hmmm, Monk do you think this is a more centrist poll on the issues, and less inclusive of hippie crap that might have ID'ed me as a Kuchmeister? Last poll, I think we all got Kuch, and this time we both (methinks) got the big O. Seems odd, especially since I'm way up in the corner and Obama's movin' in on me, and the Kuch is closer to center?? I'm not sure that reflects reality.

color me skeptical. nonetheless, more fodder for supporting O from the git-go next wkd.

You have no choice. You *must* vote for the person you're closest to.

maybe i'll vote for thompson to be contrarian. Do the pubs have same-day reg?

Why is the test available in Dutch? Are there a lot of dutch-only speakers voting in US elections?

Oddly enough, I'm furthest from Fred Thompson. Who'd have thunk it?

am i a neoconservative?:

berkitron: how did u answer "illegal immigration poses a national security threat?"
crazymonk256: i believe i said "tend to disagree"
berkitron: i tended to agree
crazymonk256: cause i don't think it's the illegal immigration itself that poses the threat
berkitron: sure it does. the nature of 'illegal' means without appropriate oversight. doesn't that in and of itself create more likelihood for security breaches?

is this just a poll language prob?

josh i am too, but if they find a way to pipe in the L&O "doo doo" into the poll booth, i'll write the fucker in!

I was about to complain about this question: "The death penalty helps deter crime." While I think it does deter crime, that doesn't necessarily mean I think we should do it, and there was no followup question on this point.

Closest to Ron Paul, furthest from Fred Thomson. Who knew Thompson was a nut?

agreed. this poll seems to take more random & subjective snapshots of issues than the prior.

To be fair, I think Thompson is actually a legume.

how could you possible ascertain that sans a gold standard question?

how could you possibly ascertain that sans a gold standard question?

"Do the pubs have same-day reg?"

Not in Nevada. Only the Dems do.

Closest to the big O, furthest from Fred. Maybe it's the fact that I loved him in movies (he was in Die Hard II!), but I like that Fred.

As for the question "does illegal immigration poses a national security threat" I tended to agree as well. Having lax borders will bite us in the ass one day. But I don't think we need to build some stupid fence.

Well, illegal immigration != lax borders. For example, I believe a large percentage of illegal immigrants have lapsed visas.

closest to obama, which is fascinating, since i didn't even know that myself until last week.

i wonder if this being run by obama '08, heh heh.

sure, but even a lapsed visa creates a security breach, just like an expired license, in the sense that that person is currently unidentified by the govt. i may think that the tradeoffs in terms of civil liberties might not be worth it, but i think it's silly to argue that lack of info & control doesn't contribute to potential security risk.

Until we have a system in place that encourages people to come out of the shadows and not fear arrest/deportation simply for trying to make $6 an hour for doing grunt labor, we'll always be at risk. Criminalizing laborers creates a violent underground market. Regulation rather than prohibition is the best solution. In the meantime, our system does allow for greater security/terrorism threats. Unfortunately, I can't put all of that in my answer on the stupid compass.

Also, how come Paul doesn't take a "free market" stance on immigration?

"Also, how come Paul doesn't take a "free market" stance on immigration?"

He certainly should. He's also against NAFTA. His logic on that point is circular and dense.

hey thanks josh, that's what i was trying to say. yes, illegal immigration creates security risks, but that's due to our asinine criminalization of immigration status issues and the resultant fear. i think my lib instincts produced a pat 'conservative' answer, which made me shiver.

Little late in this, but wanted to say that I too spent way too long on the 'illegal immigration/national security threat' question - started with 'tend to agree' (was thinking the same thing as Flea) then went back and switched when I realized what it did to my 'political compass.' There were a few others like this that I cant' think of right now.
This is one of the better 'polls' of this sort, but it only reinforces the fact that all of them are highly fallible. And what about the candidate positions? They only had Obama pinned down on half the issues. Is this because they're basing candidate positions on stump speeches and there was no question along the lines of "are you in favor of change?" "Change you can believe in?" "Yes? You Can?"

oh god! i'm an edwards man!

scary. what'd you do wrong?