Orwell wrote:
That's basically how it works here: there are different groups within both major parties, and either a Democrat or a Republican must make concessions to various groups to secure their support. Different voting blocs may switch party allegiance, which is roughly equivalent to a new coalition forming.
Not really; for example, the Democratic Party may have everything from conservatives in the South and rural West to progressives and green environmentalists; yes, sometimes you may have some choice among these in the primaries and caucuses, but you only get two choices (sometimes not even that) between the two major parties during the actual elections. During the primaries, a party's candidates will try to appeal to a main "base" in that constituency, so a Democrat in rural Texas will still be overwhelmingly conservative, even in the primaries. Basically, our current system
minimizes the influence the average voter has.
17 Feb 2010, 10:47 pm
