The reaction of Boot, and others of his persuasion, points to a genuine dilemma that always occurs in authoritarian systems that use some semblance of democracy to bolster their legitimacy. What are opposition candidates to do when they are asked to take part in elections that they know they cannot win, or that, even when they can win, will give them only minimal authority?
布特的反应，还有他的其他说服之道，指出了一个真实的困境。这一困境总是发生在极权体制之下，而这些体制采用一些民主的假象来支持它们的合法性。当反对派的候选人被要求参加选举，而且知道他们无法获胜，或者，即使他们赢得选举，也只会被赋予很少的权威，他们该怎么办？如果他们同意，就是在帮助一个自身并不信任的体制合法化，如果他们拒绝，他们就全无影响力。