back to article Twitter launches vox populi index for US presidential race

Twitter has launched a new website that will announce daily measurements of how Twitter users feel about US presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, calling it "a new barometer for the election." The Twitter Political Index, which kicked off on Wednesday, scours the micro-blogging firm's databases for any posts …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    ARRRRGGG!

    I hate this "we will track tweets of either candidate" crap!

    THERE ARE CHOICES OTHER THAN REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT YOU ASSES!

    The whole reason the Democrats and Republicans get away with offering the sub-standard fare they do is that people simply CANNOT conceptualize that there are choices other than those.

    It's like going into a restaurant and being told "we have two dishes on the menu: shit sandwich and shit soup", and then ordering one or the other rather than saying "screw you, I'll go to the sub shop across the street"

    1. Uncle Slacky Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Re: ARRRRGGG!

      My thoughts precisely (except I think the correct comparison is a turd sandwich vs. a giant douche, à la South Park).

      To see who your closest "match" really is, check out http://www.isidewith.com/ - mine is Jill Stein (Green), 93%.

      1. TeeCee Gold badge
        WTF?

        Re: ARRRRGGG!

        "1,243,205 voters have used iSideWith to find their candidate"

        Translating that from raving bullshit into plain English, I get: "An unknown number of people have taken our quiz 1,243,205 times. Some of them may even be entitled to vote in US elections and most of those will have then gone on to vote for whoever's representing the party they voted for last time."

        1. Uncle Slacky Silver badge
          Meh

          Re: ARRRRGGG!

          "Don't blame me - I voted for Kodos!"

    2. Graham 32

      Re: ARRRRGGG!

      It's more like being in a restaurant where the chef is having a hissy fit and will only produce one type of meal each night. The whole restaurant has to vote on which meal everyone gets. There may be a full menu but most people want "shit sandwich" or "shit soup". You can vote for the lasagne if you like, but it will never win. It's best to vote for the least bad of the shit options.

      And going to the sub shop across the street is akin to emigrating.

      This is how first-past-the-post works. At least the Americans have recognised this and reduced to a (mostly) two party system.

      1. Uncle Slacky Silver badge

        Re: ARRRRGGG!

        The lesser of two shits is still shit, however. Evidently, in US pollitics, you *can* polish a turd sufficiently that people will vote for it...

  2. SFC
    Thumb Down

    Completely ridiculous. It's just a system looking to be gamed.

  3. TeeCee Gold badge
    Mushroom

    "positivity score"

    Someone, somewhere is just asking for a good kicking......

  4. Magani
    FAIL

    What makes them think...

    ... that the Twitterati are politically astute?

  5. okubax
    Meh

    From isidewith.com ... Top was Gary Johnson(77%), followed by Obama(75%). I found to my horror that I sided 52% with Mitt Romney. Oh well, thank God I'm not American.

    1. O RLY

      Your horror

      is in fact a recognition that there is little difference between Barack and Mitt.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Are you friggin kidding me? Twitter? Unbelievable!

    First, second and third it's "Twatter"... the least likely site to have rational intelligent people inhabiting it.

    Talk about getting your information from the most "common" denominator, this is a real world "Idiocracy" (a truly prophetic movie you probably didn't see).

    Next, it's about the 2012 election which to my recollection seems to be the worst example of political slander and libel I have ever seen in my 56 years.

    There is no doubt in my mind that America needs a third mainstream political party to break the logjam in the House and Senate.

    Many of the Democrats have gone too far left, most Republicans have gone WAY too far to the right and there is no longer anything approaching the center.

    If I had any say in the matter, most of these obstructionists in politics would be looking at jail time for treason or be kicked to the curb with no pension.

    We do not need any career politicians, only true civil servants. But for the meantime, all we get is these feeble candidates that have too little to offer any viable solutions.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Shouting match

    As soon as this idiotic index is known about by the parties, armies of political workers will be deputed to twitter endlessly pro their candidate and anti the other one

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