The extreme advantage of incumbency

Posted by Marc Hodak on June 22, 2008 under Irrationality | 2 Comments to Read

A little town in Romania voted to re-elect their dead mayor. One often hears of democracy as a process that fools voters into believing that they can get whatever they want. This election was the ultimate test for these voters. “I know he died, but I don’t want change,” said a supporter of the former mayor. Presumably, keeping the old mayor would prevent any change, if one overlooked the inconvenient difference between life and death.

Talk about the advantage of incumbency!

  • Maggie said,

    Personally, I think there may be distinct advantages to a town being run, at least for one term, by a dead mayor.

  • Anonymous said,

    That’s nothing. Voters in Missouri elected a dead senator a few years back. And US voters voted to elect a vegetable in 1984.