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.

Multiple Sources Confirm GOP Senator Attempted IVF Expansion During NDAA Talks

Trump Comes Out Against FISA ‘If it Doesn’t Come with the Save America Act,’ Complicating Congressional Showdown

Is AI Making Us Dumb?

Trump admin puts alleged ‘birth tourism’ scheme on notice as expert delivers warning to hospitals

Teen accused of killing stepsister on Carnival cruise ship ordered detained before murder trial

Robert De Niro Says He Can’t Love America While ‘Xenophobic Tyrant’ Trump is President

Three more alleged antifa cell members indicted on terrorism charges over Texas ICE attack

ALERT: Massive B-52 Stratofortress Has Crashed at Edwards Air Force Base – Video

Judge dismisses xAI lawsuit accusing OpenAI of stealing trade secrets

Live explosive device found near Homeland Security office in Cleveland, forcing mass evacuations

Same-name candidate disqualified from key Senate race over alleged Dem scheme to confuse voters

Mainstream Media Deceptively Twists the Truth About World Cup Star’s Jesus-Honoring Celebration

US won’t move troops despite ‘signed’ Iran deal, as doubts linger over Tehran’s next move

Austin Metcalf’s father rips former Frisco schools chief as ‘spineless’ over Karmelo Anthony graduation

Trump plans to ‘focus’ on ending Russia-Ukraine war following peace deal with Iran

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