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WebWatch
Politics has moved to the Web these days in a big way. There are literally thousands of sites, from Project Vote Smart to the Scorched Earth Party, featuring everything from breaking news to wild parodies. AllPolitics' Web Watch helps you find your way through the babble by recommending the pages worth your time and steering you away from the junk.
POLITICAL PARTIES
Democratic National Committee
http://www.democrats.org/
A clearinghouse for Democratic Party news, with links to state organizations and petitions to save Medicare.
Republican National Committee
http://www.rnc.org/
A Republican Main Street: Click on newstand for latest Republican Party news or go to the travel store to jump to other political sites on the Net.
Libertarian Party
http://www.lp.org/lp.html
There's an active campaign for the Libertarian presidential nomination this year; here's a place to find out about the party's ideals and policy statements.
The Natural Law Party of the U.S.A.
http://www.fairfield.com:80/nlp/
Views and principles of the Natuarl Law Party, which forsees an era of "conflict-free politics."
Reform Party Official World Wide Web Site
http://www.reformparty.org
A good place to keep up to date with Ross Perot's embryonic Reform Party, find local contacts in your state and check out the party's guiding principles.
NON-PARTISAN SITES
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
http://www.fec.gov/
For years, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) has been a gold mine of information for people interested in how politics really works. And unlike some public agencies, the FEC tries to make the data it collects available. The commission's new Web page includes information on campaign finance law and large, downloadable files on candidates and PACs. No razzle dazzle here, just solid information. This could become a great resource.
Vote Smart Web
http://www.vote-smart.org
Project Vote Smart, "scrupulously non-partisan," created this site to be "your
one-stop shopping center for political information." It's all there, all right.
Plus, most of the Republican presidential candidates have provided a list of
issues they support. Looking for light reading? The U.S. Constitution and other
documents are there for perusing.
OTHER SOURCES OF ELECTION NEWS
Congressional Quarterly's American Voter '96
http://voter96.cqalert.com/
From the venerable Congressional Quarterly publication, this site has the usual
candidate profiles and political links. But what's cool is its search functions
that allow you to check up on your congressional representatives: what have they
done for you lately?
ElectNet
http://www.e1.com/GOV/gov.html
Probably the most comprehensive place around to find information on state
politics. Click on the USA map and go to a detailed listing of links and
information about that state.
On the Road to the White House
http://www.ipt.com/vote/
On the Road claims to have been the first 1996 election site to go online, back
in March 1995. It has the usual links to candidate, government, and party sites.
The highlight is the Virtual Voting Booth, where you can vote for the candidate
of your choice, including a write-in.
LISTS OF LISTS
Campaign '96 Online -- A Guide to Politics on the Internet
http://96.com
Describes itself as a "comprehensive guide to online politics." A good directory
for all sorts of political links: parties, election information, directories, the
media, advocacy groups, liberal and conservative web sites, and more.
The Jefferson Project
http://www.voxpop.org/jefferson
"The most complete archive of political resources in existence today." That's how this site describes itself, and it is a pretty extensive list of links (like 70 political magazines and a host of political watchdogs).
1996 Presidential Candidates
http://www.webpub.com/prez/
Offers links to the web sites of presidential candidates, including independents
and other parties. It's a good platform for browsing the candidates' web sites.
California Voter Foundation
http://www.webcom.com/cvf
A good place to start for newbie political net surfers. Kim Alexander, the
foundation's executive director, has compiled a "starter" links page, with online
voter guides and information on how you can create one in your own community.
Heavy on California information, but some good national links, too.
Campaigns & Elections
http://www.camelect.com/
Site of "The Magazine for Political Professionals," Campaigns & Elections
Online offers articles from its current issue, archives, a Trivia Contest (not up
and running yet), subscription information, and sales of political campaign ad
collections and other political materials.
The C-SPAN Networks
http://www.c-span.org/
RealAudio news conferences, a '96 campaign primary schedule, profiles/photos of
cabinet members and members of Congress, and a ton of good political resources.
OTHER MEDIA
George Magazine
http://www.georgemag.com/
George lives up to its slogan, "not just politics as usual," in this colorful and
entertaining web site. Offerings include feature articles like "Limbaugh for
President? A Preview," a weekly poll, a political trivia quiz, and useful "Web
Site Reviews." Can't wait till we make IT on there. Sites are given a rating of
Georges, one for lame and four for way cool.
The MoJo Wire
http://www.mojones.com/election_96/hunt.html
Hip graphics and left-leaning irreverence mark The MoJo wire, brought to you by
Mother Jones. It purports "to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Hunter S.
Thompson and Bill Greider." The site has a great emphasis on traditional
"liberal" issues as well as an even-handed look at all candidates, great and
small.
FUN STUFF
Sole Site of the 1996 Presidential Campaign
[Johnston & Murphy's Presidential Footnotes Campaign '96]
http://www.infi.net/jmshoe/
An amusing, if rather unsubstantial, look at the 1996 race and the potential
candidates by Johnston & Murphy, "maker of fine footwear for every U.S. President
since Millard Fillmore." Offers a humorous look at politics and shoes, and the
always intriguing politics of shoes. Also offers a good collection of links to
candidate pages, media, and political humor web sites.
Capitol Steps
http://pfm.het.brown.edu/people/mende/steps/
Political cartoons and songs -- download and play 'em -- from the wholesome
Washington D.C. spoof troupe.
Doonesbury Electronic Town Hall
http://www.doonesbury.com/
Your favorite Doonesbury characters are the gateway to several rooms in the Town
Hall. Humor, as always, is the key. The site carries political news from The
Hotline and PoliticsUSA, "highly accurate albeit completely meaningless straw
polls," and a search engine for past Doonesbury cartoon strips back to 1972.
Fidel '96
http://www.imagesmith.com/imagesmith/fidel/
In the event that Fidel Castro should decide to run for the top office, his web
site is ready to go -- complete with a list of potential running mates.
Bob Dole for President
http://www.dole96.org/dole96.html
A parody of the official Dole WWW site: The Ripe Man for the Job. "Mr. Dole
loves tropical fruits, especially slightly over-ripe bananas which are just
starting to turn black and mushy, but not so black and mushy as to be inedible."
A List of Parody Pages
http://www.yahoo.com/Government/Politics/Humor/Political_Parodies/
If you're into faux pages, here's the place to find most of them in one spot.
NewtWatch
http://www.cais.com/newtwatch/
With one look at the logo, you know the Speaker is in for some scrutiny on this
site: it's Newt as crybaby. NewtWatch keeps an eye on ethics complaints, his
congressional record, contributors, and his expenditures.
Turn Left
http://www.cjnetworks.com/~cubsfan/liberal.html
Turn Left is "The Home of Liberalism on the Web," and proud of it. It spells out liberalism's definitions and accomplishments, while insisting liberalism is not a dirty word.
The Right Side of the Web
http://www.clark.net/pub/jeffd/index.html
Claims to be "the most ridiculed, spoofed and imitated site on the Web since May 1994." Offers a wide range of links and articles with a conservative point of view, including "The Speaker's Corner" (a Newt Gingrich WWW fan page), Rush Limbaugh links and Whitewater info.
CONGRESS LINKS
CapWeb -- A Guide to the U.S. Congress
http://policy.net/capweb/congress.html
CapWeb's standard disclaimer states it is not an "official"
product of the U.S. Congress, but rather the "product of a couple
of impatient Capitol Hill staffers who felt it was an effort worth undertaking." Must have done it on furlough. The site offers links to many "Inside the Beltway" resources, and it has valuable information on Capitol Hill people and legislation.
THOMAS: Legislative Information on the Internet
http://thomas.loc.gov/
A dream site for policy wonks and informed citizens, or those who want to be. THOMAS is a service of the U.S. Congress through the Library of Congress. Here you can read the full text of legislation, review the Congressional Record, read about hot bills, and find links to useful Capitol Hill gophers. Make sure the java's perking as you head through this site: what you want is there, it'll just take some time to get to it.
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