the_viper

Electron fraud happens in pretty much every election; most experts agree that it's impossible to prevent on a small scale. Whether it's ever flipped an election or even one state is another matter entirely, but denying it altogether is just ignorant.

I suppose you're being consistent, but I don't know that most people can afford to be idealistic in a country with two parties. Most people aren't hardline Republican or Democrat on every issue, which means they're voting for someone they believe will infringe on at least one right.

Idealistic people not voting is how you end up with slavery guy as president. You said you'd vote for flag-burning guy, even though restricting freedom of speech does infringe on the rights of another human being, because it's a lesser evil. Plenty of people feel like they're compromising a lot more than that when they vote for a politician today.

100 years in the future, the Democrats want to bring back slavery and the Republicans want to make burning the flag illegal. You could protest both by not voting, but it's a close race. The issues are only related in that each party supports a different one and you have to pick between one or the other. All other issues are bipartisan by then. Who do you vote for?

But you can pass laws that restrict or allow rights. That's why I gave the slavery example. Would you be willing to restrict freedom of speech to end slavery, if slavery was still around and the option became available?

Imagine you have to choose between voting for two politicians. One wants to restrict freedom of speech; the other wants to bring back slavery. Who do you vote for?

Not sure why you wouldn't trade rights if it becomes necessary. I'd be willing to limit freedom of speech in order to end slavery, for example.

As an official party policy or are we restricting freedom of speech for individuals? I'm not sure even the left would support that.

What can the right really offer the left here in terms of policy? Allow hormone therapy? I'm not sure the left would make the trade. Maybe if Republicans threw in a carbon tax.