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.

Spanish prime minister promises to release all files on Ceuta invasion as thousands of illegal immigrants remain in enclave

Maria Bartiromo no longer with Fox News

Plane Carrying DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin Forced to Make Emergency Landing

Lindsay Clancy Effect? Child, 2, Pronounced Dead, Mother Hospitalized in ‘Domestic-Related Homicide’ in Sleepy Suburb

Blue state governor candidate claims he ‘met Satan in person’ in resurfaced podcast episode

Mamdani gives influencers special access as Signal use raises records-law questions

Democrats in Close Midterm Races Keep Telling Kamala Harris to Stay Away

Lindsay Clancy Fans Start Sick TikTok Trend Pretending to Kill Their Babies

Minneapolis apartment shooting suspect was facing eviction: report

Powerful union leader backs Republican in key Senate showdown

Maduro claims immunity, asks judge to dismiss drug-trafficking charges against him and his wife

When gunman forced his way into Virginia elementary school, superintendent says lockdown procedures worked

Gloria Steinem, outspoken feminist leader, dies at 92

Newsom’s South Carolina trip doubles as test of Democrats’ rebuilding strategy

High School Football Hotshots Snub Opponents in Pre-Game Handshake, Get Taught a Lesson on the Field

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