Sun179,574ObamaNovember 2Obama
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock)179,258RomneyOctober 23McCain
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution174,251No longer endorses (4)Obama
Orlando Sentinel173,576RomneyOctober 19Obama
Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)165,974RomneyOctober 26Obama
The Indianapolis Star164,640NONEAugust 19SPLIT
The Miami Herald160,988ObamaOctober 26Obama
Investor’s Business Daily (Los Angeles)156,269RomneyNovember 2McCain
The Record (Hackensack, NJ)155,236ObamaNovember 4Obama
The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)154,033ObamaNovember 4Obama
The Buffalo News147,085ObamaOctober 27Obama
Charlotte Observer146,511ObamaOctober 21Obama
The Tampa Tribune144,510RomneyOctober 21McCain
The Cincinnati Enquirer144,165RomneyOctober 27McCain
The Virginian Pilot142,476Does not endorse candidates (5)
San Antonio Express-News139,099ObamaOctober 19McCain
The Columbus (OH) Dispatch136,023RomneyOctober 21McCain
Omaha World-Herald135,223RomneyOctober 8McCain
The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)133,557NONEOctober 14Obama
The Detroit News133,508RomneyOctober 25McCain
The Hartford Courant132,006ObamaOctober 26Obama
The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA)131,872RomneyOctober 28McCain
The Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK)130,177RomneyOctober 28McCain
News & Observer (Raleigh, NC)129,698ObamaOctober 28Obama
Austin American-Statesman125,305NONENovember 3Obama
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)118,978NONENovember 4Obama
The Tennessean (Nashville)118,589RomneyOctober 18Obama
Grand Rapids Press114,571RomneyOctober 24McCain
Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY)114,502ObamaNovember 3Obama
The Providence (RI) Journal114,013ObamaOctober 28Obama
The Salt Lake Tribune110,546ObamaOctober 20Obama
The Palm Beach Post110,373NONEOctober 29Obama
Richmond Times-Dispatch108,559RomneyOctober 27McCain
Boston Herald108,548RomneyOctober 23McCain
The Fresno Bee107,501ObamaOctober 31Obama
The Birmingham News103,729NONENovember 1McCain
The Des Moines Register101,915RomneyOctober 27Obama
The Morning Call (Allentown, PA)100,196Did not endorse (10)none
Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)99,670RomneyOctober 28Obama
The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, FL)98,580RomneyOctober 26SPLIT
Asbury Park Press98,032ObamaOctober 26Obama
Tulsa World97,725RomneyNovember 4McCain
Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, AZ)96,682ObamaOctober 21Obama
La Opinión95,148ObamaOctober 23Obama
The Blade (Toledo, OH)94,215ObamaOctober 28Obama
Daily News (Los Angeles)94,016RomneyOctober 26Obama
Dayton Daily News93,425Does not endorse candidates (6)Obama
Lexington (KY) Herald Leader89,735ObamaOctober 28Obama
The Akron Beacon Journal88,040ObamaOctober 20Obama
The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)87,817RomneyNovember 4McCain
Northwest Indiana Times85,692RomneyNovember 4McCain
Albuquerque Journal84,826RomneyNovember 4McCain
Deseret News (Salt Lake City, UT)83,719Does not endorse candidates
The News Journal (New Castle County, DE)83,210ObamaNovember 3Obama
Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI)83,083RomneyNovember 4Obama
Press-Telegram (Los Angeles County, CA)82,556RomneyOctober 26Obama
Press-Register (Mobile, AL)82,088NONENovember 1McCain
Knoxville News Sentinel81,391No longer endorses (7)McCain
Sarasota Herald-Tribune79,845No longer endorses (8)Obama
Intelligencer Journal  |  Lancaster New Era78,819SPLIT (9)November 2Obama
The Roanoke Times (Roanoke, VA)78,663NONEOctober 21none
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)78,616"NEITHER"November 2Obama
The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA)78,453ObamaOctober 24Obama


Citation: Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, "2012 General Election Editorial Endorsements by Major Newspapers."
The American Presidency Project. Ed. John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters. Santa Barbara, CA: University of California. 1999-2012. Available from the World Wide Web: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/2012_newspaper_endorsements.php.

Data compiled by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley after reviewing original editorials of the listed newspapers.

(1) On January 22, 2012, The Chicago Sun-Times announced that it would no longer endorse candidates. See:http://www.suntimes.com/opinions/10174893-474/editorial-why-we-will-no-longer-endorse-in-elections.html
(2) The Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN) does not endorse candidates. See:
http://www.twincities.com/opinion/ci_21928764/regarding-our-editorial-minnesotas-proposed-marriage-amendment
(3) On October 26, 2012, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel announced that it would no longer endorse candidates. See:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/why-we-wont-make-endorsements-1b7bd30-175955471.html
(4) On October 10, 2009, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution announced that it would no longer endorse candidates. See:
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/opinion/to-our-readers-ajc-takes-new-approach-on-election/nQYCp/
(5) In October 2007, The Virginian Pilot announced that it would no longer endorse political candidates.
(6) On October 31, 2012, The Dayton Daily News announced that it would no longer endorse candidates. See:
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/why-were-not-endorsing/nSspX/
(7) On October 14, 2012, The Knoxville News Sentinel announced that it would no longer endorse candidates. See:
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/oct/14/jack-mcelroy-news-sentinel-ends-long-tradition/
(8) On October 26, 2012, The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reiterated that it would no longer endorse candidates. See:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20121026/OPINION/310269996/2198/OPINION?Title=Election-recommendations
(9) The Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era has two editorial boards. The Intelligencer Journal endorsed Barack Obama and theLancaster New Era endorsed Mitt Romney in separate editorials on November 2, 2012.

(10) As of 22:00 GMT November 5, 2012, neither the Orange County Register nor the Morning Call (Lehigh, PA) endorsed a candidate. This is consistent with each paper's decision not to endorse in 2008.
 It is standard policy that USA Today does not endorse political candidates
• The Deseret News does not endorse as a matter of policy
• Top 100 Newspapers determined by circulation data available from BurrellesLuce athttp://www.burrellesluce.com/sites/default/files/TopMedia_updatedMay2012.pdf

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