Presidential Debate: I am a Centrist

If we were playing Never Have I Ever on the blog, I would say I have never spoken about politics.

Until today.

I don't know if it's my age or current financial status or life experience that has sparked my interests, but I finally started to delve into the details of our upcoming election to figure out what is important to me.

The current Presidential debate has sparked a ton of backlash and anger.
I see a lot of name-calling, mud-slinging, fighting, protesting and screaming from the masses.

But do these people really have an all-inclusive view of each politician's position?
There is clearly an entire generation of angry young adults, willing to fight with their fists to make a point.

Do the masses tend to go with the majority rules for fear of being different?
Do you vote one way or another because that is how you were raised?
Are you completely left or right winged, or do you fall somewhere in the middle?

This is going to sound shocking, but I tend to keep my opinions to myself unless I fully understand a topic. This means seeing both sides and forming an opinion.
Anyone else?

I decided to familiarize myself with political issues by taking a quiz, duh.

I ended up using two websites, votesmart.org and isidewith.com

I liked Vote Smart for it's graphics and high-level questions.
As I went along each topic, the graphics would push a candidate to the forefront based on my similarities.

My results?

They weren't necessarily shocking, but were a bit confusing.

I am aligned 64% with a Libertarian named Gary Johnson.

This is the confusing part...tied for second?

60% similarities to both Bernie Sanders (Democrat) and Donald Trump (Republican)

I will be honest that I had not heard of Gary until I started taking this quiz.
The media shoves Donald and Hillary down our throats most of the time.

And the never-ending Facebook rants are super fun too.

Unfortunately, the site didn't delve into too many questions, so after receiving my results, I hopped to isidewith.com.

I'm not going to lie, there are a million questions on this quiz, but I liked it for it's complete range of issues and multiple choice answers. Most questions were more than yes or no, and you could also rate each question with how important it was to you.

It took me roughly 15 minutes to complete and these were my results.

I am a Centrist.
Again, I had no idea that was even a word.
But take it for what it's worth, I fall smack dab in the middle of most political candidates.

I didn't need a quiz to tell me I never agreed with being wholly Democratic or Republican.
I am for some opinions and against others on both sides.

In the end? Iside gave me a slight advantage in similarities to Bernie Sanders.
I rated 75% with him.

A close second at 74% was Hillary.
Followed by 72% for Jill Stein (whoever that is.)
And finally, good ole' Gary Johnson again at 70%.

But it went on to provide more information.

Regarding social and immigration issues, I side mostly with Hillary.
Regarding healthcare, electoral, and domestic policies, I side mostly with Ted Cruz.
Regarding education and criminal issues, I side mostly with Donald Trump.
Only in environmental issues do I side with Bernie Sanders, even though he is supposedly my #1.
And finally, regarding foreign policies, I side with Gary Johnson.

Then the website provides a range, from warm to cool, regarding what areas of the U.S. share my opinions.
These areas with my similarities include parts of Wisconsin, Missouri, California, Florida, Vermont, and New York.

So who am I voting for?
Currently, I am leaning towards Hillary if I go Democrat and Trump if I go Republican.
*I am fully aware even mentioning the name Trump causes people to lose their ever-loving minds. Just chill folks. I have plenty of reasons for my decisions. #doyouboo

I should also note that this is the first time ever I am actually considering voting Republican.
Again, it might be that whole age thing, or maybe society has hardened me a bit.

As I am clearly divided on the candidates, I will try to weed through all the nonsense in the upcoming months and see how each candidate conducts themselves.

Each candidate has their own pros and cons, and the best part of all this is my family has historically been Democratic, whereas my husband's is mostly Republican.

I guess it only seems fitting that I am divided.

Maybe the old guy will win my heart.
I mean, Mark is older than me. I tend to go for that weathered look. ;)

But who knows, I may vote for Hillary and go Girl Power! on this country.

Or maybe I'll get crazy and vote for a non-politician...at the very least Trump is funding his own campaign and isn't being told what to say through an ear-piece.

Feeling ballsy? Tell me who you are voting for and why.
I will pass zero judgement if you stick to the facts and the issues.
(If it gets ugly, I will shut the whole thing down. Play nice people.)

Looking to be more passive?
Take the quiz and learn what issues matter most to you.
The results may surprise you.

Thanks for reading and may the odds be ever in your favor.