In reflecting on the very different political constituencies of Obama and Clinton (about which I have written before), and then reading of Huckabee’s comments yesterday on the whole Wright stuff,1 I was moved to ask:
Why not have a four-way race?
Huckabee has shown over and over again the extent to which he represents a very different coalition from that which has sustained the national Republican party and upon which McCain’s campaign depends, just as Obama has been doing the same on the Democratic side.
There is no good reason why we should let a minority of the electorate in winter and spring whittle these four down to two in the fall contest. So, in the spirit of renewal and newness on this first day of spring:
Let’s go for four!
Of course, this would be much better with instant runoff or a second-round system. But let’s do it anyway, and if it winds up reminding Americans of the undemocratic way in which the constitution says to pick a President when no one gets a majority of the electoral vote, so much the better.
And, of course, in no way do I mean to imply that the contest should be restricted to these four.
________
Go for 3!
The scenario is explained at FiveThirtyEight.com.
Scion grafted by Fruits and Votes — 22 May 2008 @ 22:04