Tea and Vitriol

  Ahh, the good old days of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union! Claiming to be "democratic," the Soviets featured regular "free" elections. Voters were handed ballots that sported the names of various candidates for various offices. All were card-carrying Communists approved of by the party. No other parties were represented. Voters were allowed to "choose" between the same sort of candidates, which fulfilled the theory if not the spirit of Democracy. Sort of like the Democratic Party's stranglehold on politics in the City of Rochester. Most of my European friends and acquaintances are fascinated by this concept of one-party rule in a so-called democracy, since they have a variety of parties representing different points of view that actively participate in the political process, which makes for some very lively election campaigns. It becomes even more amusing to explain what goes on in Rochester's Democratic Primary, which takes place tomorro