but who now owe their prestige and income to elective office.rnLet the most ambitious attend endless dull committee meetings.rnThe very existence of this electoral opportunity, apartrnfrom bodies enrolled, is critical—the prospect of a few wellpaidrnprestigious sinecures, like playing for the NBA, can workrnwonders on millions.rnThis relationship between rising electoral involvement andrnthe demise of 1960’s-style revolutionary radicalism helps to explainrnour collective blind eye toward the extensive corruption inrn”minority politics.” Why do the Protectors of Democracy,rnfrom the ACLU to Common Cause, seem so unconcernedrnwith racial gerrymandering, districts comprised largely of illegalrnaliens, abuses of absentee ballots, outright selling of votes andrnother nefarious customs when such practices bring blacks andrnHispanics to office? More must be involved than just havingrnThird World standards. The answer is simple, though seldomrnarticulated: rotten boroughs, our versions of autonomousrnhomelands, are part of the bargain to guarantee domesticrnpeace. The actual outcome is irrelevant; what is important isrnthat up-and-comers, would-be “community leaders,” arernbrought into “the system.” Fundamentally, shipping a fewrndozen would-be agitators off to legislatures or city councils,rneven felons and dope addicts, hardly puts the national enterprisernat serious risk; consider it midnight basketball for therncivic-minded. If Washington, D.C., can “survive” Marion Barry,rnthe entire nation is bulletproof.rnElections are but one of many tools of social control and, asrnwith all tools, mere use does not guarantee success. Critical detailsrnof administration and organization must be attended to—rnmatters of timing, suffrage, modest enforcement of anticorruptionrnlaws, countervailing power within government, and so on.rnNor do elections come with an unlimited lifetime warranty tornremedy deep political problems. It is doubtful whether electionsrnwould solve much in Bosnia or Rwanda, while the jury isrnstill out for Russia and South Africa. Elections are wondrous,rncircuitous devices, but not all-powerful magic.rnHaving described this little understood but critical purpose,rnwhat lessons can be learned? Two in particular stand out. Mostrnevidently, if one wishes to maintain one’s ideological purity, remainrnuncontaminated in the quest for a higher truth, avoidrnelections. Those seeking to transform society via “playing therngame” will inevitably be metamorphosed by the game itself.rnThis lesson should be heeded by everyone from fundamentalistrnreligious groups to those promoting the redistribution of politicalrnpower in the United States. Purity and empowerment viarnelections do not mix. The loss of revolutionary zeal among thernformcriy faithful, an inclination toward “wheeling and dealing,”rnand being comfortable with petty enticements need notrnresult from flawed character; pedestrian opportunism comesrnwith the territory. If this seems farfetched, one only has to reviewrnour historv: virtually every splinter group, no matter howrnideologically noble or distinct, that ventured into the electoralrnarena, has been mainstreamed and today exists only as a domesticated,rndigested fragment within the Democratic or Republicanrnparties.rnThe surrender of purity via electoral absorption need not,rndespite advice to the contrary, be a particular good deal. Therernare costs, and no guarantee of gain, for getting into bed with thernstate. You might even get a serious rash. Groups that have devotedrnthemselves extensively to electoral achievement, especiallyrnfor economic advancement, have seldom, if ever, accomplishedrnmuch beyond politics itself. This has surely been therncase with black infatuation with electoral success since the mid-rn1960’s. Despite all the voting rights laws, federal court interventions,rnregistration drives, and elected black officials, blacksrnas a group continue to lag behind whites on most indicators ofrnaccomplishment. In some ways, conditions have deteriorated.rnBy contrast, Asians and Indians have made remarkable stridesrnwithout any electoral empowerment. Like polo, electoral politicsrnmay be a worthwhile sport only after first becoming economicallyrnsuccessful. How this plunge into electoral politicsrnwill play out for today’s moral issues—abortion, pornography,rnreligion, sexuality—remains to be seen.rnThe second lesson is the converse: if domestication is the objective,rnget the would-be revolutionaries, extremists, grumblers,rnand malcontents enrolled. Are antigovernment militias posingrna problem? Take a clue from the Motor Voter bill and allow voterrnregistration at all firearms and survival equipment stores.rnVoting, even corrupt voting, should be as convenient as possible.rnRig the district boundaries so that leaders must serve theirrntime in state capitals and Washington, D.C., consorting withrngenerous lobbyists. Make those with talent precinct captains,rnelection judges, convention delegates, county commissioners,rnand paid advisors to established political parties. Within therndecade the militiamen will be as threatening as an agitatedrnAmerican Legion post forced to give up its bingo.rnIn sum, as wc observe the 1996 campaign, we should not berndistracted by the details. Far more goes on than selecting candidates.rnDespite the acrimony and divisiveness, all the talk of arnpeople freely exercising sovereignty, we are witnessing a ceremonyrnfor reinvigorating the covenant between citizen andrnstate. All sorts of would-be troublemakers are being domesticatedrnand brought into “the system.” Those who attempt tornescape will be brought to the attention of the Department ofrnJustice. crnNeighborly Carernby Emanuel di PasqualernMy neighbor, no doubt well-meaning,rnhas hung a BEWARE OF DOG sign on my sidernof the fence.rnHis dog, a hog free in a watermelon field,rnbarks at the sun and moon, my wife’s old mother,rnmy children, straying bees, birds and winds.rnAmid the universe of Spring green,rnmy neighbor’s sign pulls at my eyes.rnTwo years of sleeping half a stone’s throw off,rnand this is his only nod at my existence.rnLie has made the first move.rnI answer by hanging a BEWARE OF CHILDREN signrnon his side of the fence.rnThe next move is his.rnI load my .22.rnNOVEMBER 1996/13rnrnrn