I developed a political ideology quiz on go to quiz. It's called Where Are You On the Political Spectrum. Please note that the site features several other similarly titled quizzes.

The possible results are Lefty, Liberal, Moderate, Conservative, Wingnut and Libertarian. My results indicated that I'm a liberal. I assume most of this sites' visitors taking the test will be Lefties or Liberals. For fun forward the link to your most right wing friends.

i tell you what, them there GOPs sure don't want to be associated with Bush. it's like they are trying to channel 'ole Ronnie, right down to their refusal to listen to song lyrics. "Born in the USA"; "Barracuda". choose songs about abused Vietnam vets and vicious bastards and make 'em your own! anyway, that poor Cindy looks like she is one rung short of downing the last of her pain pills, borrowing a gun from Palin, and climbing a rooftop. they pulled her hair too tight. she looks very unhappy having to imitate Nancy Reagan all the time.
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The Evils of Lesser Evil Voting

Joel S. Hirschhorn

Condemn progressives for voting enthusiastically for Democrats and the inevitable response is something like “just imagine how much worse voting for Republicans would be.” Similarly, many true conservatives and Libertarians see voting for Republicans as a necessary evil. With many progressives regretting giving Democrats a majority in Congress and many conservatives regretting putting George W. Bush in the White House, it is timely to refute lesser evil logic.

Inevitably, lesser evil voters face personal disappointment and some shame. Politicians that receive lesser evil votes do not perform according to the values and principles that the lesser evil voter holds dear. These voters must accept responsibility for putting ineffective, dishonest and corrupt politicians in office. Though they may be lesser evils, they remain evils.

All too often lesser evil voters avoid shame and regret and prevent painful cognitive dissonance by deluding themselves that the politician they helped put in office is really not so bad after all. Corrosive lesser evil voting erodes one’s principles as pragmatism replaces idealism. This makes the next cycle of lesser evil voting easier.

Lesser evil voting helps stabilize America’s two-party duopoly that greatly restricts true political competition. Third party and independent candidates – and minor Democratic and Republican candidates in primaries – are defeated by massive numbers of lesser evil voters. Despite authentically having the political goals that mesh with many voters on the left or right, these minor “best” candidates fall victim to lesser evil voting. Lesser evil voters are addicted to a self-fulfilling prophesy. They think “If I vote for a minor candidate they will lose anyway.” They ensure this outcome though their lesser evil voting. The truly wasted vote is the unprincipled lesser evil vote.
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Today I took a long lunch and went and saw Al Gore doing his book tour appearance at the Barnes and Noble in Union Square. I expected Gore to do his usual and work the crowd up about global warming. But what I saw instead really surprised me--I saw a presidential candidate giving a very strong campaign manifesto. Gore, speaking to a packed audience, gave this strong, forceful, heartfelt speech about the need for american citizens to be called to action to rise above the lack of reasoned, intelligent debate that we have now in this society, and to reclaim our country and our ideas, and make this country live up to its grand potential.

Gore's new book is called "The Assault on Reason", and in it, he talks about the loss of judgement and intelligent conversation in this country, about how all too often now important decisions are made
without full consideration and proper debate. Gore mentioned in his speech that when the decision was made to go to war in Iraq, 70%,*seventy percent* of americans thought Iraq had attacked us on 9/11.
Because the average citizen was too busy watching American Idol to pay attention to what was going on in Congress, in more than thirty second sound clips. Gore cites statistics like this as proof that the
political discourse in this country is seriously eroding, and with it our democracy. What does it say about american society, he points out, when more people know more about whats been happening with Paris Hilton's court troubles over the last month than whats been going on around the world, in places like Iraq, the Sudan, Afghanistan? What does it say when you can't get people to care about global warming because it inconveniences them too much? Gore argues that people don't understand reasoned debate when they hear it because they pay so little
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Obama: The Democratic Messiah?

Joel S. Hirschhorn

What a wonderful political distraction is Senator Barack Hussein Obama. Perhaps a good part of his attractiveness is that he is in so many ways the complete opposite of George W. Bush.

Yet, what amazes me is how our bipartisan obstacle to true political competition continually creates illusions of change and reform. Thus it keeps a grip on Americans’ hope for the future, and preempts public support for more profound political change. Is Obama just another example of how our corrupt political system ingeniously creates candidates to keep hope alive? Is the self-professed progressive Obama the real thing? Is he something other than a conventional politician? I have read many of his speeches and other statements. I applaud his upbeat rhetoric, but few policy details are given.

Joseph Sobran opined that “the Democrats are looking for a political messiah, and many of them think they’ve found one in Illinois’s junior senator, Barack Obama. And Obama is, without question, a very charming, intelligent, and impressive young man who is, moreover, catnip to the press corps.” Cal Thomas made the good point that many Americans look at presidential candidates as political messiahs. He said Obama “can also play dual roles of messiah figure and one of the Wise Men.” And he astutely asked: “Have political ‘messiah figures’ become false gods?”
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One reason I enjoy being part of local Democratic Clubs is the chance to meet my elected officials and talk to them directly. For those who dismiss politicians as all corrupt and unresponsive, you might be in for some surprises if you actually met them. Not to say there aren't some corrupt ones, but many are people who are really trying to do good.

The Michigan Democratic Party is the first state party to adopt the very community-oriented "Blue Tiger Democrat" approach to politics. And it looks like the Party leaders are reaching out to bloggers and visa versa.

Here are some chances for bloggers to meet the electeds in Michigan. Believe me, it can be quite interesting meeting the people who represent us. Sometimes good interesting some times bad "interesting." But usually interesting!

This is from the Michigan Liberal blog:

Come join Speaker of the House Andy Dillon, Majority Floor Leader Steve Tobocman, and Representative Barb Byrum as they meet with folks like you from the Michigan progressive/liberal/democratic blogosphere on

Friday, February 16th
6pm - 7pm
Livingston County Democratic Party Office
10321 E. Grand River Suite 600
Brighton, MI. 48116

Of course, far be it from the folks in the Senate to miss out. Many thanks to Minority Leader Mark Schauer for offering to meet up
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