What research have you done...?

Question

in respect to the upcoming presidential election? Are you reading news on the internet, or following the media, or have you begun to independently research the candidates to make an informed choice? This election has the greatest importance over any prior elections because of the damage done by GWB and his merry band of theives. Will you be an informed voter, or just a puppet of the media?

I sincerely hope that Americans take this election very seriously and make educated, informed decisions this time around.

Where are you looking for your information?

Just a note...I know where to look, the question is, does anyone else? Gosh I hope so. SO far answer no. 1 is on point.

Stevea8 does not get it. My opinion of GW has nothing to do with the question.

Sp Atpa, if I removed the comment about GWB, I would get a better answer? And why do you call me a puppet? I truly am looking for more avenues of research that provide more answers to the cadidtaes, and NOT just the 2 parties... there are others.

Answer 1

I always research candidates and issues, and to make certain that the information I get is well rounded and as unbiased as possible, I do use a variety of sources including internet, newspapers and magazines (serious ones like "Campaigns and Elections" not sensationalist rags), as well as radio and television. But I also look at the voting records and position statements that the candidates themselves make. If they don't walk their talk, they won't earn my vote.

Answer 2

Sorry bambis... steavea8 does get it -- you made your opinion of GW a factor by using your opinion to justify claiming this election "has the greatest importance over any prior elections because of the damage done by GWB and his merry band of thieves".

To answer the point you HOPED people would see as your real purpose here, I too know where to look... and believe me, the consensus, IF YOU LOOK BEYOND TRADITIONAL MEDIA, is not clear on whether GWB will go down as a president with a particularly hard set of tasks to deal with, or as a bafoon that made things worse... check back in 20 years after we see where things go from here.

So, which are you? You sound a lot like a puppet... perhaps a slightly more educated one than most, but still...


---- Additional Comments ---

Technically I only said you sounded like a puppet...

But to answer your question, yes, I think the question would be a more serious one without specifically blaming GWB. It's become tiring hearing so many people essentially say "we have to get rid of Bush because he's done so much damage"... it's become a mantra with some media outlets, which is why I indicated that you sounded like a puppet.

Now, if you had said something like "this election is especially important because we're in an unpopular war, world opinion about us is falling, the value of the dollar is dropping, etc and it will take a special kind of leader to handle the situation we're in." I'd have no gripe.

I'm not saying Bush doesn't have responsibility (he is the president, after all) -- I'm saying that you prejudice the question by implicating him as WHY this election is important.

And to finally answer the intent of your question... let me first say (in the interest of making it clear, if not already) that I am sympathetic to some conservative causes. That said, I get most of my information from:

radio talk shows -- admittedly it can be hard to find non-conservative talk shows in some areas, so I go into these knowing their bias and mine

web site blogs -- both sides, some by reporters, some by general public

internet news sites... NYT and UK News (UK Times? the links at home...) are probably the ones I hit most often

I tend to avoid the candidates specific web sites because I know these will be not only biased but will almost never tell anything that even COULD be negative about the candidate if you read through the spin.

Don't have a TV, but when I'm at friends houses I may catch a few minutes of CNN or FoxNews (depending upon the friend).

I wish I could believe a third party had a chance at all of winning -- I've seen some interesting points made by third party candidates... but none are popular enough to be anything other than a place for people who don't like the front-runner or the second-runner to place their vote... which will turn out to be in effect a vote "FOR" the front-runner (see the breakdown of votes for Perot in Bill Clinton's first election).

Answer 3

I use a combination of sources, primarily internet and media. I read various news sources on the web and make a point of watching some of all the cable news channels on a regular basis. Then I combine all this and make my own conclusions. I realize I could go to the Congressional record and look at voting records, but since not all of the candidates are in Congress, this leaves some lacking. And truth to tell, a candidate's voting record often has little bearing on how they act as president. Same with campaign speeches. In today's world, you can only get a general idea of how your preference thinks and hope he still thinks that way in the White House. You can also go to the individual candidates website, but you have to understand that you're not likely to get an objective representation.

Answer 4

You sound like you are a media puppet. Sandy (can I fit anymore confidential documents down my pants) Berger joins Hillary's team and you call GWB's admin a merry band of thieves. I hope I never get the opportunity to say I told you so.

Answer 5

I get all my information at Yahoo Answers!