The Candidate Calculator

A friend sent me a link to this "Candidate Calculator" to help you determine which presidential candidate most closely agrees with you.

Here's how it came out for me:

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R)88.89% match

Your Other Top Matches
Colorado Representative Tom Tancredo (R) - 87.30%
California Representative Duncan Hunter (R) - 85.71%
Businessman John Cox (R) - 84.13%


Middle of the Pack
Kansas Senator Sam Brownback (R) - 82.54%
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R) - 82.54%
Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson (R) - 82.54%
Texas Representative Ron Paul (R) - 68.25%
Arizona Senator John McCain (R) - 63.49%
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) - 48.41%
Illinois Senator Barack Obama (D) - 35.71%
Delaware Senator Joseph Biden (D) - 26.98%
New York Senator Hillary Clinton (D) - 25.40%
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D) - 23.81%

Bottom of the Barrel
Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel (D) - 20.63%
Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd (D) - 19.05%
Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards (D) - 19.05%
Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich (D) - 15.87%

No big surprises here (though I know next to zero about John Cox--he must be a pretty good guy).

There are other intangibles or less-tangibles that affect this, though. For instance, while my "calculated" top pick is Romney, and we do see eye to eye on most things, I am uneasy with him as "my candidate" for a number of reasons.

First, I've read conflicting information about where he truly stands on abortion and homosexual issues. He seems to be saying the right things, but since he's changed his mind on some things--namely abortion--there is a bit of doubt in my mind as to whether that was a heart-felt change, or political opportunism. I'm in the process of trying to determine that now.

Also, there's the Mormonism question. I don't think that necessarily disqualifies him from getting my vote, but it is something I have to carefully consider. Mormonism makes some claims that are pretty far outside Christian orthodoxy (#1 that Jesus isn't THE son of God, just a god; also the polygamy that some believe in isn't supported by the Bible; and there are a number of other beliefs that simply can't be called "Christian")

These theological matters probably wouldn't directly come to bear in performing the duties of President of the United States. However, a person's faith and worldview come to the table whenever they do anything of significance, which is why Founder John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States, said "...it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."

Then there's Ron Paul, who came in above McCain. Admittedly, they're both toward the bottom, which is where I'd put them both. But here's where another of those "intangibles" comes in, though it's actually more a matter of degrees. While I agree with Ron Paul in many important areas, his opposition to the Iraq War and myopic view on the use of the American military policy overseas are so opposed to mine that this is a HUGE detractor for me ("high, medium and low" options just don't cut it for something this important). While I respect the wisdom of the Founders who warned against foreign entanglements, they didn't live in a world where ICBMs can wipe out a city of millions in 30 minutes, or militants in civilian clothes fly jet airliners into skyscrapers. And beyond that, his "Bush lied" and "war for oil" garbage makes him sound like he's been hanging out at MoveOn.org.

But the candidate calculator was interesting to try. Give it a shot. Just don't forget to consider those "intangibles" that are still important.