>However, that position can be effectively counter-argued that if the
>political party system is subverted by the monied interests, not only
>does it cease to play the transaction costs reduction role, but add
>transaction costs of its own. For example, if the Democratic party has
>been subverted, as many claim, by the corporate interests, it will no
>longer serve as a platform promoting progressive candidates - so its
>transaction cost reduction function for the progressives is no longer
>there. What is more, it may use the party resources to eliminate such
>candidates from running, as some sat the DLC does, and that adds a new
>transaction costs for progressive candidates, who are forced to battle
>not just the Repugs, but the Democratic party establishment.
This is true, but nonpartisan elections would make the process worse, because there are no countervailing forces to pure money.
Doug