A scary thing is when people vote against something, rather than for something. This is how you end up with Le Pen beating out Jospin in France. This is (in my opinion) how come the BC Liberals and the Ontario PCs ended up with such vast majorities as they ousted the incumbent NDPs. This is how the Federal liberals swept to power in the wake of Brian Mulroney (and, the little side-note to Canadian political history, Kim Campbell).
When you are voting against something, your attention is drawn still to what you’re voting against, not what you’re voting for. A vote should always be a proactive action on the voter’s part. If you react against something, it is often knee-jerk and not terribly well thought-out. Something proactive requires forethought and planning.
I expect Chirac will crush Le Pen in the run-off. It’s somewhat sad that I feel myself forced to support Chirac in a French election. I worry that the US will come out strongly in support of Chirac, as Britain already has – I imagine each statement of support from a foreign power for Chirac drives a few percent to Le Pen, who’s platfrom is ultra-soverigntist.
Looking for a place to happen