>Bruce;
>
>Politics in South America (where my wife is from) can be interesting. After the people are allowed to vote (sometimes that does not occur for many years) and decide who will be the next head of state, the military may intervene in the form of a Junta, or barracks revolt. Should those political maneuvers fail to resolve any outstanding issues then a Civil War is in order.

Yeah, that's another interesting way to form gov'ts :-)

>Turning to the voters, “I will kiss the nearest baby and vote for me! I am for the people and the issues (I am in it for me, myself and I!)”.
>
>Turning to your political party members, “It is the party that counts (It is all about me!)”.

A colleague from Taiwan said that when he lived there some years ago, the parties would come around with armored trucks full of cash on election day to buy people's votes, and in some tight races you could make a nice little wad of money. More direct, less middlemen...

Just thought I'd throw in another way to win elections :-)