> Electoral power, on the other hand, is discrete. You win office, you have
> power.
No you don't. You have the opportunity to begin to change things, an opportunity which is subsequently determined by public debate, lobbying, political mobilizations of various kinds, etc. What's scary about the US is that we're not just weak on voter turnout (only 37% voted this year, compared to 70-80% in most EU countries; effectively, we're living under the oligarchy of 19% of the population), but that the day-to-day politics is completely overrun by corporate lobbying, sweetheart deals and whatnot.
If you're near a video-store which carries the thing, try watching the "Free For All" episode in Patrick McGoohan's classic TV series, "The Prisoner", for the lowdown on how elections are selected.
-- Dennis