----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bear Powell" <replicant@northstate.net>
To: <tenchi@usagi.org>
Subject: [tenchi:105587] Re: <OT> I have completely lost faith in the    majority
of US Voters.
Date: Wed, 3 Nov 2004 18:11:16 -0500

> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Joseph Riggs"
> > Also, given the way that the elections for the Executive (President)
> > work in the US, I don't know that it would have the effect that you think
> > it would.  All that a small party would do is take votes from one 
> > candidate
> > or the other, similar to the claimed effects of Perot in '92, or Nader in 
> > '00.
> > Its an all or nothing system.
> 
> That's the frame of thought that we need to get rid of. The Democrats
> and Republicans have not been the ruling parties since or government
> was started. Unfortunately, for people voting now it's almost all they have
> ever been associated with. Rarely, do you actually meet (In my area at
> least) someone who will say they are Green Party, Libertarian, Constitution,
> etc because they don't get enough national exposure. The two main
> US parties have done everything possible to squash their chances to
> gain even a minor foothold in the minds of americans. Granted many of
> the 3rd Party candidates are insane, but they should have their voices 
> equally
> heard just like anyone else running for office.
> 

The only way to really replace it would be to go to a Parlimentary system with a Prime
Minister selected by the ruling party in one of the legislative houses.  Its a possibility,
but once again, I look at Israel, and shudder.

Incidentally, while you may slam the Gay Marriage issue, some people think that its
one of the reasons that Bush won.  There was an anti-Gay Marriage State Constitutional
Amendment up for vote in 11 different states yesterday, and its believed that
the single issue had more to do with drawing conservatives to the polls in those states
than even the presidential election did.  Of course, once they're at the polls, they
might as well vote for President.  I *think* Ohio was the state that had the
measure pass by a 6-1 ratio, and Ohio turned out to be the key state in the election.


Something else to ponder, just as a curious side note.  The Wall Street Journal's
on-line editorial page likes to refer to what it calls the "Roe Effect".  The basic
idea behind it is that since liberals are more in favor of abortion, they're more

likely to abort children before they're born, while conservatives are more likely
to carry them to term.  That suggests that more children are born in conservative
families than in liberal families, and since people often have a political outlook

that's similar to that of their parents, the suggestion is that any population that
allows abortion will gradually shift to a more conservative, anti-abortion mood (albeit
very slowly).

So one could make the argument that in a very real way, Bush's anti-gay marriage views
and his anti-abortion views played a role in his win, albeit one in a very indirect
way (since abortion has been legal for a few decades now).

Something to debate at your leisure.  I don't know that there's any real research
to support it or disprove it.


junior

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