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.

DC Guard shooting suspect stares down death penalty in first court appearance

Trump’s endorsement fails to save MAGA candidate as billionaire advances in key governor race

FDNY deploys 140+ personnel to JFK after Delta flight reported with flat tires on approach to landing

Look: World Cup Fans Visiting for the First Time Fall in Love with America, Go Viral on Blessings We Take for Granted

Trump-backed ‘McCongressman’ wins Oklahoma Senate primary, vows push for stalled SAVE Act

Trump-backed Kevin Hern wins Oklahoma Senate primary to replace Markwayne Mullin

Watch: Misguided Dems Try to Take Viewers from White House UFC Event, Get Stuck with Bette Midler Giving Worst Performance of Her Life

Watch: The Moment Fighter Bo Nickal Literally Jumped the Ring to Get to Trump, Say Words of Respect

Libs Try to Cancel Family-Friendly Comic Nate Bargatze for Trump Birthday Appearance: ‘Done with Him’

Alaska woman uses weapon to survive terrifying bear attack after predator mauls pooch: ‘I thought I was dead’

Son of Mango fashion billionaire heard tearfully telling 911 operator his father had ‘fallen down a ravine’

Vance Gives Perfect Response After ‘View’ Host Brings Up His Past Criticism of Trump

Republicans bat down bid to handcuff Trump’s war powers as peace deal nears

15 Antifa radicals indicted, 12 arrested in sweeping federal probe into Minneapolis anti-ICE operations

JD Vance Responds as Lindsey Graham Expresses Skepticism About Iran Deal

See also Trump arrives for UFC fight

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