Top Down Government

This guide is a circular map to emphasize on the size of government, and mainstream left-right dichotomy done right. Most maps are flawed in one way or another. The World's Smallest Political Quiz emphasizes on socio-economic viewpoints, but doesn't touch much on foreign policy. It's not bad if you have never taken a political quiz before, and will give you a rough idea of where you stand.

Politopia is deeply flawed because "left-wing" is determined by "more personal freedoms", which would make gun control, eminent domain, affirmative action, and hate-crime legislation conservative principles, when in fact, they are the opposite.

Anyways, I spent way too much time on this guide. At least it's seasonally appropriate.




1. The Individualist

Michael Badnarik

The government’s sole purpose is to protect private citizens. You oppose the government’s involvement when it comes to social and fiscal policies. While you believe in the capitalist system, civil liberties are the solution to overcoming social inequality. You oppose world government, and believe that the United States should withdrawal from the UN. Free speech is threatened both by hate crime legislation and the FCC. As a strong advocate for individual freedoms, you oppose the state’s involvement on alternative lifestyles, gun control and affirmative action, while you support abortion and private property rights. You want to legalize prostitution, gambling, and recreational drug use. The influence of religion should not belong in government.

You would enjoy reading:

Why Government Doesn't Work
By Harry Browne



2. The Civil Libertarian

Howard Dean

You stand out because you speak your mind. Basic civil rights are still being fought against the government’s legislation on individual rights. You favor unlimited free speech, the right to bear arms, and the absolute right to individual privacy. You are the NRA’s favorite left-winger. Religion is permissible, but religious groups should not influence government. To appease your base, you may participate in a little bit of "class warfare," although you are moderately pro-business. You believe that the expansions in homeland security have resulted in abuses of power that threaten our civil liberties. We are in Iraq right now because Democrats did what they thought was popular, by authorizing it. The ACLU is necessary in order to protect the constitutional rights of private citizens.

You would enjoy reading:

Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism
by Michelle Goldberg



3. The Capitalist

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Cutting taxes and reducing government spending is the top priority. An individualist at heart, you believe civil liberties should be celebrated. However, you are willing to appease your base by permitting capital punishment and moderately legislating against socially liberal policies, like partial-birth abortion. You believe that illegal immigration hurts the economy, and that high taxes cause unemployment. To solve our addiction to foreign oil, you favor the expansion of oil refineries and drilling within the United States. You believe in free-market environmentalism. Since there is no easy solution to poverty, you believe in the free distribution of wealth.

You would enjoy reading:

Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity
By John Stossel



4. The Anarchist

Michael Albert

As an opponent of authority, you want to overthrow as much government as possible. Concerned about abuses of power, your primary cause is suppressing the government’s institutions of death, be it war or capital punishment. Gun violence can be a hot button issue, but you believe that gun control is generally ineffective. You oppose world government, but you are also skeptical of organized religion.

The Anarcho-capitalist

While capitalism has its evils, you believe that the good outweighs the bad. Unlike the majority on the left, you believe the economy works best in a low-tax environment.

The Anarcho-socialist

Because capitalism is exploitive, you are a market abolitionist, and believe that workers, not entrepreneurs, should manage the economy.

You would enjoy reading:

Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance
By Noam Chomsky



5. The Compassionate Conservative

Mitt Romney

Although you hold socially conservative values near and dear to your heart, you seek to find common ground and compromise. You believe that abortion usually has two victims - mother and child. While you won’t flaunt your religious denomination, you will make efforts to maintain your appeal to the conservative base. There's no compromise on rights for terrorists. Therefore, you support most interrogation methods that are being used on enemy combatants. Illegal immigration is a national security issue. You believe that liberal economics have hurt the poor more than they have helped them.

You would enjoy reading:

100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
By Bernard Goldberg



6. The Egalitarian

Ted Kennedy

Your policies drive the progressive base more often then they drive you. Whether it’s judicial nominees, tax cuts, or the invasion of Iraq, you’re the first to speak out. Although you benefit from both, you would rather be caught hugging a tree than a barrel of oil. Without you, senatorial term limits would be a less partisan issue. You are a warrior for the working class, favoring higher wages and safer working conditions. You are committed to bridge the gap between the rich and poor. All people should be treated equally, even those who are accused of heinous crimes. Open immigration is a civil rights issue. You believe that government intervention is necessary to overcome social inequality.

You would enjoy reading:

The Truth: With Jokes
By Al Franken



7. The Majoritarian

Bill Clinton

Most of your positions are based on your core political philosophy, while others are based on public opinion. You won’t compromise on corporate welfare or women’s rights, but you support the death penalty and school choice. It is fundamentally important that we cooperate with the rest of the world. Fair trade will help totalitarian nations become more democratic. While the polls help you position yourself to represent the majority, you might appoint a strong abortion rights advocate from the ACLU on the Supreme Court. While gay rights are a favored cause, you may endorse a Defense of Marriage Act. You are more hawkish than your average progressive, but you believe that the UN is obligated to prevent wars, and should not be overruled.

You would enjoy reading:

The Two Americas: Our Current Political Deadlock And How To Break It
By Stanley B. Greenberg



8. The Fiscal Conservative

Rudy Giuliani

Free enterprise and strong national defense define your loyalty to the conservative movement. You won’t shy away from endorsing strong conservatives as long as they have experience with fiscal policy. To a fair degree, you bridge the gap with thoughtful rhetoric towards those on either side of the aisle, and shy away from mudslinging. Your positions on social issues potentially abandon your conservative base. Favoring gun control, abortion rights, welfare assistance for illegal immigrants, and a Kerry-esque stance on the definition of marriage, you appear as an ardent social liberal. You may not get the endorsement from the NRA or the Christian Coalition. But to those who value national unity over social policy, you win their hearts.

You would enjoy reading:

Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons
By Tim Russert



9. The Traditionalist

Rick Santorum

As a social conservative, you hold nothing back in your political dialogue. While you favor tax cuts, you want to block legislation that promotes the recognition of the sexually unorthodox. Opponents raise their eyebrows when you define state-sponsored Jihad as you see it – Islamic fascism. Because you speak your mind, your favor for debt relief to third world countries goes widely unnoticed by your political rivals. You are driven by your conservative base to increase border security.

You would enjoy reading:

Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism
By Ann Coulter



10. The Environmentalist

Al Gore

Global warming is the hot-button issue. As a defender of Mother Earth, you are the last person who would buy paper plates at Wal-Mart. You believe that because mankind is careless in nature, it should be governed on all aspects of government, from individual matters to fiscal responsibility. Tax cuts for the wealthy are unjust to the working class. A New Dealer at heart, you have great faith in the power of government. Whether it’s obscenity, gun ownership, or sexually unorthodox behavior, you have an obligation to intervene. You appeal to social conservatives and religious minorities because you support capital punishment and the definition of marriage. You have also opposed partial-birth abortion. While such policies haven’t been predominately adopted by the environmental movement, you are a friend to the ecosystem first and foremost.

You would enjoy reading:

The Revenge of Gaia: Earth's Climate Crisis and the Fate of Humanity
By James Lovelock



11. The Theoconservative

Jerry Falwell

Everywhere you look, religious freedom is being attacked. Hate crime legislation, chaotic homosexual activists, and the removal of God from the political arena have called you to take a stand for what you believe in. You are threatened by Islamic terrorism, as you cite Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 to justify your support for the war in Iraq. Fiscal policy is hardly an issue. You endorse the Defense of Marriage Act and lobby against Roe v. Wade religiously. You believe the ACLU is a threat to the nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage.

You would enjoy reading:

Above All Earthly Pow'rs: Christ In A Postmodern World
by David F. Wells



12. The Marxist

Susan Sontag

Throughout history, the dominant white race has destroyed Mother Nature and evoked poverty through imperialist injustices. Because Americans had originally taken land through senseless violence, you believe that 9/11 was not an act of cowardice. Religion should be removed from public life. Because marriage is considered a religious institution, you want it abolished. There has never been a true communist nation, because present-day China, North Korea, and the former Soviet Union have turned to state capitalism, nationalism, militant domination rather than distributing goods and services for the common good.

You would enjoy reading:

Phony Communism Is Dead... Long Live Real Communism!
by Bob Avakian



13. The Isolationist

Pat Buchanan

Although you side with the right most of the time, you find yourself in your own world. The neoconservative movement has failed to represent conservatism in the tradition of Theodore Roosevelt, Barry Goldwater, and Richard Nixon.

The Crunchy Conservative

While you believe the sexual revolution is destroying the moral fabric of society, you believe that modern conservatism is corrupted by a “capitalism first, conservatism second” mentality. Free markets are productive for society, but they are an imperfect art form, and therefore you favor beauty over efficiency. In other words, government intervention is necessary at times. You might call out GOP-brand conservatives for stereotypes on liberals who promote frugal living and conservation. True conservatism should benefit all forms of life, whether it’s human life, plant life, or animal life.

The Lookout

The two-party system deserves criticism for playing politics more often than they solve our problems. Capital punishment would not be necessary if we took away privileges for prisoners. While you support gun ownership, you also support gun control. You believe the mainstream media has a secular left-wing agenda. Affirmative action should be based on income level, rather than race. Tax cuts are generally good for the economy, and do not discriminate against the working class. There is evidence of support for global warming, although fossil fuels may not be the cause. You appeal to social conservatives and some New Dealer democrats.

The Paleoconservative

While you believe in a low-tax environment, you feel that the patriotic economy is dying because of outsourcing jobs overseas, and “insourcing” – such as guest worker programs. The Republican Party as we know it has given in to world government and open borders. The troops should be patrolling the borders as a measure of national security, rather than fighting in Iraq. At this point in time, we need to reinstate Teddy Roosevelt's "Americanization" policy in order to assimilate immigrants to American culture. At the risk of being perceived as a racist, you often cite how demographics have shaped domestic policy, for better or worse. You believe the “race card” is used as a form of left-wing racism. Native American tribes treated each other much the same way as the European settlers treated them. Occasionally, you favor environmental regulations.

You would enjoy reading:

Liberalism is a Mental Disorder
by Michael Savage



14. The Fascist

Seth Tyrssen

The government should dictate all matters of public and private life with an iron fist. Adolf Hitler was not a real fascist. Authoritarianism, nationalism, and environmental protection are the foundations of modern fascist political theory. Religion is a business, and therefore should be stripped of its tax-free status. The best foreign policy is to stay at home. The War in Iraq was fought in the name of corporate interests. It is essential to protect our borders, as well as our natural resources. Immediate deportation for illegal immigrants is necessary to halt the problem. Support for Israel is a religious institution, and is therefore inapt. World government is acting as a monopoly, and the US needs to get out of the UN. First class universal health care is achievable in the long term by cutting foreign aid. To build a robust military, you oppose cuts on military spending.

You would enjoy reading:

One World, Ready or Not: The Manic Logic of Global Capitalism
by William Greider