Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!laura
From: laura@utzoo.UUCP (Laura Creighton)
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: Losing Elections
Message-ID: <5362@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Mar-85 23:27:15 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.5362
Posted: Wed Mar 27 23:27:15 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 27-Mar-85 23:27:15 EST
References: <827@oliven.UUCP>, <535@whuxl.UUCP> <5324@utzoo.UUCP>, <553@whuxl.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 31

Tim, if you lose an election, it behooves you to figure out why. After
all, you don't want to do it again, if you can help it. Right now,
the American who is neither a Democrat nor a Republican has a real
problem. Regardless of how an election is suppsoed to work, the
question remains: ``Does a non-Republican & non-Democrat stand a
cahnce of getting elected -- say as Governor of a state or as a
Senator or as President?''. Right now, I would say, unequivically, No.

Now, I do not believe that this is because only Republicans and
Democrats would make good Governors, Senators or Presidents. [Snide
aside: what does it matter? It is not as if there was a shortage of
*lousy* Democrat and Republican Governors, Senators and Presidents...]
I think that tehre are several problems. First of all, the average
citizen doesn't really know anything about any other parties (if they
did, Libertarians wouldn't have to explain what Libertarianism is
so often) and second of all it requires a hell of a lot of money and
well established political machinery to wage elections these days.

Personally, I think that political parties are bad things. Now tell me
how I can get *that* changed using the current democratic process in
either the US or Canada? It seems hopeless. Traditionally, when enough
people think that the current government will not permit them to make
changes which they feel are necessary, there is a revolution. ``No
taxation without representation'' made a lovely rallying cry. These
days, the only good one I have seen is ``Don't vote: it only encourages
them!''. I get more satisfaction out of writing ``none of these
candidates are acceptable'' on my ballot, but it doesn't have the
same nice ring to it...

Laura Creighton
utzoo!laura