Washington Post Op-ed: ‘Give the Elites a Bigger Say in Choosing the President’

The Washington Post is taking criticism for an op-ed published Tuesday by Marquette University political science professor Julia Azari, titled: “It’s time to give the elites a bigger say in choosing the president.”

Citing the “rocky start” to the Democratic Party’s presidential primary, Azari suggests that the process of choosing the nominee be taken from the people and returned to the politicians:

The current process is clearly flawed, but what would be better? … A better primary system would empower elites to bargain and make decisions, instructed by voters.

One lesson from the 2020 and 2016 election cycles is that a lot of candidates, many of whom are highly qualified and attract substantial followings, will inevitably enter the race. The system as it works now — with a long informal primary, lots of attention to early contests and sequential primary season that unfolds over several months — is great at testing candidates to see whether they have the skills to run for president. What it’s not great at is choosing among the many candidates who clear that bar, or bringing their different ideological factions together, or reconciling competing priorities. A process in which intermediate representatives — elected delegates who understand the priorities of their constituents — can bargain without being bound to specific candidates might actually produce nominees that better reflect what voters want.

Church cans patriotic staple on Biden’s posh vacation enclave — pastor says tradition ‘doesn’t cut it’

Platner’s ‘living on the sea’ claim dismantled by critics as financial docs paint a different picture

Trump-pardoned MPD officers sue US over fatal pursuit prosecution

Voter fraud or a ‘red mirage’? Why Spencer Pratt’s fate and the LA mayoral results are so complicated

Steve Hilton says ‘world is laughing’ at California’s vote counting process as he pushes reform plan

Alex Murdaugh murder case gets new judge as retrial looms following Supreme Court reversal

Trump Admin to Strip US Citizenship from Foreigners Suspected of Immigration Fraud in Historic Crackdown

New video shows Coast Guard’s Bahamas hunt as team dives into forensics exam of seized Lynette Hooker dinghy

‘Depraved Things’: Watch Fetterman Blast Platner, Challenge Him to Prove He Didn’t Send ‘D*** Pics’ to Underage Girls

Apostasy: Talarico Pastor’s Perverted Christianity – Calling God ‘Him’ Is Violent, St. Paul Is a ‘Creep,’ and Mary’s a Myth?

Politico Site Folds a Year After Trump Admin Ended Taxpayer Funding

Stunningly low percentage of adults in US think America stands above every other nation: poll

SEE IT: Maine voters sound off on Platner’s divisive campaign as crucial primary nears: ‘He’s a disgrace’

Pope Leo says ‘scourge’ of Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals calls for ‘real paths to healing’

Five Stabbed in Apparent Random Attack Inside New York City’s Penn Station

Azari suggests that the parties should use what she calls “preference primaries,” which would “allow voters to rank their choices among candidates, as well as to register opinions about their issue priorities.”

After a perfunctory voting process, wlites would be able to choose a nominee based on information about what the voters want.

She acknowledges that the idea is “labor-intensive and a little risky.”

The Post is owned by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, who is the world’s richest man. The paper’s slogan, adopted as an intended rebuke to President Donald Trump, is “Democracy dies in darkness.”

That phrase was trending on Twitter on Wednesday morning as readers reacted ironically to the op-ed.

The headline right below “democracy dies in darkness” is some A+ work

— Greg (@gwiss) February 19, 2020

>"Democracy dies in darkness"

>"Do people actually want more Democracy in their lives" pic.twitter.com/p7fPf5dFVX

— ｓａｌ🌹🏴🏴‍☠️ (@ProjektVayo) February 19, 2020