I don’t know what the translation of the text is at the bottom of this poster, but the image is prophetic, as Mohammed Morsi has been removed from office by the Egyptian Military in the midst of massive demonstrations against him, as was Hosni Mubarak last year.

The lesson which Morsi should take away from this is that, if you are the candidate of a minority party and you take power thanks to a poorly written constitution which allows for a runoff election, you had better be the president of all the people, not just those with your narrow philosophical bent.  This is especially true when your military is in the service of the people.

The lesson the Egyptian people should take from this is to coalesce behind one candidate instead of fracturing your power by voting for a half dozen interchangeable favorites.  In a Parliamentary system, this might work, as the winners (plural) then have to work out a compromise in order to govern.  In Egypt, too much power is concentrated in the presidency to allow someone like Morsi to win just because the Moderate vote is split six ways.

The lesson Americans should take from this is that we should be very grateful for our two party system, which keeps extremists out of office, and for our divided government with all of its checks and balances.  Those who support fringe parties such as the Green Party or the Tea Party should learn that by voting for these groups they actually weaken their voice and allow the worst possible outcome (from their point of view).  Green Party voters arguably cost Al Gore his election, and the Tea Party is on course to keep Republicans out of the White House for decades.