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Explain that to the win-at-all-costs types who take a poll on anything and everything, and would rather go with a crappy known candidate than an unknown.

I would do so happily. There are a multiplicity of reasons to churn a party hierarchy, not limited to supplying candidates with national experience to serve in local government who can mentor future candidates. That's the real way to maintain an effective "farm system."

There are a multiplicity of reasons to churn a party hierarchy, not limited to supplying candidates with national experience to serve in local government who can mentor future candidates. That's the real way to maintain an effective "farm system."

It would be wonderful to turn the GOP over from top to bottom and get real Conservatives, people who believe in limited government, who believe in the Constitution, etc.

The problem is, and this is partly why my wife and I no longer involve ourselves in campaigns at any level, we don't get the best candidates, we tend to get two different types of candidates (I'm talking about candidates besides incumbents).

We get the candidates that look the best, or that the PR people think they can spin the best.

We also get candidates that are friendly to the GOP leadership at whatever level, or that people feel that they are owed a certain position.

I'm including the people who are in orbit around these politicians as well - the current President Bush is a good example - when he was running for Governor, a lot of us were like "this guy has no business running a county, let alone a state (even with Texas' limited governorship)", but certain people/groups seemed to want him in there, and it was pretty clear that he was headed towards a Presidential election in the future.

He kept making it through the selection processes/primaries, even though there were things that should have disqualified him, and it was pretty clear that he was being pushed along, not on his own merit, but that of the people around him, and his father.

He becomes President, a lot of people from his father's cabinet come into office around him.

Our government now spends more than it ever has in its history, it's growing larger, etc., etc., Lobbying is at record levels, pork is at record levels.

I don't think any of that is a coincidence.