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.

Kennedy Center for Performing Arts Getting Name Change Under Trump’s Leadership

A Year Before His Tragic Death, NASCAR’s Greg Biffle Saved Lives in Flood-Ravaged North Carolina

Trump grants many federal workers unprecedented 5-day holiday break with two extra days off around Christmas

Fox News Poll: Voters say go slow on AI development — but don’t know who should steer

Alan Dershowitz says Constitution unclear about possibility for Trump third term

Disturbing Video: Young Men Make Mistake of Being Jewish on NYC Subway – Are Viciously Attacked, Choked by Multiple Punks

NYC rabbi urges Mayor-elect Mamdani to condemn ‘globalize the intifada’ phrase in wake of Sydney attack

Oversight Democrats release new Epstein photos and accuse DOJ of facilitating ‘White House cover-up’

Trump to hand out $2.6B in ‘warrior dividends’ — and the surprising pot he’s pulling the money from

Tangled in fossil fuel interests, Obama’s energy secretary becomes a critic of Trump’s nuclear agenda

Suspected Brown University gunman identified as investigators explore connection to MIT slaying: sources

Riley Gaines Signs Deal with Fox News to be Part of ‘New Expansion’

Alleged Tren de Aragua leader charged with racketeering conspiracy and cocaine trafficking in Trump crackdown

FBI Busts ‘Shocking’ SNAP Fraud Ring – Entire Stores Were Allegedly Set Up to Operate the Scam

Watch: Kamala Harris Gives Laughable Answer When Asked Why the Biden Admin Didn’t Release the Epstein Files

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