Reply #105: You are right -- but....

[Armstead]

Your angry point is spot on. It sucks.

But, if we are to push towards a better system it is necessary to use the rules we are given to change them.
To win the game, ya gotta play the game.

It's true that any candidate who deviates from the playbook even slightly is going to be misrepresented by the media and the beltway Elites. (Witness how they turned the guns on Howard dean in 04, even though he was basically a political moderate and a normal person.)

However, that makes it even more important that candidates who represent us do not hand them the ammo. There is a big difference between taking a stand and being honest, and creating distractions.