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.

NYC mayor cites $180K racial wealth gap to justify taxes, police cuts

DOJ fires warning shot as Spanberger signs gun legislation

Iran, Uranium, and Epic Fury: All You Need To Know About The Iranian-U.S. Conflict

Blackmon: Drill, Baby, Drill Makes Modest Comeback

Op-Ed: The Economy Isn’t Perfect, But Crisis Talk Is Overstated and Politically Motivated

Atlanta teen arrested for murder after fatal shooting of 12-year-old inside home

Trump Judge Refuses to Block Sending Abortion Pills by Mail, But There’s Still Hope

Iran talks done in by Tehran’s delusions over leverage they don’t have, US official says

NBA Player Jaden Ivey Seen Street Preaching After Stand for Biblical Marriage

Victor Davis Hanson Breaks Down Why US Must Rethink NATO Strategy

Conservative group launches $5M ad blitz pressuring Senate on voter ID as GOP eyes SAVE America Act push

Trump orders a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz as tensions with Iran soar

Tax Day is this week: Avoid these 5 common mistakes that can cost you money

Dave Ramsey Said No – As Usual – But One of The Backstreet Boys Made Her Dream Come True Anyway

Athena Strand’s killer FedEx driver’s split personas, defense scream ‘manipulation,’ not madness: expert

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