From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Sat May 03 2003 - 23:20:56 MDT
Ron writes
> [Lee] writes: Am I missing something?
>
> Maybe you were Lee,
> The Republicans I talked to in the runup to the 2000 AD election had
> coalesced around a set of ideas. No one I am aware of running for office in
> the Republican party (all the way back to George, Sr.) had really expressed
> that set of ideas. George Bush had the wit to go in on his first speech to
> the Republican Nominating Convention and express those ideas -- he was on the
> same page of the song book they were singing from.
Well, that really amazes me. But if you talked to the people, and
that's what they said, then you're closer to the reality than I.
> It reminds me of the speech by Claudius in the PBS production of "I,
> Claudius." May I paraphrase? "You say I am inarticulate, but I spoke well
> enough to tell my core constituency what I was thinking. You say I lack
> intelligence but I had the wit to tell my core constituency I felt as they
> felt."
Okay, so here are some reasons IMO the *voters* might select
someone who is running in an American primary election:
A. He looks nicer than his opponent (more handsome or beautiful)
B. Embraces policies the voter agrees with, or is ideologically
compatible with the voter
C. Is perceived to be a "vote-getter", i.e., is judged to have
a better chance in the final election
Sadly, I think that the above also prioritizes the reasons.
Next, here are IMO the reasons why the power brokers behind
the big political parties choose to support someone:
A. He can win (e.g., is a vote-getter, or has enough money)
B. He is a team player (knows how the system works
and will repay favors)
C. Agrees with the party's ideology
These too I have placed in order of what I perceive to be the
reality. Disagreements, of course, more than welcome.
Lee
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