Collateral Damage (11-21-2019),Dr. Who (11-21-2019),Peter1469 (11-23-2019)
Collateral Damage (11-21-2019)
It would appear that the antecedent of "they" (in the final sentence) is "the terrible two parties."
But just how is it that these two parties--sometimes accused of having a "duopoly" within the system--are actually guilty of keeping others out?
Many do not wish to vote for a third-party candidate, for fear of "wasting" their respective votes. And, in a way, that is true: They will not be voting to help elect the preferable major candidate, from their perspective.
If one votes primarily to send a message, then that is not so important. But if one votes primarily to elect the candidate that one prefers--even if it a "lesser of two evils" thing--then it is really all that matters.
Anyway, I just cannot see how the two major parties are (somehow) conspiring to keep out anyone else.
Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire. ― Gustav Mahler
Collateral Damage (11-21-2019)
Well, there is the Commission on Presidential Debates: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commis...ential_Debates
In quoting my post, you affirm and agree that you have not been goaded, provoked, emotionally manipulated or otherwise coerced into responding.
"The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Does anyone really believe that "debates" (which are not really debates at all, in any classical sense of the word; but merely question-and-answer sessions) actually determine the voting preferences of the public?
Note: Wikipedia notes that "in 2000, the CPD established a rule that for a candidate to be included in the national debates he or she must garner at least 15% support across five national polls."
That does not really strike me as being unreasonable. (Unless, of course, one believes that we should actively try to gin up support for a third-party candidate.)
Last edited by pjohns; 11-21-2019 at 05:28 PM.
Voting Democrat has long been out of the question for me. The only decision affected is that of voting Republican (I.e. voting directly against a particular Dem) or voting third party in order to encourage alternatives. In recent years Dems have become so radical that I tend to vote Republican as a rule so you could say my mind is changed.