Cool Tool of the Week: Election 2008 edition

It seems crazy that the presidential election is less than six weeks away. I have to admit, I’m exhausted by the relentless campaigning and just ready for this whole thing to be over with.

So if you’re like me, fighting through campaign fatigue while trying to stay tuned in to the last-minute electioneering, here are a few online tools you might find useful:

1. election.twitter.com

If you think of politics as a spectator sport, then this is the site for you. Even if you’re not using Twitter, you can just sit back and watch the new posts roll in by the second.

There’s just something fascinating about getting a real-time look into the political minds of people worldwide. (If you want to see where they’re writing from, check out this cool map.)

But the site — just launched yesterday — is also a great tool for breaking news. As I was writing this item, a flurry of comments rushed in to note that McCain would indeed be attending tonight’s debate.

2. In Quotes by Google Labs

This simple but information-packed site lets you compare quotes from political figures on a wide range of issues.

It defaults to McCain vs. Obama, but you can use a drag down list to see opinions from President Bush, Bill Clinton, Joe Lieberman and several others.

3. CreateDebate.com

Not content to sit on the sidelines? You can lob opinions of all sorts on this poll-packed site.

Create a free account, pick the fray you want to wade into, and then go bash some metaphorical skulls. Questions range from “Who should I vote for in the 2008 Alaska Senate Race?” to more quizzical topics like, “Should the U.S. return to the gold standard?”

Clicking on each poll opens up a page with lengthy comments from voters and links for more information on each issue.

If you can get past the somewhat chaotic format and the fact that a handful of obsessive users seem to dominate the site, it’s a pretty slick way to debate any issue you’re passionate about.

Any other social spins on Election 2008 you’d recommend? Drop a link in the comments.

Comments

[Jim Taylor]

Excellent post! Reminds me that I need to change my polling place. Another great site, if you're sick of trying to sort through all the clutter and just need some help deciding which candidate is best for you: glassbooth.org There are others out there too I believe. This one makes it pretty simple though. Just click which issues are most important to you, take a quick quiz as to how opposed or in support you are of those issues and *poof* candidates pop out the other end. (but you still can't click to vote. We still do that the old fashioned way.)

[sai]

Academy Award winning Actor Louis Gossett Jr.and his "Eracism" foundation gives a tribute to Barack Obama and introduces the Singing Duo "UMAD"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIkMi9LcTds