Local elections and moving goal posts

"Lost in the lunacy that is the economic train wreck unfolding yesterday was the news that the Iraqi parliament overwhelmingly passed the provincial elections law after finding a compromise on the issue of how to handle Kirkuk.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/24/AR2008092400752.html?hpid=moreheadlines

With the law finally passing they have set the stage for elections to occur at the local and provincial level in late January. This is a very important event in a number of ways. Most importantly is, as Tip O'Neil famously stated, "all politics is local" and frankly it hasn't been in Iraq. The national parliament was elected based on party slates so the people voted for a party and not a person.

With a certain percentage of the vote the parties got that many seats and there is no answering to a constituency or angry voters. Many of them haven't visited their home towns since returning from exile in the last five years. This next election will make things local and representative and hopefully set the stage for the next national election to better represent the people of Iraq and their needs."
Armed and Curious