The importance for both campaigns of the get-out-the-vote effort

Andrew B. writes:

Here is an extremely educational article from CNN giving an insider’s view of the standing of the race and the mechanics of the get-out-the-vote efforts that are underway by both campaigns.

LA replies:

Agreed, it’s educational. It also makes me feel that the Democrats are not depending on election fraud, they feel that they have to get actual people to vote.

But also it’s a reminder of how ridiculous mass democracy is. For example, people who are still undecided, but may be decided by a personal visit to their door,—meaning that they have no views of their own but are just manipulable entities—are unthinking people who should not have the vote.

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Joseph E. writes:

You wrote:

“[I]t’s a reminder of how ridiculous mass democracy is. For example, people who are still undecided, but may be decided by a personal visit to their door,—meaning that they have no views of their own but are just manipulable entities—are unthinking people who should not have the vote.”

Excellent, Mr. Auster.

I can remember the exact moment my doubts about mass democracy came to a head.

In 1990 I campaigned for Jim Hightower, the radical populist who ran against Rick Perry for governor of Texas. The Hightower campaign was big on “motor voter” registration and other efforts to mobilize low income potential voters. I spent most of election day “phone banking” Hightower voters in a last minute get-out-the-vote effort.

That evening a campaign coworker and I commiserated in a bar over our candidate’s defeat. A talking head appeared on the TV screen and commented that both candidates had launched successful last-minute TV ads that had brought out many voters; though clearly Perry had been the more successful.

I took a long swig of beer and turned to my companion. “You know,” I said, ” I’m sorry Jim lost, but I really don’t want to be ruled by people who can only be motivated to vote by a last minute ad or phone call.”

He looked startled at first, then he nodded thoughtfully.

A few years later, both of us were conservatives.

Andrew B. writes:

The whole voter fraud/voter ID thing is a total canard. Just sit back and think what it would take to register to vote in multiple places and then travel and stand in line an hour each time to do so. Far easier to arrange to vote absentee in a state with a summer or winter home, to manipulate voter registration drives, or to stuff the ballot box with extra absentee forms. In person voter impersonation is extremely rare. The other forms of fraud, not so much—there are news stories about them every cycle.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at October 25, 2012 11:07 AM | Send