Political Question

Looks like everyone has supplied good info although the Obama allegations which were recently forwarded on a mass email are incorrect. http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/obama.asp

Hi Y.

I applaud you for being a great American and wanting to have a say in how your country is run. I haven't checked out the website the previous poster recommended but thought I would share just a couple of basics. As I understand it, the purpose of the primaries is to determine WHO will be running for president this November. The Democrats only need one candidate as do the Republicans. At this point, the Democrats seem to be headed for Obama to be on the ticket and McCain for the Republicans (unless the next few primaries change that drastically).
Democrats are often referred to as "the left" and are more liberal in their platforms. They more often than not believe in abortion rights and strict gun control and definitely anti war as much as possible.
Republicans are on "the right" and tend to have the more conservative views - pro-life, right to own and use guns and are more willing to become engaged in conflict if deemed necessary. There are many other differences but these are the ones you'll hear the most on the news because these are the one's most Americans say is most important to them.
About Hillary....that's a good question. In a way, she has always rubbed many the wrong way since her days in the White House as First Lady. I have my own feelings about her but wouldn't feel it right to really share them here. Politics is a hot topic that can bring out the best and worst in people, we all just have to vote as our convictions tell us. Personally, I have always voted Republican because they best represent my conservative Christian values.
Best wishes as you do your research. There are definitely many sites that will help you know what each candidate stands for.

http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
http://hillaryclinton.com/?splash=1
http://johnmccain.com/

One of these three people above is most likely to be your next President. Click on each one and then click on "Issues" to see how they feel about many topics affecting this nation.

Best Wishes!

******Point Added*******
Although I will not be voting for Obama, I feel I must respectfully disagree with the claims made by a poster above me. Obama was not sworn in with the Quran and he does recite the Pledge of Allegiance. He does not consider himself a Muslim but instead a Christian for many many years. Snopes corrects these false allegations.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

I wish peeple would do their research before "sharing" false information. The email that says Obama is a Muslim and does not say the Pledge is false. He is and has always been a Christian (not that is should matter) regularly attending services. Also, he DOES say the Pledge and, in fact, has led the Senate in the saying of the Pledge of Allegiance nearly a half of a dozen times. A GREAT website for finding out the facts about where a candidate stands and not just untrue gossip is
www.ontheissues.org

Good Luck and DON'T believe everything you hear!

I went and saw Obama speak today and it was amazing. I would really reccomend reading everything you can on every canidate. It's very important to know facts.

K.

Check out www.glassbooth.org It has a quiz that will help you figure out where your belief's lie in accordance with the nominees. Good luck.

This is from the Chicago Tribune a while back.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-071218can...
I am not going to comment on why I don't like Hillary or answer questions that I feel are not well placed on this board. However,
Here is a debate about Republican and Democrate differences: http://www.americasdebate.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=...
Also from Wikipedia: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_difference_between_repu...
It is hard for me to understand why people don't vote. Voting is personal. Asking someone to make the choice for you is like cheating on a test... one of the most important rights we have is VOTING... The truth is, American's need to vote and take back our country from Politics/Politicians, who for the most part care about themselves...
Edited to say:
here is the website with the quiz http://glassbooth.org/
AND I have to say this... being a Republican or Democrat is not an EXACT science. For instance I am FOR abortion rights and I've been a registered Republican my whole life. There are lots of republicans and democrats that are more MIDRANGE than one party or the other when it comes right down to it. Being a Christian or conservative IS NOT a Republican trait as there are MANY conservative/Christian Democrats, they just think more democratically about other things. It is hard to CLASSIFY it in my opinion. I know lots of conservative democrats and liberal republicans... I think we almost need a third party. lol
I'd have given ANYTHING to see Obama speak today. He's my man this election. I have personal insite to McCain and could not in good conscience vote for him.
Edited to say: BARACK OBAMA IS NOT A MUSLIM. That is an Urban myth laid out for people to latch on to who don't bother to do research, and yet believe whatever they hear... http://www.barackobama.com/factcheck/2007/11/12/obama_has... He is, in fact, a CHRISTIAN! Neat huh... AND, he is a patriotic person... http://www.barackobama.com/factcheck/2007/11/12/obama_is_...
and read this: http://www.republicansforobama.org/?q=homepage

Good luck!

http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/whatisonthebal...

I'm just like you... I haven't really voted much in the last few years, but this website really helped. Hope it helps you, too.

Thanks Resia for finding and posting a summed up version of what I was looking for. :)

I have to agree with KimJ. You must research your candidates. However, you must look at all of the information put out there. As for the Koran thing, look at the pictures and you will see that it says "Holy Bible". A lot of people want to discredit new indidviduals from the old because they do not know and listen to what others have to say as their own beliefs. The something new is different from the old that we have now. Look at all sides before you throw stones as these stones may come back to haunt you.

Each voter has to vote with their heart and what they feel is right so please do do your research and get out and vote.

Good to know you will vote.

Call the League of Women Voters and leave a message. A volunteer will phone you back and give you information regarding where you can early vote, etc. They are totally neutral and always have a voter's guide regarding all the candidates positions which you can find on their website or frequently in the newspaper. Do your own research and make your own decision based upon your beliefs and your dreams. Don't be swayed by the opinion of others. Do what you personally think is best.

First step, register to vote. Voter registration cards can be found at your local post office. Just fill in the info and mail. Your voter registration will arrive by mail shortly thereafter. It may be too late to register to vote in the March 4 elections, but you will be ready for the November presidentail elections.
To actually cast your vote, contact your local government (city hall) and ask where voting is taking place. Go to that location WITH photo id. If you are a registered voter, they will assist you with step by step instructions. If you wait until March 4, you must vote at a specific location relative to your precinct.
March 4th is Texas' primary elections and any local elections. Because the Democrats and Repulicans have not officially named who their party is running for the presidential elections in November, these primaries are your chance to say who you would prefer to see as your new leader.
A Democrat is someone who believes in the ideals of the Democratic party. Go to www.democrats.org and click on the our party and agenda tabs to learn more about them. If you find yourself agreeing with what they stand for, then learn more about their candidates, Hillary and Barack. Vote for the one that closest agrees with your beliefs.
A Republican is someone who believes in the ideals of the Republican party. Go to www.rnc.org click on the issues or about the gop tabs to learn more. If you find yourself in agreement with them, then look into their candidates McCain and Huckabee. Vote according to your beliefs.
What you need to know to make a good choice is how you feel and what you believe. How do you feel about the war in Iraq? What do you want done about it? How do you feel about healthcare? Whatever issues are important to you, whomever you feel will make the changes that you want... that is how you choose who you want to represent you. Please do try and vote for the one who will do the best job in your opinion.
As for why everyone hates Hillary? Couldn't tell you about everyone else, but I am willing to express my opinion on why I don't prefer her to represent me. When Bill was POTUS (President of The United States), he did not act honorably. He lied about his drug use, he lied about his involvement with Monica Lewinsky, he failed to take strong action after the USS Cole was attacked... and when it came to the savings and loan scandal called "Whitewater", he and Hillary both lied. I believe that they are married only in name because if they ever divorced, they could be compelled to testify against each other. I believe that they would again dishonor the White House by renting out the rooms and by acting like a pair or irresponsible monarchs. She has made many comments that are Socialistic in nature. I deplore her health plan.
McCain was a prisoner of war who served his country to his fullest ability. He has first hand experience and knows when he calls upon our military, he know what it is he is asking of them. I think that he will face the toughest issues faced by a president since Ronald Reagan or FDR. I pray that he will take action to finish this war and not bail out, that he will support our faltering economy, and he will make every attempt to work with Congress and make the changes that our country so desperately needs.
I am against Barack Obama because he refuses to pledge his allegiance to the American flag. Where does his allegiance lie? He does not salute our flag. He has stated that should he be elected POTUS, he wants to take the oath of office on the Thomas Jefferson Koran and not the Holy Bible. Jefferson studied that Koran to learn about our "enemies" and their beliefs. Obama worships the Muslim faith and I feel that he has lied about his faith and religious beliefs. I don't want his healthcare plan and I am enraged that he has supported legislation that would remove "In God We Trust" and doesn't seem to care what progress was made in the Middle East fighting terrorism as long as he can yank our military home.
While I wish that I could tell you the easy way, just vote for so and so... it is WRONG. If anyone tells you who to vote for, run away from them at full speed. You have to educate yourself about the issues and decide for yourself where you stand before you can decide who to vote for.
Ignorance is simply a lack of information. Stupidity is having the information and failing to act upon it. Good luck. Sorry for the length of my reply. I was trying to help.

I think the most important question to bring up to you is .... are you registered to vote? Do you have a voter registration card? You must be registered to vote in order to vote on March 4 (or earlier for early voting times).
The deadline to register to vote for the March 4 primary has already passed. Deadline was Feb. 4. But you can register now (if you're not already) -- to vote in the main election in November.

Go to your county's homepage to find out if you are registered to vote. Most county's have this info ready for you to look up your own voter registration card. Print this out and bring your driver's license to the polling place. You can find YOUR polling place -- where you and your neighbors are supposed to vote - on your county website as well.

For example: Collin Co. : http://www.collincountytx.gov/public_information/features...

I wish I could give you the exact web site, but there is a survey you can take that has general questions and then lets you know who a good candidate is for you to vote for according to your answers. My mom took it and so did my brother. My brother is very into politics and he wanted to see how accurate it was--and it was fairly accurate. He is 20 yo and did an internship last summer at Washington D.C. If you are interested, I can find out where you can find the online survey. :)

Don't forget that you need to REGISTER to vote. Unfortunately, the deadline to vote in the March primary was February 4, but you still have time to vote for the November election if you register now - http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/reqvr.shtml
What I've found useful lately is listening to the debates - I'm not sure when the next one is, but if you keep track of the other links you've been sent, I'm sure they will be posted on one of those sites.

You can actually take a quiz and see who lines up with your beliefs. go to www.mykdfw.com and click on the tabs, I can't remember exactly but when you take this, it will tell you who you think like.