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.

Florida’s CAIR threatens lawsuit against DeSantis after he labels group a ‘foreign terrorist’ organization

Top US political figures lend legitimacy to Qatari forum allied with array of anti-American groups

3 people arrested after 7 Providence College students overdose at off-campus party

Trump says New York Times questioning his stamina could be ‘treasonous’

Trump mocks Ilhan Omar’s ‘turban’ in latest anti-Somali tirade

Trump compares real wages under his admin versus Biden’s during speech calling out Dem affordability ‘hoax’

Trump gives update on wounded National Guard member 2 weeks after DC ambush shooting: ‘He got up from bed’

American skydivers reclaim world record from Libya with massive flag jump on Pearl Harbor Day

Trump says Rep. Crockett’s Senate run ‘a gift to Republicans’: ‘Can’t imagine she wins’

$900B defense bill advances to House-wide vote as conservative mutiny threat looms

Trump rips Biden and Democrats over affordability in Pennsylvania: ‘Like Bonnie and Clyde preaching public safety’

New report reveals federal spending per person has ballooned by nearly 10,000% since 1916

Twin Blue-State Punks Meet SWAT Justice After Threatening Medieval Torture, Then Murder of DHS Asst. Dir. Tricia McLaughlin

Plane crash-lands on top of Toyota on Florida freeway following engine trouble

McDonald’s Pulls Unsettling Christmas Commercial After it Sparks Massive Backlash

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