<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div style="RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto">Hi,</SPAN></div>
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<DIV dir=ltr style="RIGHT: auto"><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">De :</SPAN></B> David L Wetzell <wetzelld@gmail.com><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">À :</SPAN></B> Raph Frank <raphfrk@gmail.com>; EM <election-methods@lists.electorama.com> <BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Envoyé le :</SPAN></B> Mardi 7 février 2012 13h20<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Objet :</SPAN></B> Re: [EM] Re Raph Frank wrt 3-seat LR Hare and RV for US Senators by proxy.<BR></DIV></FONT><BR></BLOCKQUOTE>
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<DIV style="RIGHT: auto"><FONT style="RIGHT: auto" face="arial, sans-serif" color=#222222>dlw: I argue that the strength of the US presidency and regular presidential elections has the effect of building up our two-party system. <BR></DIV></FONT>
<DIV style="RIGHT: auto">This is why I take as a given that there tend to be 2 bigger major parties and not as many serious candidates in "single-winner elections". This in turn tends to </DIV>
<DIV style="RIGHT: auto">reduce the import of the diffs among the wide variety of single-winner elections. </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
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<DIV style="RIGHT: auto">I think it works like this:</DIV>
<DIV style="RIGHT: auto">President isn't responsible to or chosen by Congress -></DIV>
<DIV style="RIGHT: auto">There is not<VAR id=yui-ie-cursor></VAR> that much prize for having a majority of a house -></DIV>
<DIV style="RIGHT: auto">Weak party discipline (because of less focus on party: a candidate can get reelected even if his peers are unhappy) -></DIV>
<DIV style="RIGHT: auto">If you are a viable candidate, there is no need for you to carve out a new party. There is only room for two contenders per</DIV>
<DIV style="RIGHT: auto">race (under FPP), and there are two parties that will take you as long as you can win for them.</DIV>
<DIV style="RIGHT: auto"> </DIV>
<DIV style="RIGHT: auto">I think we could have three "parties" (if not a much greater variety of viewpoints) with the right method. I wouldn't care</DIV>
<DIV style="RIGHT: auto">if they are actually parties or just a higher number of real choices, on average, in a race.</DIV>
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<DIV style="RIGHT: auto">Kevin</DIV></DIV></DIV></div></body></html>