Primaries aren't really all that democratic. They are like an even more convoluted version of the Electoral College.




Especially the bits from 3:27 onwards. Before the early 20th century, the parties chose the candidates themselves. Since political parties are private entities, they sort of still have a lot of power in choosing the presidential candidates. There is an illusion of democracy, but we end up with a lot of power held by farmers in Iowa and the conservative (for the northeast) voters from New Hampshire. And then there's the power the parties and groups trying to influence the vote have. If there were still more than one person vying for the candidacy and the Christian Coalition, a group which has made an effort to be overrepresented in these electors, wanted to vote against the will of the people, they could provided those delegates came from states where that was allowed. And then the super-delegates could cast their votes.

But all of the people running in the Republican primaries are nuts. That's what you get when you pander to the craziest people in America. Sometimes you end up with someone who is too crazy to get elected when put in front of rational people. But the way the system and the whole process leading up to the actual vote is, there is a chance if Santorum manages to secure the nomination, he still could get in. Most of America wouldn't want him, but they'd be powerless to change it.

Asked by the AP reporter if he follows NASCAR, Romney responded, "Not as closely as some of the most ardent fans. But I have some great friends who are NASCAR team owners."

Bizarrely, Herman Cain has just appeared on Newsnight, being interviewed by Paxman.

Paxo: "So, Mr Cain, why couldn't you cut it?"

Cain: "Au contraire, Jeremy..."

WTF?

Santorum is showing signs of being proper batshit mental, so as he and Romney get ever more desperate for Fox News endorsement/the Tea Party vote I expect them to say ever more stupid stuff. Stuff that a lot of people in their own party won't like and stuff a lot of the general population definitely won't like. Which is all good for Obama.

http://www.religiondispatches.org/archi ... _education

They need to avoid falling into that trap if they're to avoid spending a generation in the wilderness.

This is the GOP's big problem, not just now but also in the future. Despite the constant red-baiting, Obama's on the centre-right of the political spectrum (at least in global terms) - precisely where, in previous years, you would have expected a moderate Republican to be. This has left them with nowhere to go except pandering to a band of far-right lunatics, pushing them further and further towards the cliff's edge. Centrist types have drifted towards the Democrats, leaving the Republicans lumbered with a shower of dogmatic ultra-conservative ideologues.

If Romney loses the GE (which, barring a renewed economic downturn, he probably will), the response from the GOP base will inevitably be "we weren't right-wing enough" and off they'll go again. They need to avoid falling into that trap if they're to avoid spending a generation in the wilderness.

Personally, I'd be fucking delighted if they fell right into the trap and made themselves as unelectable as possible.

Personally, I'd be fucking delighted if they fell right into the trap and made themselves as unelectable as possible.

That's what they said about Reagan.

American presidential politics is personality-based. If someone's charismatic enough — and their opponent is not — they can win. Voters also get exhausted with the agenda of the incumbent. Since the war, every two-term president except Reagan has been replaced by a candidate from the rival party. In 2016, that candidate could be Sarah Palin — or worse.