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Nice post, but please, someone should tell the author, who has obviously given this a great deal of thought that the average “American” voter is no where near sophisticated enough to grasp any of this. They vote on the basis of knee jerk emotional reactionism, not on the basis of intellectually sound analysis. Frankly, the whole process has broken down and has become an international embarrasment because the parties no longer function as they should. The candidates aren’t properly vetted by their respective party organizations before being allowed to run, thus, as the election season draws on the candidates are vetted in public and found to be ethically, morally, and intellectually challenged. And all before a throng of drooling, mindless enthusiasts. The only sound fix to this is to shorten the campaign season to 60 days and to pass laws holding the Parties and their operatives financially responsible for properly vetting and promoting a candidate for office. As things stand now, there’s no accountability in the system and to say that ultimate accountability is in the hands of the voters is somewhat like suggesting that the Chimps in a bus carreening off a cliff are responsible for the accident.

The only sound fix to this is to shorten the campaign season to 60 days and to pass laws holding the Parties and their operatives financially responsible for properly vetting and promoting a candidate for office.

No thanks. I think less Gov't is the answer - not more Gov't.

the average “American” voter is no where near sophisticated enough to grasp any of this. They vote on the basis of knee jerk emotional reactionism, not on the basis of intellectually sound analysis

You're absolutely right, and it gets worse every four years now. Who's next to push the right buttons on the brain dead electorate's collective forehead, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, the next American Idol??

“The candidates aren’t properly vetted by their respective party organizations before being allowed to run”

ROFLMAO!

Here we have lots of Freepers whining about the “RNC picking McCain” when RNC did no such thing and the GOP primary voters did that... curiously picking the runner-up in 2000; just like 1996 was the runnerup guy from 1988; and in 1988 we picked the runnerup guy from 1980; and in 1980 we picked the runnerup guy from 1976; and in 1968 we picked the guy from 1960 who almost made it. etc.

So you propose to replace the sheeple picking the ‘next guy in line’ to going back to the good old days when the insider picked the next guy in line.

“They vote on the basis of knee jerk emotional reactionism, not on the basis of intellectually sound analysis.”
Was it ever otherwise? Democracy - the worst form of Govt ... except for all the rest.