When faith comes in the front door – reason goes out of the window.
It is an artcle of faith among bloggers that HB177 was “bad for Democracy”. I have a simple question…how?
For all of the heated rhetoric and bluster – nobody has ever argued that HB177 can help us get rid of the worst offenders to Domcracy and the entrenched incumbents who embody the “Delaware Way”.
That’s becuase the defeat of HB177 HELPS those entrenched incumbents. Even today Mike Mathews has a post up that opens a fire hose of bile on anyone foolhardy enough to say suggest that the defeat of HB177 is not the greatest event since the signing of the Declaration of Independance 231 years ago.
What Mike fails to acknowledge is that third party and “fusion” candidates have a long track record of helping entrenched incumbents and the worst and most loathsome creatures s get elected.
The most high profile example, of course is George Bush who got a boost from Ralph Nadar. (If you still think that there is no difference between Al Gore and George Bush you need your head examined.)
There are some recent local examples as well. John Feroce failed to get anyhting going against teh barely ambulatory Jim Vaughn in part becuase a third party fusion candidate helped muddy the waters in Vaughns favor.
Similarly, the reprehensible Mike Castle could have been put to a serious challenege if a two third party fusion candidates did not spend the entire election hounding and beating upon the challenger. He knew it so he spent time in Dover lobbying for the defeat of HB177. What does that tell you?
I know that I am in the minority when it comes to HB177 and I’m okay with that. What I’m not okay with is the fact that people who claim to be opposed to the “Delaware Way” have worked so hard to elevate thier faith in hyperbole over reason.
NOTE: Sorry about all the typos. I’m remote blogging on a crappy keyboard.