86% John Edwards
85% Mike Gravel
82% Dennis Kucinich
82% Barack Obama
81% Chris Dodd
80% Joe Biden
78% Hillary Clinton
71% Bill Richardson
37% John McCain
35% Rudy Giuliani
29% Ron Paul
27% Mitt Romney
26% Mike Huckabee
26% Tom Tancredo
15% Fred Thompson
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
This feels strange in part because most of the questions were worded in a way that I would not articulate my response. So mostly I was answering based on "Well if that is my choices then this is probably closest to my position. Also, although a friend of mine is and has long been very pro-Edwards somehow I had not thought I really resonated with his positions politically. So, I wonder is it me or his campaign.
In the end though I am not sure the quiz is necessarily terribly accurate measure. But as the Anglobpatist indicated it does get one thinking. I found this quiz through him and his results are here
I'd also be interested to know if Ron Paul supporters Like the Young Fogey" think the quiz could give an accurate result of similarity with Paul's actual positions.
I ran across this quiz right before I went on vacation, did it, but didn't post it to my blog. I came up 92% Edwards, 89% Obama, then on down the list. Oddly enough, I registered with Guiliani as the highest on the Republican side, with the person I am least like politically being Ron Paul.
ReplyDeleteI think the people who put the quiz together put a lot of thought into it and focused more on issues and less on personality, so I think that is worthwhile. But what the quiz cannot do is deal with the fact that I just will never vote for anyone using fear politics to get support (like Guiliani), even though I agree with them on a lot (except for the war).
I don't doubt that the Authors of the quiz put thought into it. I just got the feeling that there was an establishment bias to the quiz. Thus, the choices given on positions seemed a little too neat and tidy. Probably because the quiz is based on policy statements of the campaigns of the candidates. Though it seemed to me probably not equally reflective of the less mainstream candidates.
ReplyDeleteSome how I think fear politics is reflected in policy. I think you can see the fear mongering in Guiliani's policy statements. So, I don't see how that would be an issue of personality verses policy. So, since the quiz could not measure that it has its limits. However, thoughtful or useful it might be.
Or maybe I am just suspicious and cynical.
In the end though even something I think is thoughtful I don't put a lot of stock in these internet quizzes. Though I do find it interesting to ponder the biases and the limits and how accurate they actually are.
I tried 3 different quizzes and they are consistent. I like the idea of being objective, even if its worrisome. See my blog, as I commented on objectivity vs. the beauty contest phenomenon in picking candidates.
ReplyDeleteI agree on the limitations and biases in these quizzes. Scored highest for Paul of course but only in the high 80s.
ReplyDeleteYong Fogey,
ReplyDeleteThough, your score does indicate that at least to some extent it was able to accurately reflect Ron Paul's positions which was one thing I was questioning, based on what I have read of Ron Paul, much of it through your blog.
I suppose my high score for John Edward means that in our context if the Government is going to be the sort of government we have I want it to do things Democrats often want it to do. Though, I think if you asked me in a more theoretical and non-contextualized questions I probably would not answer that way.