Yoshie asked me:
> Why have the Democrats as well as the Republicans restricted ballot access
at all levels of US politics?
Because they want to maintain control of the electoral process. Certainly something progressives should work on is the elimination of these restrictions.
But the questions I raised in my post are still on the table, most importantly to me: "How does one justify entering a competition one has no hope of winning, but whose outcome one can influence toward the terrifying (the election of a racist reactionary like Bush)?"
Also, as to Doug's fear of particularism (which I read as being kin to my fear of individualism), I think that Yoshie's stance of "Green Party uber alles" lies at the other dangerous extreme from individualism.
I think a moderate stance of pluralism and pragmatism works best. It allows for diversity without forcing an unnatural synthesis.
Brian Dauth Queer Buddhist Resister