Sarah Palin running for president?

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by KarmaContestant

I agree - Primaries are outdated, and only serve to homogenize the candidate selection.

I don't know if Eurpoean nations, for example, have Primaries. Because they have so many political parties compared to our major two, they have to form alliances based on who gets elected.

So - using familiar terms - if Congress was 20% Democrat, 20% Republican, 20% Libertarian, 20% Green party and 10% each of, oh, let's make these up - the United Party and the Tea Party - no one group would have a majority, so they have to work together to form party alliances so that each group can get it's agenda accomplished with the help of the others. the parties in the minority face getting nothing done, and when alliances fall apart as they sometimes do, the power balance can shift dramatically as new coalitions are formed. If no alliance makes up a majority, this will often result in new elections.

This of course doesn't answer your question about Presidential candidates; but I think the primaries only really work here because there are only two parties, and they only have each other to compete against. So...a Primary helps to avoid running against your own party. If we had several parties, each one would have a smaller share of government and potentially fewer options to choose from, reducing the chances of running against your own party-mates.

I guess if Sarah palin won the presidency here, as a member of the Tea Party, her party would still have to form alliances with the other parties elected to Congress in order for any legislation to get passed, unless they somehow captured the majority of Congressional seats as well - something that is very unlikely in a nation with potentially dozens of parties.

Ultimately, I feel this is a major reason that many European and Asian nations enjoy more social benefits than we do - because they are forced to compromise on each other's agenda. Here...with our current system...it's a bi-polar black or white.

I feel like that all just kinda babbled out, so I hope it made sense.

Well said! It is bipolar! I hate it. I can't stand the Ds nearly as much as I can't stand the Rs at this point. Do your jobs and stop acting like spoiled children!

My stomach literally turns every time I see the title of this thread. Nauseating! If Palin is elected president I'm outtie. I don't think it is possible. I also thought the American public would see right through Bush and they didn't (twice). But Palin is not from a powerful political family and just doesn't have the clout to pull something like this off. Most people think she's off her rocker.

What country will I move to?