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.

Tom Homan Nukes Heckler Who Calls Him Traitor: ‘Grow A Backbone, Put a Kevlar Vest and a Gun on’

Public School Students Allowed to Skip Classes in Chicago if They ‘Fear’ ICE

Congress faces holiday crunch as health care fix collides with shrinking calendar

Republicans divided over whether to salvage Obamacare — or replace it — ahead of subsidy deadline

Idaho bar owner faces death threats after viral promo offering free beer for assisting ICE

Judge rules evidence linked to James Comey’s ally is off limits to DOJ

EXCLUSIVE: Trump-led Kennedy Center nearly doubles fundraising from Biden era, smashing record with $23M haul

Hegseth hints at major defense spending hike, reveals new details on Trump’s anti-narco-terrorism operations

Hegseth hints major defense spending increase, reveals new details on Trump’s anti-narcoterrorism operations

Dr. Oz warns Walz to address alleged Somali Medicaid fraud or lose federal funding: ‘We’ll stop paying’

Disgraced teacher accused of using Google Docs to groom underage student before alleged sex crimes

Louisiana manhunt continues as dangerous inmate charged with attempted murder remains on the run

Photos: Incredibly Creepy New Epstein Island Photos Released – Chilling Masks, Eerie Dentist Chair, Weird Writing on Chalkboard

This week in Campus Radicals: Christian student flunked, Jewish students shaken, conservative groups blocked

Fact Check: Do Somalis Contribute More to Minnesota’s Bottom Line Than They Take?

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