raystone
01-19-2009, 01:16 PM
IMO, the majority of voters are clueless about the consequences of their vote and the power they are giving government...
From Wikipedia entry "Rum"
Colonial America
.... Rum started to become an important aspect in the political system. The outcome of the election usually depended on the candidate’s generosity with rum. The people would vote for incompetent candidates only because they provided more rum. They would attend the election to see which candidate appeared less stingy with their rum. The candidate was expected to drink with the people to show that he was independent and truly a republican. In a Mississippi election, one candidate poured his drinks and socialized with the people. He was more personal and it appeared as if he was going to win. The other candidate announced that he would not be pouring their drinks and they could have as much as they wanted; because he appeared more generous, he won. This shows that colonial voters weren’t concerned with what the candidate represented or stood for; they were merely looking for who would provide the most rum.
From Wikipedia entry "Rum"
Colonial America
.... Rum started to become an important aspect in the political system. The outcome of the election usually depended on the candidate’s generosity with rum. The people would vote for incompetent candidates only because they provided more rum. They would attend the election to see which candidate appeared less stingy with their rum. The candidate was expected to drink with the people to show that he was independent and truly a republican. In a Mississippi election, one candidate poured his drinks and socialized with the people. He was more personal and it appeared as if he was going to win. The other candidate announced that he would not be pouring their drinks and they could have as much as they wanted; because he appeared more generous, he won. This shows that colonial voters weren’t concerned with what the candidate represented or stood for; they were merely looking for who would provide the most rum.