Back in the saddle again

The title to this blog not only signifies that I'm back from my vacation, but also sets you generationally. Does Gene Autry's voice sing the song in your head, or is it Steven Tyler's?

Anyway, flew through Dallas after being off the grid for a solid week and discovered that Rick Perry is a shoe-in to win despite not being able to garner more than 40% of the votes and while having a very high "disapproval" rating. Why? Because there are 4 gubernatorial candidates in TX, all polling above 10%. The other three are essentially splitting the vote amongst themselves, leaving Perry the win. My solution is simple, and I think it should be applied to all elections nationwide (before you say it, yes I think all of my ideas should be implemented nationwide, including "Unknown Blogger Appreciation Day").

Do away with "plurality" elections and switch to "majority" elections, and have a provision for run-offs. Top two get into the steel cage and duke it out for the title. Having someone in office without 50.01% of the vote is a lose-lose. Elected officials don't have a real mandate but are forced to act as if they do, causing everyone to dig in and get bitter. The electorate does not have a chance to settle on a winner, causing the 60% who didn't vote for the winner to feel cheated and they become either caustic or disenfranchised. It's just too hard to effectively govern. Also, a run-off provision allows more candidates to run, allowing more voices and representation, because there is no threat of allowing the "common enemy" to win. You can run a nice campaign, get your ideas heard and respected, knowing that come election day, you'll fall off, but allow the candidate with the most similar views a chance for your votes come run-off time. Run-offs provide for a larger, more encompassing democracy. Finally, and by default, if you can't win 51% as a Republican in Texas, well, maybe you need to take that ol' horse into the sunset.