CDR: Re: Parties

[Sampo A Syreeni]

On Fri, 27 Oct 2000, Eric Murray wrote:

>Why should I vote for someone who doesn't stand for what I beleive
>in just because the media says that they're "not electable"?
>That's the kind of loser attitude that's gotten us a contest
>that'll assuredly elect either an idiot (Bush) or a fool (Gore).
>Unfortunately Americans are more interested in voting for a "winner"
>than they are in voting their concious.

That's commendable idealism, but in most modern countries the electorial
process is practically guaranteed - and in fact mostly designed - to in
essence round out dissent. The fact that voting for the loser implies
casting your vote for nothing, *even in matters which had nothing to do
with the winner being elected*, simply means that there is absolutely no
point in voting for someone who cannot win. It's a nasty side effect of the
present implementation of democracy based on a mix of representative 
democracy, political parties, the relative voting system (dunno if you guys
have this) and what have you.

Sampo Syreeni <decoy at iki.fi>, aka decoy, student/math/Helsinki university