They Only Have to Win Once

In modern liberal democracy, conservatives always lose, even when they win. I discussed that after the elections this fall, when Missouri Democrats had positive results, despite holding very little power in the state. Much of their platform was progressed through referendums, and there were a slew of them this year. Referendums are anti-republican; they undermine representational democracy. Democrats seem to resort to them when they can't get their way through elected leader. It's a bit surprising that politicians - of either party - permit them at all. Why should Missouri's liberals support Democrat candidates at all? They can just win in the referendums. And why should anyone get excited about Republicans winning elections if the minimum wage still goes up over 50%, districts get gerrymandered, pot is legalized, and right-to-work legislation is repealed in the span of a single year? Two things that become clear are (1) liberals always win and (2) there's no point in paying all the expense in keeping these politicians around.

Why should it be that referendums give more liberal-friendly results than the normal electoral process? Some might call it proof that the normal system is biased toward conservatism. I'd say that the normal system is more biased to responsible decision making. Referendums are basically mob rule. Whichever side has the bigger mob turnout gets their way. A random voter is less likely to be informed than an elected official, is more likely to vote emotionally, and - most important - will never be held accountable for their anonymous vote. People like ZMan and Tucker Carlson have noted that there is already an accountability crisis in government, with our politicians being akin to rental mercenaries with little vested interest in the outcomes of their constituents other than getting re-elected. Referendums maximize that. People might know that minimum wage hikes cause all kinds unwanted side effects, and that many low-wages earners will lose hours and maybe their jobs entirely, but voters often don't have the heart to tell Johnny sacking groceries that he can't have more. And besides, one vote doesn't really matter, right? A referendum is a situation where no one making the decision has any skin in the game. They can feel good about their generous vote and not worry about ever being held accountable for it.

Referendums also skew liberal because they are almost always promoting some liberal cause. Perhaps it's because conservatives think referendums are dumb, so they don't pursue it. Or because people with an agenda know it's easier to fool 50% of the general public than 50% of elected officials. So if even one of the half dozen or so referenda on the ballot passes, the left wins. Another reason is that a referendum can be held repeatedly until the desired vote is achieved. Democracy is ratchet strap where, once a liberal policy is enacted, it can't be undone, and there are an infinite number of tries to get the desired result. They only have to win once.

Take Brexit for example. Ostensibly it was a referendum to leave the EU, but in reality it was a referendum to stay in the EU, because David Cameron (who made a campaign promise to hold the referendum) believed Remain would win easily. He advised that citizens should respect the outcome, as it would be the final referendum on the matter. In a surprising outcome, the British voted to leave the EU, which is due to finally occur at the end of March. Now there are articles like this coming out of mainstream media, advocating for a second chance.

LONDON (Reuters) - More Britons want to remain a member of the European Union than leave, according to a survey published on Sunday which also showed voters want to make the final decision themselves.

Britain is due leave the EU on March 29, but Prime Minister Theresa May is struggling to get her exit deal approved by parliament, opening up huge uncertainty over whether a deal is possible, or even whether the country will leave at all.

The survey by polling firm YouGov showed that if a referendum were held immediately, 46 percent would vote to remain, 39 percent would vote to leave, and the rest either did not know, would not vote, or refused to answer the question.

One thing we can be sure of: if Remain would have won, there would be no MSM advocacy for a second vote. Modern democracy means holding the vote as many times as necessary until the desired result is obtained.