The Barack Obama Test
While surfing around on a few sites tonight I ran across an ad for the Barack Obama Test. The premise of this test is to help you determine how your views match up on key issues with Senator Obama.
It didn’t surprise me all that much that I disagreed with Senator Obama on every single issue. I’m a conservative and the Senator is extremely liberal.
But what surprised me more was what else I learned from the results. After you answer all 48 questions you not only get to see how your answers match up with Senator Obama but you also get to see how other Americans responded to the same questions. The poll questions were pulled together from several issues-oriented opinion polls that have been conducted throughout the campaign. On every single question, more respondents took a contrary view on the issue to Senator Obama’s.
I’ve long thought that this election was more about personality than about issues. Voters seem to like Senator Obama more even though ideologically they don’t line up with him.
Take the test for yourself and see. Just click the button below.
Tagged with: Barack Obama • Politics
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I took the test and it told me:
“You AGREED with the Barack Obama position on 26 of the 48 test questions. This means you agree with the Obama position 54% of the time.”
But after having all my adult life with candidates where I don’t even agree HALF the time (and in cases like Bush, not even 10% of the time) 54% sounds like a sweetheart deal.
Of course, the questions in that test were horribly and obviously slanted to get people to not agree with Obama much. Those sorts of tests are there for the true believers only, it would seem and not to be taken especially seriously.
So an accurate reflection of Obama’s positions is “slanting the test in an anti-Obama direction”? How so?
The test asks:
Some say Barack Obama’s plans to implement sweeping environmental regulations will raise the cost of gas, groceries, heating and air conditioning. Do you favor or oppose Obama’s environmental plans?
They just said:
Obama MIGHT raise food costs with his plan. Do you favor or oppose his plan which MIGHT raise food costs?
[They’re presenting one side of the argument – a possible negative – and asking do you support his plan. Why wouldn’t they say, “some say Obama’s environmental plan may help us live within our means. Do you favor or oppose his environmental plans?”]
The test asks:
There are 104 nuclear reactors in the US today that produce 20% of America’s energy needs and no accident has occurred at these reactors in 30 years… How much of America’s energy needs would you like to see nuclear reactors meet?
[They present one side of the argument – how much we’re making and implied there’s been no problems associated with nuclear power – and then asks if you want more. There’s no pointing to the other side of the question.]
That kind of thing. Not every question, but many of them are like that. It often presents one side of the argument then asks the question. Do you seriously think this is NOT a biased trifle?