Electability

What about “Electability”? There’s been talk about this lately in regard to candidates on a federal and state level, and now local Kenai Peninsula Borough assembly members down to local City Councilmembers in Homer. Electability is defined as “capable of, or having a reasonable chance of, being elected, as to public office.” Electability is a well used strategy in the political world. It is used in both the Republican and Democrat Parties.

The Party or Establishment (Establishment is defined as a visible dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation or organization) often comes out and backs a candidate as “Electable”. And when threatened by a candidate, the Establishment will often portray a candidate as having a lack of “Electability”, using that as a reason to not vote for someone. This is often done before the primary election, claiming that a particular candidate will not be electable against whom they will run against in the general election.

But the Establishment does not have a great track record of determining “Electability”, or lack thereof. In previous races, Mitt Romney, John McCain and John Kerry were all deemed as being highly electable. But yet, they lost.

In my opinion, “Electability” sounds like the Establishment’s excuse for trying to persuade voters when a candidate’s positions on issues is threatening to the existing and often corrupt governments. For me personally, I choose not to be persuaded by other forces. Instead, I choose to vote my conscience and vote for candidates who stand for my individual rights and freedoms, and not more big government.

For more information, I encourage you to do your own research on this political strategy.