"Stephen J. Rush" wrote in message

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 10:47:03 -0700, Jim Thompson wrote:

So why does the "middle" vote Democrat?

Well, in my own case, in the next election, it's the only meaningful
protest against the slide into facism. Don't forget that Hitler was
*elected.*

Then he was unelected and humiliated, which convinced Bismark that he was
emasculated and harmless, so he appointed him Chancellor.


I used to vote Libertarian, but in the American
winner-take-all system, that amounts to a wasted vote. Of course,
given the present state of the Democratic party, it amounts to "Would
you rather be hanged or shot?"

Our-winner-take all system is due to the Electoral College, which is also
the reason we have never elected an extremist, since none would appeal to a
cross-section of different states. If the loser in a state benefitted from
any votes he got in that state, instead of the whole state going to the
winner, then he would only have to win a few states and make a showing in
some others, which an extremist might do successfully.

In that sense it could be said that Libertarians are too extreme for the
general population, and changing the system to give them a better shot would
eventually lead to what you fear most. Pretty ironic, but that's what you
would get for thinking you know how to preserve freedom better than the
Founders.


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