I studied the websites of various candidates last night. I wrote down what I saw as pros and cons (and unknowns) for each. Here are some preliminary thoughts.
1) I couldn't even find a website for Rubio, and I'll be darned if I'm going to go digging around past the first page of results for one! <smh> So I have nothing for him. (Honestly! How am I supposed to take you seriously if you don't even have your crap together enough to make sure your presidential race website is front and center?!
)
2) Cruz addressed 9 areas of issues. Trump addressed 5. Clinton addressed 27. Sanders addressed about the same. (I quit counting.) I thought that disparity was interesting.
Cruz's general issue areas were: Constitution; 2nd Amendment; secure the border; defend our nation; stand with Israel (really? this is a forefront issue?); religious liberty; life, marriage, and family; jobs and opportunity; and rein in Washington.
Granted, Clinton and Sanders had their issues more individualized, rather than lumped into broad categories, but they still addressed so much more on their sites than Cruz (and way more than Trump).
3) Clinton and Sanders were almost identical in their views. I'm sure there were differences somewhere, but, for the most part, they were the same.
How to pay for many of the things I do support is the number one concern I have with both of them.
4) Cruz actually had some things that I agreed with (about 9 things) and some things that I disagreed with (about 11). There were about 7 things that I simply don't know enough about to have an intelligent opinion (such as economics).
That is not to say that I can give equal weight to all of those. Some of those issues are more important to me than others, but I haven't weighted my views yet.
5) Trump has very little substance on his website. Of that, there were a few things I agreed with (about 6). There were 4 I am unsure about and 3 that I am against. Keep in mind, however, that this is out of the relatively few issues his site even addresses. (I know of many more things he supports that I do not from what I've read and seen online or on TV.)
So I'm still processing through all of that. I think Rubio has no chance of gaining the majority of Republican support, mainly because of what I said previously—he is not endorsed by Beck or Limbaugh and many conservatives are avid followers of those two. That being said, there's Cruz.
I did not look up Kasich's website because I don't think he has a chance either, but, if he starts to gain in strength, I will. I still think he has turned out to probably be the best of the bunch on the Republican side, but my opinion doesn't count for much.
And I like many of the things Clinton and Sanders stand for, but I have qualms. I am afraid of many of the things Cruz and Trump stand for, but I have qualms about electing a Democrat.