>The material effect of one vote is infinitesimally small and
>cannot be said to affect the outcome of events.
>
>Therefore, if "trading" one's vote is entertaining or meaningful
>to the voter, she or he should by all means go right ahead
>and do it -- it's harmless as long as one doesn't feel bad
>about doing it.
You do not get the nature of the authoritarian system - it is not the actual impact, which as you correctly noted is nil, but the challenge to the system that keeps the bosses in power that matters.
Vote trading might have negligible effect today, but can you imagine the havoc it can produce if replicated on a large scale? It sounds like a death knell to bipartisanship.
wojtek