{"id":11673,"date":"2012-08-01T14:58:47","date_gmt":"2012-08-01T18:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/news\/?p=11673"},"modified":"2012-08-01T16:08:19","modified_gmt":"2012-08-01T20:08:19","slug":"not-sure-where-the-candidates-stand-check-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2012\/08\/not-sure-where-the-candidates-stand-check-here","title":{"rendered":"Unsure where candidate stands? Check here!"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, you don\u2019t know who should get your vote? Well, there\u2019s always the\u00a0candidates’ debates. However, should you select the next leader of the free world based on whether he knows how to argue cleverly in public?<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s always the beauty contest. Which candidate looks<\/em> like a president? Well, remember that perhaps our greatest commander-in-chief, Abraham Lincoln, was the homeliest and most awkward candidate imaginable. People hated his speeches — even the Gettysburg Address flopped when he delivered it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Abraham Lincoln<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, maybe\u00a0\u00a0you\u2019d rather base your choice on the issues facing America. Which concern you most? Abortion? Then check out the National Right to Life website\u2019s various scorecards.<\/a> They\u2019re adamantly anti-abortion and don\u2019t think much of stem-cell research or Obamacare. On the other side of the abortion aisle, there\u2019s the NARAL Pro-Choice scorecard.<\/a><\/p>\n

Maybe you want\u00a0a candidate who agrees with\u00a0you\u00a0on same-gender marriage. Check out these resources from the Family Research Council<\/a> on the right and the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network<\/a> on the left.<\/p>\n

Perhaps you\u2019re a party loyalist \u2013 a \u201cyellow dog Democrat\u201d so devoted to the party of Thomas Jefferson that you\u2019d vote for a golden retriever if it ran for office as a Democrat.<\/a> On the other hand, maybe your loyalty is with the party of Abe Lincoln and Ronald Reagan \u2013 then check out the GOP website.<\/a> Or maybe you\u2019re a Libertarian<\/a> or a Socialist<\/a> or a Prohibitionist<\/a> or \u2026 what the heck, a British Conservative<\/a> or Chinese Communist.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It\u2019s also entirely possible you don\u2019t know where you stand. Well, then have a little fun with a resource Beliefnet created just for you. Click here to take the Politic-O-Matic<\/a> quiz. Or, let\u2019s say you are absolutely certain of your political preference. Well, we dare you to see just how good of a Republican<\/a>, Democrat<\/a> or Libertarian<\/a> you really are.<\/p>\n

But what if you vote for the candidate, not the party? Well, then, take a look at some of these election resources. How does the NAACP<\/a> feel about the candidates?\u00a0How do they fare with\u00a0the League of United Latin American Citizens<\/a>?<\/p>\n

What about the Hawaiian independence movement<\/a>? Or the National Rifle Association<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Or maybe other issues are more important to you, such as Israel \u2013 check out Zionists of America<\/a>. Or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals<\/a>. Or Volunteers of America.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Here are some scorecards \u2013 as various advocacy groups rats the various contenders.\u00a0Consider the candidates through the lens of the atheist Secular Coalition for America<\/a>, conservative Americans for Fair Taxation<\/a>, anti-immigration group NumbersUSA<\/a>,\u00a0or the\u00a0American Civil Liberties Union<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What about world hunger? A group called Bread for the World has unveiled their Elections 2012<\/a> page to help voters make informed decisions and to \u201celevate hunger and poverty as priorities as the 2012 election approaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVoting is a sacred obligation,\u201d says Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. \u201cGiving time and money to candidates who have demonstrated their commitment to reducing mass hunger and poverty is an integral part of good stewardship.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So, you don\u2019t know who should get your vote? Well, there\u2019s always the\u00a0candidates’ debates. However, should you select the next leader of the free world based on whether he knows how to argue cleverly in public? And there\u2019s always the beauty contest. Which candidate looks like a president? Well, remember that perhaps our greatest commander-in-chief,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":270,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[440,2109,103,2099,2100,100,2095,2093,2094,2104,6,516,2103,2102,2092,2105,2091,2110,2107,2101,969,5,354,2098,74,854,464,2097,1604,2108,2113,2112,2106],"tags":[2225,2302,2216,2292,2293,2288,2286,2287,2297,2304,2296,2289,2295,2285,2298,2284,2303,2300,2294,2230,2291,2236,2227,2290,2301,2306,2305,2299],"class_list":["post-11673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-american-civil-liberties-union","category-americans-for-fair-taxation","category-bread-for-the-world","category-british-conservative","category-chinese-communist","category-commentary","category-democrat-gop","category-family-research-council","category-gay-lesbian-straight-education-network","category-hawaiian-independence","category-health-care","category-israel","category-league-of-united-latin-american-citizens","category-naacp","category-naral","category-national-rifle-association","category-national-right-to-life","category-numbersusa","category-people-for-the-ethical-treatment-of-animals","category-politic-o-matic","category-political-correctness","category-politics","category-prayer","category-prohibitionist","category-religious-freedom","category-republican","category-secular-coalition-for-america","category-socialist","category-southern-baptist-convention","category-volunteers-of-america","category-voter-resources","category-voter-scorecard","category-zionists-of-america","tag-american-civil-liberties-union","tag-americans-for-fair-taxation","tag-bread-for-the-world","tag-british-conservative","tag-chinese-communist","tag-democrat-gop","tag-family-research-council","tag-gay-lesbian-straight-education-network","tag-hawaiian-independence","tag-hunger","tag-league-of-united-latin-american-citizens","tag-libertarian","tag-naacp","tag-naral","tag-national-rifle-association","tag-national-right-to-life","tag-numbersusa","tag-people-for-the-ethical-treatment-of-animals","tag-politic-o-matic","tag-poverty","tag-prohibitionist","tag-republican","tag-secular-coalition-for-america","tag-socialist","tag-volunteers-of-america","tag-voter-resources","tag-voter-scorecard","tag-zionists-of-america"],"yoast_head":"\nUnsure where candidate stands? Check here!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2012\/08\/not-sure-where-the-candidates-stand-check-here\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Unsure where candidate stands? Check here!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"So, you don\u2019t know who should get your vote? Well, there\u2019s always the\u00a0candidates’ debates. However, should you select the next leader of the free world based on whether he knows how to argue cleverly in public? And there\u2019s always the beauty contest. Which candidate looks like a president? 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