Reply #57: I believe that there is a widespread (well founded) belief among our elected politicians

[Time for change]

that if they rock the boat too much the PTB will put a great deal of effort into beating them, one way or the other. Paul Wellstone and Cynthia McKinney come to mind. More recently we have Feingold and Grayson, who were tremendously outspent in their recent election defeats. They may not always win, but they can certainly stack the odds in their favor.