I find that very little real information about the candidates is available.

[Mountainman]

All this stuff about racism and feminism and crying and being black and who said what about whom is not helping us decide who would be the best person to run the country in the coming years.

It is most important to us, it seems, to discuss some off hand remark by the candidates workers than it is to talk about real issues.

We need to look at how we got into Iraq when we have the time but, now we need to determine how each candidate would get us out of the war.

The MSM is no help here. They like to play the role of making a race based on these unimportant matters just like they want to let us all know what's going on with Brittany. It isn't any more important than ratings to them. We make so much to do about what Tweety says rather than just turning his show off!

The enormous amount of bull shit here at DU for and against candidates is really a disappointment for me. I feel as though we have been taken over by a bunch of kids rather than in the past when real thinkers posted real important information. 90% of the posts on this board today are not worth taking the time to read. I wish they were all in one forum so you didn't have to wade through them to get to something more relevant to what matters.

I am not voting in the primaries because I really don't know what the real skinny on the candidates is. I will vote in the general election for the Dem candidate but this primary season has really made me disinterested in it.

I hope that the admins would see how far down the toilet DU has been taken and do something to make it better the nest time around.

[stubtoe]

1. I'm right there with you.

The media does not inform, it spins like a top. They want a horse race. We need a real media that is an information source and not a Corporate toy.

So we try DU, and it's nearly impossible to get proper information here too. It's tough to get any facts.

[terisan]

2. I found the lists of campaign contributers on Open Secrets to be helpful on getting facts.

[jojo54]

3. I'm at a loss too, Mountainman.

I've looked, I've listened but I'm not getting any real answers-just bullshit. And I'm not going to base my choice on bullshit. I was all ready to vote for Joe Biden because he knows his shit and (seemingly) didn't take a lot of it from his peers or lobbyists. But the media didn't take him seriously so he's no longer in the mix. This is the core problem that I've had with candidates for many, many elections - they talk the talk, but they can't walk the walk and now the media thinks it can do our electing for us.

I haven't been on DU too much over the past 2 months because it's been everyone against each other - and frankly, my kids are grown, moved out and I'm not about to take on a bunch more. So I visit this site sparingly now.

[wtmusic]

4. All you need at vote-smart.org

For example, John Edwards page:

http://vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=21107

I find the "Interest Group Ratings" very revealing.

[MercutioATC]

5. Gee, that must be some kind of accident...

...there's absolutely no way the candidates want you to listen to their soundbites instead of looking at their records...

:sarcasm:

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. You need to be careful with that 'not vote the primary' thing.

Ref., this week's top ten, the republican candidate who got bumped because he was registered as a democrat - and didn't know it because he never voted in the primaries.

Seriously, it's the primaries that build the party. It's the primary voters that decide if the party puts up DINOs or progressives. The general is the least part of the election.

It was Lamont/Lieberman that showed the country who Lieberman really is. You might keep that in mind when dismissing the primaries.

[Occam Bandage]

7. http://www.vote-smart.org/

[MH1]

8. Don't expect to find it on DU!

Try places like thomas.loc.gov, project vote smart, ontheissues.org. govtrack and other sites like that.

DU is a DISCUSSION FORUM for cripes sakes.

[Adelante]

9. Ratings

VoteSmart

AFL-CIO
Clinton 93% Edwards 100%
Obama 93% McCain 7%

ALLIANCE FOR RETIRED AMERICANS
Clinton 100% Edwards 100%
Obama 100% McCain 20%

AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
Clinton 83% Edwards 60%
Obama 83% McCain 33%

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION
Clinton 8% Edwards 13%
Obama 8% McCain 65%

AMERICAN WILDERNESS COALTION
Clinton 100%
Obama 100% McCain 16%

AMERICANS FOR DEMOCRATIC ACTION
Clinton 95% Edwards 65%
Obama 95% McCain 16%

AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY
Clinton 0%
McCain 100%

AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION
Clinton 100% Edwards 100%
Obama 100% McCain 40%

AMERICAN NURSES ASSOCIATION
Clinton 100%
Obama 100% McCain 20%

AMERICANS FOR THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE
Clinton 100%
Obama 100% McCain 33%

AM. SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
Clinton 100% Edwards 60%
McCain 20%

ANIMAL HUMANE SOCIETY OF U.S.
Clinton 100% Edwards 60%
Obama 60% McCain 40%

BRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE
Clinton 100% Edwards 77%
McCain 14%

CHILDREN’S DEFENSE FUND
Clinton 100% Edwards 91%
Obama 100% McCain 10%

CITIZENS FOR GLOBAL SOLUTIONS
Clinton A+ Edwards 53%
Obama A+ McCain B+

DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE
Clinton 100%
Obama 100% McCain 40%

DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS
Clinton 80% Edwards 66%
Obama 80% McCain 20%

LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS
Clinton 95% Edwards 37%
Obama 100% McCain 29%

NAACP
Clinton 96% Edwards 94%
Obama 100% McCain 7%

NARAL PRO CHOICE:
Clinton 100% Edwards 100%
Obama 100% McCain 0%

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF WOMEN
Clinton 96%
Obama 91% McCain 13%

NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
Clinton 100% Edwards 100%
Obama 100% McCain 0%

NATIONAL FARMERS UNION
Clinton 83% Edwards 80%
Obama 100% McCain 0%

NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE
Clinton 0% Edwards 0%
Obama 0% McCain 75%

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION
Clinton F
McCain C+

NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR A MORE EFFECTIVE CONGRESS
Clinton 95% Edwards 95%
Obama 95% McCain 20%

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS
Clinton 100% Edwards 88%
Obama 100% McCain 60%

PLANNED PARENTHOOD:
Clinton 100% Edwards 100%
Obama 100% McCain 0%

UNITED AUTO WORKERS
Clinton 93% Edwards 75%
Obama 85% McCain 9%


Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) (from 2001-2006)

Obama 97.5
Clinton 95.8
Dodd 94.1
Biden 91.6
Edwards 82.5

National Journal

Obama 84.3
Dodd 79.2
Clinton 78.8
Biden 76.8
Edwards 75.7

Progressive Punch (lifetime)

Clinton 92%
Obama 90%
Dodd 87%
Biden 84%




http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=4044288

[asdjrocky]

10. Look here-

http://www.johnedwards.com/

Edwards talks about real issues, and real solutions.