Comments on: Iraqi Election Triumphalism

By: Fruits and Votes » Blog Archive » Guerrillas and Elections: The Iraqi Sunni Arabs

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 20:28:10 +0000

[...] As we await the results of the December 15 parliamentary election in Iraq, we should–as advised also by James Joyner and Stephen Bainbridge (whose site is temporarily down)–refrain from triumphalism despite the apparent strong participation across most of Iraq. (I would not call the reported 80% turnout “massive” as Joyner does or even “impressive” as Steven Taylor does. It was precisely what should have been expected, and it is decent but hardly overwhelming.) [...]

By: Bithead

Bithead — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 17:57:57 +0000

I'm not so sure, anymore about that James. I've noted a disturbing tred with him of late, that leads me to question his bona fides as regards all this. His comment as quoted, for example, implying a mis-direction of forces. He's not 'just asking', he's accusing, which is an altogether different matter. Finally, I note that the article you link to is no longer up, on the home page, and the link doesn't work.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 17:34:53 +0000

Bithead: There may be some for who that's true but Bainbridge certainly isn't one of them.

By: Bithead

Bithead — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 17:04:31 +0000

The nature of punditry is reaction to the moment. While "wait and see" is almost always good advice, it makes for some very uninteresting commentary. This is true regardless of topic.

I'd suggest that there's a deeper angle one could take here... and should... that being that those now bleating 'wait and see' have an awful lot invested in the failure of the US and it's allies in Iraq. They're still hoping some miricle will snach defeat from the jaws of victory.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 15:46:12 +0000

brian: But "elected" doesn't mean that in most parliamentary systems. The Nazis won a plurality and put together a majority coalition more-or-less legally. It was the actions used to consolidate the presidency and the chancelllorship and then establish martial law that were illegal and dictatorial.

By: brian

brian — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 15:34:43 +0000

If getting "elected" means getting the majority of the vote among the candidates on the ballot, then Hitler did not get elected in 1933.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 15:13:41 +0000

Boyd: Yep. Correction noted.

By: ICallMasICM

ICallMasICM — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 13:34:04 +0000

'The old Soviet Union had elections, after all. Iran has elections all the time'

As always the term 'free' elections escapes these people.

By: Boyd

Boyd — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 13:22:03 +0000

It looks incredibly likely that an extremist government will emerge from yesterday's results. Are you missing an "un-" from the beginning of "likely," James?