Hillary graciously absolving herself of any responsibility

[Montmorency]

Conservatism virtually always loses a national popularity contest because -- save immediately after a crisis when jingoism is 'in' -- it simply isn't "sexy." So, if we have a completely unrestricted vote that works as one national popularity contest, the conservative side of the GOP is done. There will be the Democrats, who will absorb some of the GOPs elements and morph into a more or less classic Social Democrat style party in Euro terms, and then we will have political growth on the farther left and probably end up with a socialist party and a green party. But the conservatives will be reduced to an 'arm' of the Dems that is listened to but seldom in political affairs.

Alternatively, a conservative party will coalesce around the rebalanced political spectrum, and will have an easier time attracting urban moderates and Hispanics, blacks, and other minorities.

Much of the country has gone into the diamond-hard right in recent history, and between them and liberals you don't get USSRA. It's only like that if you are ruthlessly protective of the legacy GOP institution, which demands ever-increasing polarization to shore up the philosophical and political deficiencies of the party.

I have never viewed the social democrat economic model as capable of sustaining the lifestyle to which Americans are accustomed, certainly not without punitive level taxation.

Over many threads on the Org haven't we come to the conclusion that no act of politics can maintain the customary lifestyle in the long-term? It's a historical aberration and it's unsustainable.

The electoral college, FPTP, and other aspects of our Constitution seek to do just that. However flawed it may be in some ways, our founders revered free speech, but feared total democracy.

I wonder if you would be willing to exchange the EC for another arrangement, one equally undemocratic but less fixated on state-level demarcations. Or are you only in favor of limited democracy when it's more damaging to the opposition?