The Political Credit RatingTM system Based on GOUSA’s 5-Point Opportunity Star: The Opportunity Score, or OppScore®.
The message is simple: Either our elected officials in America are working FOR us and providing opportunity for a better life for ourselves, our families and communities – or they are corruptly working AGAINST us, eliminating opportunity and serving themselves, their pockets, corporate lobbyists and special interests instead. We need an easy to use system to simply identify who is who, based on what the majority of voters stand for on the issues they care the most about. Politicians who aren’t serving the interests of people need to be replaced with those who will.
The fact is that voters are far more united than we are divided on the critical issues, and the data gathered by our Political Credit Rating system proves it. No single political party truly has our backs and there must be a better way to choose our legislators than by party affiliation alone. American voters need a clear way to determine which of our legislators are working for us, and which are working against us, based on a majority consensus on the issues..
What is the OppScore® from GOUSA? It’s a non-partisan, universal political credit rating based on the Five Points of Opportunity, popular principles which are constitutional, advance voter opportunity, and are supported by the vast majority voters. In short, the OppScore stands for and with the American people on the issues that matter to them most. It’s that simple
Movies get Rotten Tomatoes ratings. Businesses get Yelp ratings. Now, Politicians are finally getting rated too, with the OppScore® from GOUSA. Keeping them 100% Accountable, like a FICO credit score for politicians. We are asking all voters in America to endorse the OppScore, and demand that their legislators do the same. Endorse here.
How does it work? “If sunlight is the best disinfectant, then the OppScore® is the Best Political Disinfectant”.
We need a universal and non-partisan political rating system like this for our elected officials, who will often lie and use slick ad campaigns to win office – and then break their promises to focus on their own pockets, power, control, and outside interests instead of us, the people, their true bosseAt GOUSA, we assembled the top issues that American voters are the most concerned about and separated them into Five Points of Opportunity that map to the five points in the GOUSA Opportunity Star – Personal, Economic, Social, Educational, and National Opportunity. As the “Land of Opportunity” Americans expect that their legislators are working to provide more opportunity and a better life – not to serve themselves and other interests at our expense. 4 out of 5 voters today believe they are self-serving and unaccountable to the public.
We then looked at each of these issues and asked, “What do the majority of voters support for each issue?” We studied polls, surveys, and voter research using sources from all sides of the political spectrum. To rate sitting legislators and candidates, we objectively study their published positions and policy statements on the issues, voting records, press statements, interviews and social media, as well as ratings from a range of qualified nonprofit organizations.
Our political credit rating system rewards points to legislators and candidates who stand for 25 Pro-Opportunity principles that are supported by the majority of voters – and to penalize them when they stand against these principles with negative Anti-Opportunity points.
The OppScore system ranges from -5.0 points (extreme Anti-Opportunity) to 0 (no Opportunity) up to +5.0 points (strong Pro-Opportunity). In GOUSA’s view, all politicians should achieve an OppScore of +3.0 points or higher, or be removed from office by the voters and replaced with a candidate who represents the People.
The system is based on GOUSA’s 5 Points of Opportunity as identified in the five-point star depicted below, “Personal Opportunity” at the top point, followed by the rest in clockwise fashion: Economic, Social, Educational and National Opportunity.
Legend
The red, white and blue “upright” star-circle logo icon represents one positive, “Pro-Opportunity” point in the rating system. Positive points range from zero to +5.0. Politician rating points are depicted in stars, to the nearest ¼ fraction.
The red and yellow “upside down” star-circle logo icon represents one negative, “Anti-Opportunity” point in the rating system. Negative points range from zero to -5.0. Politician rating points are depicted in stars, to the nearest ¼ fraction.
Max Rating: 5.0 (Five Point Score = Maximum Rating, Strong Pro-Opportunity).
Min. Rating: -5.0 (Negative Five Point Score = Worst Rating, Extreme Anti-Opportunity)
4.0 to 5.0 : Strong Pro-Opportunity Score
3.0 to 4.0 : Moderate Pro-Opportunity Score
0 to 3.0 : Weak Opportunity Score
0 : No Opportunity Score
0 to -3.0 : Poor Anti-Opportunity Score
-3.0 to -5.0 : Extreme Anti-Opportunity Score
Note: Scores are either a full positive numerical score if in clear support of a position, full negative numerical score if in clear opposition to a position, or zero if (a) unable to ascertain a clear position or (b) positions on a given topic are ambiguous or evenly mixed. Not fractional scores permitted. (i.e., if point weight score listed is 0.25, the score is either 0.25, 0, or -0.25, and not a fraction of these amounts). Maximum high score is 5.0 and maximum low score is -5.0.
Politicians are rated based on the following criteria:
- Completion of GOUSA’s Opportunity Survey (not required, but strongly encouraged)
- Voting Record
- Public Policy Positions
- Media Statements
- Social Media Posts
- Personal Opportunity
- Support Our 1st Amendment Rights and Personal Privacy Rights
- Support Our 2nd Amendment Rights and common sense gun laws, such as background checks
- Support States’ rights and restricting the expansion of unconstitutional federal power as guaranteed by the 10th Amendment
- Support the integrity of our Judicial Branch, including keeping 9 Justices on the Supreme Court, Oppose court packing
- Value life and accept the right to choose early in pregnancy (up to heartbeat or first trimester), and oppose later term abortion (through 2nd & 3rd trimester) except in rare and limited cases, such as risk to the life of the mother
TOTAL (20%): + 1.0 / -1.0
-
Economic Opportunity
- Support free market economics / capitalism, Oppose expanded government ownership and control of industry and the economy / socialism
- Support of American workers and jobs, and fair trade laws
- Support of lower taxes and reducing the national debt
- Oppose unchecked corporate monopolies & the political influence of technology & business oligarchs
- Oppose fraud, wasteful spending and corruption in government
TOTAL (20%): +1.0 / -1.0
- Social Opportunity
- Support of equal civil rights for people of all backgrounds, races, ages, religions, orientations, lifestyles, classes and political beliefs
- Oppose all forms of identity, gender & racial politics, including opposition to divisive politics including Critical Race Theory, LatCrit, and Critical Gender Theory
- Support of the nuclear (2-parent) family, hetero or same sex
- Support affordable, accessible and quality market-driven health care for all, allowing citizens to choose from a public government-run health system OR keep their private insurance health plan
- Support prison reform, and assistance for veterans, the elderly, the disabled, disadvantaged youth and those most in need (American citizens only)
TOTAL (20%): +1.0 / -1.0
- Educational Opportunity
- Support school choice, school vouchers, more parental involvement in schools
- Support teaching factual American and world history, US politics & civics, and oppose political indoctrination in our schools
- Support free speech and freedom of expression on campus
- Support vocational schools, charter schools, STEM skillsets, economically viable career paths
- Address the high cost of tuition through college and government reforms, while opposing canceling student loan debt to be paid by taxpayers
TOTAL (20%): +1.0 / -1.0
- National Opportunity
- Support US Military strength, readiness, our servicemen & women, and ending endless wars
- Support our local police, fire, first responders, safe communities and remaining a country of laws and enforcement
- Support border security, lawful immigration, stemming border crime & drugs
- Support, adhere to, and publicly promote transparent, free, and fair elections and voter ID laws
- Support sensible, science-based environmental and renewable energy solutions, while maintaining a mix of fossil fuels and achieving American energy independence
TOTAL (20%): +1.0 / -1.0
FINAL TOTAL: +5.0 / -5.0
Addendum to Five Point Rating System – Character Penalty Points:
HYPOCRITE PENALTY: Politician has been demonstrably hypocritical with respect to failing to stand for stated support of Pro-Opportunity principles through his/her actions, voting record, policies and/or public statements: Subtract One Full Point (note: maximum negative score is -5.0 in any circumstance)
EXTREMISM PENALTY: Politician has shown clear and unambiguous support for political violence or violent mob brutality (including ANTIFA, Boogaloo Bois, KKK, Jihadist Groups, or other Left / Right wing violent groups), or support for communist, Islamist, fascist, seditious or totalitarian ideologies, or support for elimination of American citizens’ basic civil rights, or conviction of a serious federal crime: Subtract One to Three Full Points (note: maximum negative score is -5.0 in any circumstance)