Erin,
Do you really see all that much as changing? Are the extremes really there?
At a national level, candidates get naturally molded to look very similar,
and even where there are differences they are often neutralized by the other
branches of govt. (foriegn policy may be an exception to this theory) I
think Nader was making this same argument (that may be the only time I have
ever agreed with him)
Personally, I don't really want them to do much, other than perhaps to fix
some of the problems that they previously created through misguided policy
(i'm not holding my breath though). I am a very big fan of political
inefficiency (aka checks and balances). I am also a fan of political apathy.
If I sound cynical, I am not. Our Republican system is awesome. I think
Madison and Hamilton and gang were absolute geniuses. Representative
democracies work better than any other system at controlling abuse and
exploitation and of protecting minorities. Better yet, they work even when
knuckleheads are at the helm. There is a great book that echoes this view
called *Democracy, Capitalism and Ralphs Pretty Good Grocery Store*
Rog
PS -- I read somewhere that democracies will tend to stabilize around two
dominant parties. I think it was on The Edge internet site?
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