The binary choice offered by our two-party political process gives outsized influence to the least engaged (and often least informed). Their votes remain undecided longest, while stripping influence from those who declare early support for a candidate.
Why is that?
The votes of the “marginally engaged” must be attracted and earned with policy prescriptions appealing to them, while those who declare early support (often in fear of the opposition) are considered – quite reasonably – “in the bag.”
Once the support of a voting block is assured, the concerns of that group are of smaller consequence to the election. Their ability to influence policy and platform, therefore, is reduced by their own vociferous support.
The drift from constitutionally-limited government produced by granting the established two parties an uncontested lock on the candidates from whom voters may choose should not be surprising.
Nor should it be a surprise - given the binary measure of acceptability becomes “better than the alternative” - that candidates’ knowledge of and fidelity to the Constitution will diminish greatly over time, along with the substance of the campaigns' "arguments."
We consistently find ourselves faced with a "lesser of two evils” choice, and every campaign becomes a contest of negative messaging about the opponent rather than an aspirational articulation of vision.
These are the inevitable outcomes of a binary, “US vs THEM” process.
It may seem a solution to "send an outsider” to Washington. But even a reform-minded outsider must operate within Washington’s party-dominated structure.
We are not going to address Washington’s excessive bureaucratic growth, spending, taxation, regulation and usurpation of state sovereignty or individual rights without reclaiming our power.
The election process can offer neither shortcut nor savior in our bid to restore the constitutional balance of power, which protects our liberty.
For this we must use the constitutional mechanism provisioned by our Constitution’s Framers.
Bring power home with Convening the States under Article V of the U.S. Constitution.
