Originally Posted by Ardy
I think that every decision that we all make has unintended consequences. And I think that we all have rationalizations that make the motivations of our decisions seem like the only reasonable choice a person could make. and we all have layers of hidden agendas that lie behind our decisions... many of those agendas we hide from even ourselves.

It strains credulity to expect that a political decision involving lots of people will be free of the above dynamics which affect each of us individually.

Actually, Ardy, in my understanding of group dynamics they are quite different and much simpler than those of most individuals.
I've mentioned this elsewhere, but it bears repeating: (paraphrasing Le Bon):
The intelligence of large groups, when asked to decide, usually falls to the level of its lowest element. There is no aggregating effect, according to Mr. Le Bon.
And when you see the results of the actions of mobs, crowds and other human groupings, you might wonder if he had a point.

"The liberals can understand everything but people who don't understand them."
Lenny Bruce

"The cleverest of all, in my opinion, is the man who calls himself a fool at least once a month."
Dostoevsky