On April 5th, 2011, I filed my Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission as the first Republican Presidential Candidate from the State of Florida.

Thereafter, I contacted editors of local and national media, announcing my Candidacy.  There were no acknowledgements.

I then opened a Facebook account.  I made my announcement and began making posts through the GOP portal.

Friends were surprised, and one even asked:  "When are you planning to go public?"

When all we hear in the media is how 'so and so' declared his or her candidacy, 'so and so' is as yet undeclared, and 'so and so' is ahead of 'so and so' in the polls, what are voters to think?  Naturally, they'll assume there are no other candidates.

What they don't know is:  The presumed lead of these candidates is based on paid advertising.  Through paid political announcements, these candidates manipulate the masses and give the impression that they are the 'major' candidates, if not the 'only candidates'.

How do the others contend with this media onlslaught?

I tried posting on Wikipedia under heading such as: Republican Presidential Candidates, 2012.  My posts were deleted with the comment:  "Please don't post information on an unnotable candidate on the same page with notable candidates".

Wikipedia then proceeded to allow a post from another Candidate; a wrestler from the state of Florida who claims to be a vampire. 

I suddenly felt invisible.  I remembered what Lilian Carter said when her son announced he was running for President:  "President of what?", she inquired.

Soon, history would repeat itself.  Though my own mother is no longer with us, when I told a friend -- a woman who is old enough to be my mother -- I am running for President, she, too, replied by asking: "President of what?"

How can voters learn who the candidates are?  Other than the 'social media', such as Facebook and Twitter, there are two major sources.

First, voters can visit the website of the Federal Election Commission.  There they will find a list of the candidates, those who have a media presence and those who do not.  Through this site, they can determine who is running for President (or any other federal office).

Secondly, there is Project Votesmart, whose web address is:  http://www.votesmart.org

Among Votesmart's founding members are:  Former President Jimmy Carter, Former President Gerald Ford and George McGovern, a former U.S. Senator.

The Votesmart site not only offers a full listing of Presidential Candidates, which is broken down by state, but offers candidates a chance to post their positions on major issues.

Positions are posted through what is known as the "Political Courage Test". The test is designed to measure the candidate's response to one central question:

"Are you willing to tell citizens where you stand on the issues you may face if elected?"

Though our nation's founders felt such information was essential in our struggle to govern ourselves, many candidates are now heeding the advice of their party leaders not to provide such information.

The Political Courage Test offered by Project Votesmart is not only an opportunity for candidates to be recognized for their political courage, but an opportunity for voters to know who the candidates are and what they stand for before they cast their votes.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/whos-running-for-president-4995051.html

Erin Kent Magee is a veteran with 10 years of prior federal service.  He has worked for the Department of the Navy and Department of the Army as an Education Services Officer; and, in 2010, he retired from the IRS.

In our global economy, he believes we can balance the federal budget and eliminate our national debt by resolving the trade deficit.

He is optimistic about our future, and believes full employment will be achieved through private investment in renewable energy.

Readers are invited to visit his wall at:  http://facebook.com/GOP