The Appeal of the Donald

A couple of weeks ago Donald Trump announced the he will not be running for the GOP nomination in 2012. I was quite frankly not surprised about this announcement. Do I like Donald Trump? I’m sure you are just dying to know this humble blogger’s opinion. As an entertainer? Yes. As a political candidate? Not hardly. However, the past couple of weeks have me reflecting on Trump as we’ve seen him the past few months and 

I have come to terms with him and some of the things that he said.

Donald Trump was never going to run for office. A presidential candidate has a lengthy financial disclosure form to fill out. Actually form is not completely true. It is more like a financial disclosure book they have to fill out. That alone would cause the multi-billionaire who has filed for bankruptcy to shy away from the candidacy. He was never planning on running for president.

 I think most Americans were well aware of that fact. Donald Trump loves nothing more than publicity. He doesn't even care if he sounds a little crazy to get it. Just look at his hair. He’s not afraid of critics, that’s for sure. That is where the charisma of Trump comes in. Because he never planned on running for president he had the freedom to say whatever struck him. He was not concerned about upsetting anyone. He wasn’t trying to get elected; he was trying to get attention. He achieved his goal in short order. He had the attention of all major media outlets, most of the American people, Twitter, and even the President of the United States. Not bad for a reality TV star/entrepreneur.

Other candidates could learn from Trump. Not the outlandish comments that he made. Most people didn't agree with the pressure he put on Obama to release the long form of his birth certificate. However, what they could learn from is his willingness to share his opinion no matter what others thought. I believe that we mostly saw and heard the real opinions of Donald Trump. I do not think we often get the real opinions of candidates. They live in fear of not getting elected. Candidates, I challenge you to run as if you don’t care if you get elected. Say what’s on your mind no matter what anyone thinks, and let us know the real you. 

Go to Washington every, single, day. Join http://thevotereffect.com today!

Social Networking Meets Politics

It is no surprise to anyone that media is skewed. Just say the names, MSNBC or FOX News and your mind immediately goes to the thought of liberal media or conservative rhetoric. For decades the media has been dominating our thoughts, opinions, and view of politics. Many reporters make a living covering Capitol Hill. When it comes right down to it, what do these reporters tell us? Not enough, really. We walk through our daily life paying very little attention to what is happening in Washington DC until we have an election year. Then voting records are dredged up in hate campaigns and the voter is really given little independent information to make an informed decision…until now.

Meet The Voter Effect. http://thevotereffect.com One look at the site and the voter who longs to be informed is in heaven.  

The Good:                                                      

The site features all representatives, their contact information, party affiliation, bio, and sponsored bills. Yes, all of this is available on the senate.gov or house.gov site, but everything here is in a one stop shop. Plus, the user can track a representative and make comments on them.

The Better

Users can raise issues that are really a discussion board on the site. All politics all the time. Users can discuss an issue or they can bring up an issue on their own. Through this you can comment or give support or disagree with the issue.

The Best

Bills. Most Americans have NO CLUE what happens daily on Capitol Hill. Day to day government is left up to the imagination of the voters. Through the voter effect the user can see each bill that is introduced daily, a bill summary, or the full text of a bill. Also available are the sponsors, committees, and related bills. Users on the site can also vote on the bill, track the bill, and comment on the bill. Tracking bills makes it simple to keep tabs on the bills most important to the user.

Bonus Points

Social networking is available on the site as well. Friends can be easily added and information can be shared with friends which includes issues raised, opinions on bills, and information about officials. Another fun feature is the activity rating. The more active a user is the higher their activity rating.

Go to http://thevotereffect.com/ now to join and become a part of the effect. No ads and no bias.