But they’re not the only ones. There are scores of political action sites that can help you get up to speed on laws and legislation, see how elected officials are spending your money, argue with fellow citizens on issues of import–and even make and broadcast your own political ads.
It was either Alexis de Tocqueville or Hunter S. Thompson who said that, in a democracy, people generally get the kind of government they deserve. Here are five ways to get your just desserts.
1. Govit.com
The site also features a handy map to each Congressional district and the executive branch. (Quick, who’s Secretary of the Department of the Interior? Give yourself five points if you came up with Dirk Kempthorne.) You can drill down into each Congress member’s voting record on every bill and follow the money trail of their biggest campaign contributors. The site is still in beta and was a bit slow to respond–much like Congress itself.
2. Change-Congress.org
Launched by Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessig and Internet campaign guru Joe Trippi, Change Congress has one explicit goal: to change how money influences our nation’s political process.
The wiki is built around a four-point pledge: To
A handy map on the home page displays how much money each politico receives from political action committees (PACs). You can find out which of these positions (if any) a candidate or representative supports by clicking the “Tag” tab and plugging in your ZIP code. If there’s no information available, you can add it along with the source for the information (like a Web site). Site administrators will verify or correct this data later.
Though nominally a wiki, Change Congress isn’t very interactive; so far, all you can do is add information about what positions candidates have taken on the four-point pledge. It’s also still a long way from being comprehensive, and much of the information displayed on the site was unverified at press time. But the biggest changes always start with small steps.
3. SaysMe.tv
Of course, air time costs money. A single airing starts at $6 for CNBC in Cleveland and reaches as high as $2750 for TNT in Los Angeles. But you can also submit your own broadcast-quality political spots that others can use –and collect royalties every time someone else airs them.
4. WhereIstand.com
It’s really more like a social network that’s built around opinions, the way Flickr is built around sharing photos or Facebook is built around throwing sheep. You create a profile, post a photo, pick the opinions or issues you want to follow, and then connect with people and chat them up. Site members can post a Yes or No question on any topic, and append their comments to each discussion. You can then compare your opinions
5. Project Vote Smart
For example, you can see how your state and federal officials fared on the Political Courage Test, an in-depth questionnaire that takes their temperature on key issues from abortion to welfare (or notes when the cowards declined to fill one out). You can look up how they voted on each bill, search the text of every public speech, see how they were rated by interest groups like the League of Conservation Voters or the NRA, and follow the money trail. You can find out how and where to register to vote in your state, and get guides to every creature in the political food chain–from political parties and media to think tanks and polling organizations. Don’t visit a polling booth without checking out this site.