Last night at dinner the proposition was made that Dems and leftists are concerned about the ethics of process whereas the right is concerned about getting outcomes they think are good. As a consequence the left is at a disadvantage in getting progressive outcomes from elections. For example, we have many on the left who, when asked whether they will support the lessor of two evils, say that supporting evil (lessor or not) is wrong and they won't do it. To many on the left the act of voting has intrinsic moral value independent of its consequences. This would explain why so many on the left are attracted to candidates like Nader or Kucinich.
On the right, those who have a more economically based view of ethics or who are simply voting on the basis of self-interest don't care about the method used to get the outcome they care about the outcome. Hence the right tends to be less interested in questions of fair process.
Just a thought. There is a good deal more one might say on this topic. What do you think?