Guest speaker Quinn Mecham.  Successful democracy requires a strong set of candidates who are willing to compete in elections.  Since most candidates will lose in elections, democratic politics must provide positive incentives for candidates who know that they might lose.  These include institutions that protect all candidates, independent arbiters of elections, and affordable campaigns covered by a fair-minded press.  The most successful democracies can be measured not by what happens to the winners but by the quality of the electoral experience for those who lose.