The United States Electoral reform theory thread.

Yeah, thinking more about things like this would help.

It would help in not just pulling random term lengths out of thin air and not bothering to explain them. Why would the President's term be shortened to three years from four, and be eligible for three terms, for nine years in office? What makes this preferable to, say, borrowing from the Confederate Constitution and giving the President a six-year term, and being ineligible for re-election?

Similarly, the terms of office chosen in the Constitution for Congress were chosen for reasons. Representatives got terms of two years to make them more conscious of popular opinion, and Senators got terms of six years (and staggered elections) to allow them to be able to coolly consider what was brought before them without being so concerned about the next election, and the passions of the people. Shorting the terms like you propose wouldn't result in more getting done; it would result in less getting done as everyone is spending more time trying to stay in office than doing anything while there.

The same would result if the current President-Vice President system were reverted to the original system, with the Vice Presidency going to the runner-up. Forcing people who are political opposities and who just spent months trying to defeat each other would have little incentive to work together.

This is what happened with John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, and along with 1800 election showdown between Jefferson and Aaron Burr why they changed the system and introduced specific electoral ballots for Vice President in the first place.

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Originally Posted by The Dopefish

Campaigning shouldn't be an issue. If you do a good job, that's your campaign.

You are wholly unfamiliar with campaigning, aren't you?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

Nah. They should just do it and see what happens.

I certainly hope you're not serious.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

So, yeah, I was being serious. It's also just an idea.

I hoped you weren't being serious because it was a very stupid idea and only a stupid person would seriously suggest it.

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

I don't see anyone else coming up with any ideas, aside from Night Phoenix, who seems very confident that the electoral process is perfect and nothing should ever be scrutinized, examined or possibly changed.

I don't see any reason that particularly warrants coming up with ideas, nor have you bothered to present any. The only reason you seem to have come up with for replacing the system is to "see what happens"; change for the sake of change, in other words.

Changing something as important as a national government simply to change it is stupid. Period. Change on the scale you're proposing should only be contemplated based on actual, serious need, not just to do it. The Articles of Confederation presented an actual serious need for change in how the government was structured and operated; you've given us no similarly compelling reason to contemplate doing the same.

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

Why everyone in this subforum thinks everything should be hyperanalyzed is beyond me. I'm not going to go down through 10 layers of evidence and cross-examination for a fucking idea. It's called HAVING FUN.

Since when is Political Palace about fun.

If you're not going to put up with hyperanalyzation, presentation of evidence, cross-examination and all that, you should probably just leave Political entirely.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

And a rapper and you work for the CIA. And you have the time to argue with lazy fucking idiots like me? WOW.

Yeah, I think we can say this thread's done now.

I was speaking idiomatically.