Rock the vote! Vote or die! Every vote counts. Every election there’s a new slogan to entice the public to the Diebold booths. It reminds me of the snake oil sales pitches of old, stirring but meaningless, empty. An internet meme has given us a better, more accurate description of the process: Voting, the slaves’ suggestion box. That is, so long as the slaves are allowed to vote.

Voters, Republican voters, in Colorado have been disenfranchised this year. The story broke quietly last year. Now, as 1 Million are deprived of presidential input – no primary, no caucus tally – people are angry. Well, the Donald and his supporters are angry. Ted Cruz won the Mile High State’s GOP delegates without any public vote. The State Republican party decided last year to change their rules regarding nominee selection by putting the choice in the hands of the party’s elite rather than those of the voters.

Angry Donald. WND.com.

“How is it possible that the people of the great State of Colorado never got to vote in the Republican Primary? Great anger – totally unfair!” howled Trump.

How? Here’s how: the party chose to simplify things by deciding the matter without citizen participation. It’s really very simply. Why? A more difficult question. Maybe the elites thought the voters had made one too many visits to the local pot cafes in Denver. Maybe they wanted to save money. Maybe they just don’t give a damn about the people. Anything is possible – legal too.

Party primaries are private functions – although held in public and partially at the public’s expense. As private groups the political parties get to set their own rules and change them on whims. As such, the deprived voters have no legal recourse as, technically, nothing wrong has happened. There was no state action to speak of.

Official government votes are frequently (always?) tampered with too. The tampering often results in votes being obstructed or nullified. One may recall the excitement of Bush v. Gore (2000). In that case of election irregularities once again the matter was decided by … wait for it … the elites (specifically by the Supreme Court, if memory serves). That was during the national presidential election with the whole governance of the country on the line. Honestly, no one outside of Colorado cares about this particular little scenario unless it also happens to them. It will. It has. Republicans and Democrats in all States can easily adjust their rules so as to sideline the people. But, again, in those cases no one seems to care.

Those impacted in Colorado actually do have recourse for the future. They can vote out the party leadership or they can leave the party. The funny thing is even if the leadership changes hands, the new crop will be as corrupt as the old. As for abandoning the party, most members aren’t going anywhere. They will craft all sorts of interesting excuses to stay – much as a battered spouse will defend his violent partner. Come the general election the sheep…er…people will fall in behind “their” candidate, regardless of how the candidate was selected.

This story highlights a few of my laws (not theories) of politics in general, American specifically. First, voting is meaningless and useless – a complete waste of time. It’s so pointless that a party may decide to dispense with it altogether. Second, this example is further proof that America is not a Republic nor a Democracy. As I have said time and again it is a curious mixture of Oligarchy and Ochlocracy. That means it is at once both controlled by a small elite and by a ranging mob.

The elites do whatever the hell they want but remember to promise some goodies to the mob. Primary or no you can bet someone will promise those Broncos fans more marijuana, some jobs, and another war to keep everyone safe from something. In exchange the mass of the sheep…darn…people will dutifully forget the sleights and betrayals and keep on supporting “their” candidates and leaders. You will not see a million new Libertarian or Green Party voters in November.

That is the way of practical politics – lies, deceit, and blind allegiance. Count on it. Just don’t count on your vote.

Google Images.

Rache the vote.