The mathematical buzzword in play here is “independence of irrelevant alternatives.” That’s a rule that says, whether you’re a slime mold, a human being, or a democratic nation, if you have a choice between two options, A and B, the presence of a third option, C, shouldn’t affect which of A and B you like better. If you’re deciding whether you’d rather have a Prius or a Hummer, it doesn’t matter whether you also have the option of a Ford Pinto. You know you’re not going to choose the Pinto. So what relevance could it have? Or, to keep it closer to politics: in place of an auto dealership, put
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