Where does your favorite primary candidate rank on the issues? Graphs and links:

[Czolgosz]

Go to OnTheIssues.org and see how your favorite candidate compares to other candidates on the issues which matter to you: http://www.ontheissues.org/2008_Speculation.htm

Here are some graphs based on the candidates' positions (the graphs are just generalizations so be sure to check out where the candidates stand in more detail at each candidate's issue page at OnTheIssues.org):

# Joe Biden -





# Wes Clark -





# Hillary Clinton -





# Christopher Dodd -





# John Edwards -





# Al Gore -





# Mike Gravel -





# Dennis Kucinich -





# Barack Obama -





# Bill Richardson -





# Tom Vilsack -

[Demeter]

1. Thanks for the referral--interesting site!

[Czolgosz]

15. It is completely non-partisan and has a great deal of information about all candidates.

[XemaSab]

2. K&R

Interesting that most of the candidates fit into a tiny little sorta leftist leaning slightly towards populist box, but Al Gore is way off in populist land.

[Czolgosz]

7. Gore ranks as the most "populist" because he's particularly liberal on economic issues but moderate

on most social issues. This is not necessarily how I would define a populist, but - no matter what label you wish to ascribe to his views - I agree that Gore is noticeably more progressive on economic issues as compared to social issues.

[Buzz Clik]

3. The visual ratings (graph) are a bit odd

Ron Paul as a Libertarian/Moderate? Not likely.

Tom Tancredo as a Moderate/Rightwinger? Laughable.

Gingrich as a moderate? Well... it depends on which show he's on, but come on!

Kucinich as a boderline moderate? Don't think so.

However, the links to the quotes and votes are quite useful.

[Czolgosz]

6. You have to agree that the issue charts accurately depict Kucinich, Edwards, Clark and Dodd left of

Hillary, Obama, and Biden who are all accurately depicted as less populist than Gore.

To that degree, I think the charts make a fair point in a visually interesting manner (although I might have used different issues to chart the candidates and I don't agree that populism is the opposite of libertarianism).

As far as the charts of the Repub candidates, I certainly agree that charts accurately depict Gingrich, Giuliani, McCain, Pataki, Romney, and Thompson as more moderate than Brownback, Jeb Bush, Hunter, and Tancredo while the chart also accurately depicts Paul as the most libertarian of the bunch.

[Buzz Clik]

9. Yes, I agree with the relative positioning...

.. exactly as you stated. However, I would push Paul deep into the Libertarian zone, I'd push Kucinich to the left, Tancredo nearly off the page to the right, and Gingrich a tad farther to the right.

But, yes, the question of who's left/right of whom is answered fairly well.

[Czolgosz]

11. Kucinich doesn't rate further to the left because of his votes

(1) for sex education programs with the goal of minimize abortions, for barring transporting minors to get an abortion, for banning D&E and D&X abortion procedures, for banning Family Planning funding in US aid abroad, for making it a federal crime to harm fetus while committing other crimes;

(2) for a constitutional amendment prohibiting flag burning;

(3) for federal funds being given to faith-based programs to educate responsible fathers.

[MattSh]

4. Hmm, not sure what to make of this.....

Biden, Hillary, Obama, and Richardson all have the same rating, 60/30.

Clark, Edwards, and Kucinich all have the same rating too, 60/20.

This would seem to indicate the candidates in the first group and the second group are substantially similar to each other. Not sure what to make of that.

Then there's Dodd at 70/30, Gore at 30/30, Gravel?? at 60/40 and Vilsack at 50/50.

[Czolgosz]

5. Actually, Richardson does not have the same rating as Biden, Hillary, and Obama; he's to the right

and more populist (slightly).

It is just one measure; the greater detail on each candidate's issue is more valuable in evaluating the candidates, but the charts are a nice starting point for discussion.

[Hobarticus]

8. Iowa's own Tom Vilsack hits the bull's eye, so to speak...

Phhhhtttt. I wish he'd just stayed home.

[Czolgosz]

10. Since Vilsack has campaigned mainly in Iowa, he basically has stayed home. He's just running for VP.

[Czolgosz]

12. I thought Rev. Sharpton was not running, but for those who have asked, here's his chart:

[leftofthedial]

13. my only complaint with this site

is that it weighs all issues the same.

a vote for IWR has the same effect as a vote for supporting education of fathers when the mother seeks an abortion.

IMHO, those issues are not of equivalent importance.

[Czolgosz]

14. I agree that is a weakness. Likewise, it rates some votes as liberal which I would rate as not

liberal (e.g., it rates support for school voucher programs as a socially progressive vote which is wrong) and it counts some votes as "economic" votes which I consider better gages of social values rather than economic values (e.g., privatizing social security).

Still, the website has a good collection of statements and votes and issue positions which you can use for your own evaluation of the candidates.

[Czolgosz]

16. Here are the main Repub candidates' charts:

# Sam Brownback



# Rudy Giuliani



# Chuck Hagel



# Mike Huckabee



# Duncan Hunter



# John McCain



# Ron Paul



# Mitt Romney



# Tom Tancredo

[PhilipShore]

17. General Wesley Clark is a Populist-Leaning Liberal

http://www.ontheissues.org/Wesley_Clark.htm

Wesley Clark on War & Peace

Hold Bush accountable for 9/11. (Jan 2004)




Wesley Clark is a Populist-Leaning Liberal.

[Czolgosz]

18. Clark, Edwards, and Kucinish all rated the same balance of liberalism and populism