This campaign song title from the 1912 presidential election is nostalgic for reasons other than the obvious. Many historians believe the race between Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Taft to be among the most informative and substantive in American history, pitting several different visions of federal and state economic policy against each other for the American people’s consideration. Wilson won with a plurality of the vote and his program became the model for our current regulatory system.
Today the American people need and deserve a similar debate that both illuminates relevant differences and unifies us behind policy choices. That debate should center on the choice between nationalism vs. globalism and it would appear that the Trump vs. Biden race would epitomize that choice. Appearances, however, can be deceiving, and a close examination of their records may show less of a difference than the media and campaigns portray. This website will classify the issues from the standpoint of Theodore Roosevelt and identify the policy choices from a nationalist vs. globalist perspective. Those categories are
- Political Reform
- Foreign Policy
- Antitrust & Trade Regulation
- Environment & Climate Change
- A Strong America
- Character
I will include specific issues that have been featured at some point in the campaign as well as key nationalist issues that have been largely ignored by candidates and the media. While the analysis will focus on records of action or inaction, the ratings will also consider their current party ideologies. The candidates will be rated on a plus or minus 3-point scale with a positive score indicating a nationalist position and a negative score indicating a globalist stance.
I hope you find this index helpful in analyzing congressional candidates as well. Please feel free to comment on and criticize the system as we move forward.
