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.

Nancy Mace to force vote targeting fellow GOP lawmaker accused of affair with staffer

Trump says ‘losers’ Schumer, Dems would have criticized any decision he made on Iran

Watch: Grateful Kuwaiti Rushes to Help Downed US Pilot, While Leftist Woman Wishes Death to Military Service Members

BREAKING: Black Smoke Rises as New US Consulate Compound Hit by Iranian Strike

Cincinnati mayor opposes judge’s move to grant bail to convicted felon linked to mass shooting gun battle

Austin bar shooting victims named as FBI investigates potential terrorism nexus

State Department deploying military aircraft to evacuate US citizens from Middle East

Michigan Democrats appear hesitant to expand early voting when it could help GOP in state race

Democrat in key Senate primary says she ‘regrets’ vote on Laken Riley Act, draws GOP backlash

Iranian Women’s Soccer Team Performs Silent Protest Amid Bombings: ‘This Is Courage’

State Department has helped over 130 Americans evacuate Israel during war with Iran, official says

BREAKING: Israel Has Reportedly Attacked Tehran Mehrabad Airport as ‘Operation Epic Fury’ Continues

Suspect accused of killing Israeli Embassy staffers pleads not guilty to new charges

Fraud-plagued Minnesota sues Trump admin for withholding $243M in Medicaid payments

BREAKING: Iran Supreme Council Bombed While Gathering to Choose New Leadership

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