---
name: political-research
description: "Research U.S. political topics, legislation, and current events with source-filtering — prioritizing conservative/right-leaning outlets and social media sentiment."
version: 1.0.0
author: Hermes Agent
license: MIT
category: research
---

# Political Research

Research U.S. politics, legislation, and current events with a focus on source quality and ideological balance.

## Trigger

Load this skill when:
- User asks about U.S. politics, legislation (acts, bills), election topics, or policy issues
- User asks for social media consensus or public sentiment on a political topic
- User explicitly requests conservative/right-leaning sources (e.g., "avoid left leaning sources")
- User asks for your own opinion on a political topic

## Source Filtering

**Default approach**: Always supplement with a mix of sources.

**When user specifies conservative/right-leaning** (explicitly or via "avoid left leaning"):
1. **Prioritize these sources first**: Fox News, WSJ Opinion, The Hill, CNBC, PBS, factually.co
2. **Include social media sentiment** from conservative/right-leaning corners (Twitter/X, Facebook, Truth Social, Reddit r/law)
3. **Label left-leaning sources** (Brennan Center, Common Cause, NPR general coverage, Politico opinion) when you use them
4. **Distinguish commentary from raw social data** — social media posts are data; op-eds are commentary

**Left-leaning sources to de-emphasize when requested**: Brennan Center, Common Cause, ACLU, progressive op-eds, left-leaning advocacy orgs, general NPR coverage

## Workflow

### Layered Search

1. **Initial search** — broad web search for the topic and current status
2. **Filtered search** — re-run with source constraints if user specified (e.g., "avoid left leaning")
3. **Social media layer** — search for Twitter/X, Facebook, Reddit, Truth Social reactions
4. **Polls and data** — include polling data when available (Navigator Research, Gallup, etc.)
5. **Synthesize** — present findings organized by theme, not by source

### Social Media Analysis

When analyzing social media sentiment:
- **Don't just aggregate** — identify the dominant frames and narratives
- **Distinguish** between: elite opinion (senators, politicians posting), media commentary, and grassroots reaction
- **Note the gap** — what people say online vs. what polls show may differ
- **Call out the surprise voices** — conservative senators defying Trump, or Democrats supporting popular bills

### Opinion Delivery

When the user asks for your opinion ("what do you think"):
- **Be direct** — state the opinion clearly up front
- **Ground it in the evidence** — reference specific findings from the research
- **Acknowledge nuance** — what's good vs. what's poorly executed
- **Keep it concise** — no padding, no hedging unnecessarily

## Pitfalls

- **Don't present polling numbers without context** — a 60% approval number means different things depending on how the question was asked
- **Don't let the 60-vote Senate problem disappear into the weeds** — always clarify whether a bill failed on substance or procedure
- **Avoid framing everything as a partisan fight** — intra-party disagreements matter (e.g., 4 GOP senators against Trump's bill)
- **Don't conflate social media buzz with actual consensus** — loud voices online don't always represent majority opinion
- **When user says "avoid left leaning," mean it** — don't just add Fox News on top of everything; re-run searches with source filters