|
Edited on Sat Oct-11-08 07:54 PM by dbmk
Been watching the latest happenings at the McCain-Palin rallies over the last week - and like many of you I thought it was ugly, repulsive but also slightly entertaining to see the campaign devolve like that.
And today it struck me what it reminded me of.
In many European countries we have a multiparty system in parliaments that allows for even smaller parties to get a say in the forming of governments and the selection of prime ministers. (And elections are not based on winning a certain area to get representation.) That gives people with different views more than two places to go and identify themselves with on the active political spectrum. And by active I mean having seats in parliament and/or government - or being close to.
It also means a more clear compartmentalization of different groups of people. And what I have seen from the rallies the last week has been a true copy of the conventions of the most right wing parties. At their outset they were a magnet for all kinds of racists, extremists and nutcases. In later years they have cleaned it up to get closer to power, but its a constant fight for them to keep those types silent or out.
It is going to be somewhat interesting to see how the GOP handles this. Are they on the road to a separation between socially and fiscally conservatives?
As a side note, one of the benefits I see from our election systems, is that it forces the governing (somewhat) towards the middle, in order to get a working majority. What we have seen the last 8 years from George Bush and Co. has not exactly been a shining example of why a two party system is preferable.
It does make for spectacular elections though. :)
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
