Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Sites for Candidate Research

Here are some places to go for some general information on 2012 Presidential Candidates.  I'm researching a few more and will post them as I find them (or as you recommend them):


OpenSecrets.org  has a list of candidates, and promises to eventually tell you about finances, spending and background.


The Federal Election Commission (FEC), which tracks campaign financing (includes a schedule of when candidates' reports are due, and a way to search through the ones already filed) and public funding of presidential candidates.


Another one to explore is OpenCongress.  Includes a blog on current issues.  Also lists votes, issues, and the money trail.  Interesting stuff.

GovTrack.us has information on elected officials and bills before Congress.

Watchdog.net  Looks to be a good site with biological info, earmarks, voting analysis, bills, contributors, and even tracks how votes line up with contributions, by date.  It appears to be out of date but if the info is fresh, it will be a great research tool.


Politicks offers up a site comparing all potential 2012 Republican presidential candidates.  This site keeps popping up on searches for info on Republican presidential candidates.  However, I am a little leery of it because I can't see who sponsors it, so I don't now their motivation.  I'll keep looking, but I'd like your feedback on this if you can find anything.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Conservative News Sites

I'm trying to gather a list of places to fuel up on the latest news of interest to conservatives (and containing some stories the mainstream media ignore).  Here's what I've come up with:

The Weekly Standard

Newsmax.com

Redstate.com

HumanEvents.com

www.conservativenews.org


Any other suggestions?

Another Black Conservative

Here's a blog I'm enjoying, where you'll find thoughtful writing about some of the presidential candidates (check the archive):

Another Black Conservative, written by Clifton B.

Monday, May 23, 2011

The Republican Candidate "In" Crowd

Now that I've put together a wish list for a presidential candidate qualifications, let's talk about who we have to choose from, to this point.  More people may pop into the race at a later date.  In fact, some predict that a last-minute candidate will excite the public and defeat Obama, but we won't know if that's true until the last minute, will we?

A May 23 Wall Street Journal by Patrick O'Connor and Jonathan Weisman ("Election Picture Sharpens for GOP") lists the field of Republican candidates as follows:

 


Thoughts on candidates listed as "in":


Newt "oh BABY I love my country" Gingrich fails in pretty much every category.  I hope to be hearing about his departure from the field very soon.  He's already on the defensive for making stupid comments, he's embarrassing, and his personal life is too much of a distraction.


Herman Cain intrigues me and I'm glad to see him enter the race.  Cain is folksy, but smart; accomplished, and conservative; he has a way with words and an awesome voice.   Picture the Reagan-Carter debates, and Reagan's effective "There you go again" tactic: Cain could also deliver a line like that and make it work.  My politically-savvy son is not a Cain fan, but I remind him (and you) that we are not seeking perfection: we are seeking a candidate capable of defeating Obama.




Mitt Romney is an awesome speaker (I heard him at the Washington State Republican Convention last year) and I wish-wish-wish he wouldn't have given up so early in the last presidential race.  I enjoy listening to him and his credentials are strong.  But can he overcome the Romneycare thing?  That remains to be seen.


Ron Paul is not on my fave list, but I'd vote for him over Obama, and be moderately satisfied.  I just can't get in to the whole libertarian scene.   Too much government is a bad thing, but I'm not ready for the hands-off approach libertarians dream about.  On the plus side: he sells cool t-shirts on his website.


Tim Pawlenty seems promising.  I like him, and his record looks pretty good.  However, someone has advised him that calm and quiet (especially on hot-button issues like the mosque at Ground Zero) is a good thing; I don't agree.  The media is trying to label him as "boring" and consign him to be relatively unknown to most voters.  He's got to get his name out there-- in a good way.  Here's an LA Times article with a YouTube link to introduce you to him.


Rick Santorum seems like a decent guy, and I love the big family (seven kids!).  He would be an thoughtful, conservative president, but could he beat Obama?  I need convincing.  Here's an overview of his candidacy and qualifications from Fox News that ran in April.


Jon Huntsman seems to get two reactions from conservatives I know: "Who?" and "Oh, him."  Unfortunately for him, he may not have worked in the Obama White House, but he did serve as his ambassador to China, which seems a little bizarre.  His resume is impressive, but I wonder if he'll disappoint by being too liberal.  Check out this link to the Washington Post, "New Hampshire, Meet Jon Huntsman."



Gary Johnson is not at the top of my list because he's too liberal for my taste.  However,  he would be better than Obama.  Here's a link to an article and video from Salon.com to help you make up your mind.