Transcript for Tyranny of the Minority
In a two-party system, winning an election is a simple formula, but one that is difficult to execute: First, the candidate must mobilize the base.
And what is the base? The base refers to party-aligned voters who support their party candidate and never consider voting for a candidate from a different party. To mobilize the base voters, the candidate needs to get them excited to the point where they make the effort to visit the ballot box on election day, and ideally, bring a friend – dead or alive.
The second part of the equation is to appeal to the moderates and independents. Moderates are party-aligned voters who are willing to be convinced that a candidate from a different party is a better choice than one from their usual party. Moderates are not afraid to cross party lines and expect to be “courted” as it were, by the candidates – as opposed to being pandered to, which is how moderates view the candidate’s treatment of their base voters.
Independent voters do not have allegiance to major parties and will vote for the candidate that best represents their interests.
And the third part of the equation is to appeal to the moderates without alienating the base. This is the tricky part. During the last two decades, the major parties have become increasingly polarized, to the point where there is no common ground between them. Base voters demand that candidates prioritize party platform issues at the expense of broader appeal to the electorate – but candidates cannot win with base support alone, and must attract the moderates to secure a victory.
But, positions that appeal to moderates put off the base, the base stays home, and the candidate loses.
To recap: Mobilize the base, appeal to the moderates, and don’t alienate the base when attracting the moderates.
Simple formula. Difficult to execute. It also illuminates the distortion of democracy that is the two-party system.
The base never, ever, votes for the other guy or girl. The base might stay home, but it does not cross party lines. Therefore, when a candidate wins 51% of the vote, they did not “win a majority”. They won a one-percent minority – just enough to squeak over the finish line. The other votes were already in the bag – one way or the other.
Some people think of democracy as the oppression of the minority by the majority, but I say democracy is the tyranny of the minority.