The first principle of democracy is this, that given the opportunity, most people will vote for the person who's going to win.
The First Principle of Democracy.
- Thread starter American Voice
- Start date
When I read this, I laughed because it sounds like a good joke, but then realized that it is absolutely true. The question is, then, why? People seem to feel their votes are 'wasted' if they vote for a non-mainstream party that cannot possibly win, yet if those non-mainstream parties get more votes each time, one day they become a valid option.
Up here, the Green Party, south of the border, Nader?
Up here, the Green Party, south of the border, Nader?
In my view, the whole concept of "national" politics is an artifact of television, and so-called third party movements are an artifact of that, i.e., they are a figment of their own imaginations.
George Wallace headed the Dixiecrats, predicated on the notion that all politics are sectional. There was a bumper-sticker popular in the South during Watergate: Don't blame me, I voted for Wallace.
There was a strong Socialist party in the northern prairie states back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was based on a combination of Scandinavian farmers' associations. They wielded a hefty club at one time.
I voted for Sen. Eugene McCarthy in 1976, but that was just a lark. He said if he got 5% of the popular vote, he'd form a new party. I think he got like 1.8%.
George Wallace headed the Dixiecrats, predicated on the notion that all politics are sectional. There was a bumper-sticker popular in the South during Watergate: Don't blame me, I voted for Wallace.
There was a strong Socialist party in the northern prairie states back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was based on a combination of Scandinavian farmers' associations. They wielded a hefty club at one time.
I voted for Sen. Eugene McCarthy in 1976, but that was just a lark. He said if he got 5% of the popular vote, he'd form a new party. I think he got like 1.8%.