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.
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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
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Charlie Kirk Memorial Smeared With Red Paint, Sign Defaced as TPUSA Vows to Work With Authorities to Find Vandals
DSA-backed candidates are winning primaries and their vision for America is very different
Trump touts White House renovations, says building was in ‘very bad condition’
Federal judge rules Trump admin plan to cut FEMA workforce in half is unlawful
Trump says China ‘spies’ on US after report ties Chinese imagery to Iran strike
California football coach arrested after students make disturbing discovery at school
Maryland dad blamed ‘Satan’ after 2-month-old daughter died from horrific head trauma
Creepy ‘Cat in the Hat’ trend targets schools as costumed figure allegedly chases teen girl
Missing 70-year-old hiker rescued after disappearing for a week in remote national park
Trump offers update on White House press secretary sweepstakes
Trump unloads on AOC, Mamdani for laughing during sacred 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero
GOP gov candidate recounts miracle water landing as dispatch audio reveals desperate search for sinking plane
Trump says Lindsay Clancy case is a ‘state situation’ following attorney’s pardon plea
Charlie Kirk statue defaced with red paint, Jesus crossed out days after 1-year mark of assassination
File this under: “Democracy dies in Darkness” https://t.co/VbD9kvJgWl
— Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben (@OliverHidWoh) February 19, 2020
Azari’s article appears to anticipate the possibility of a “brokered convention” among Democrats this summer. Currently, no candidate is projected to win a majority of delegates before they gather in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — near Professor Azari’s university — at the Democratic National Convention.
Average projected delegates through Super Tuesday:
Sanders 608 (41% of delegates thru March 3)
Bloomberg 273 (18%)
Biden 270 (18%)
Buttigieg 157 (10%)
Warren 127 (8%)
Klobuchar 55 (4%)https://t.co/JDz2dZ8bqR— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) February 18, 2020
Data Center Cash Cow Dries Up as States Pull the Rug on Big Tech
Charlie Kirk Memorial Smeared With Red Paint, Sign Defaced as TPUSA Vows to Work With Authorities to Find Vandals
DSA-backed candidates are winning primaries and their vision for America is very different
Trump touts White House renovations, says building was in ‘very bad condition’
Federal judge rules Trump admin plan to cut FEMA workforce in half is unlawful
Trump says China ‘spies’ on US after report ties Chinese imagery to Iran strike
California football coach arrested after students make disturbing discovery at school
Maryland dad blamed ‘Satan’ after 2-month-old daughter died from horrific head trauma
Creepy ‘Cat in the Hat’ trend targets schools as costumed figure allegedly chases teen girl
Missing 70-year-old hiker rescued after disappearing for a week in remote national park
Trump offers update on White House press secretary sweepstakes
Trump unloads on AOC, Mamdani for laughing during sacred 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero
GOP gov candidate recounts miracle water landing as dispatch audio reveals desperate search for sinking plane
Trump says Lindsay Clancy case is a ‘state situation’ following attorney’s pardon plea
Charlie Kirk statue defaced with red paint, Jesus crossed out days after 1-year mark of assassination
If no candidate wins on the first ballot, there will be a second — at which point committed delegates will be free to choose other candidates, and the party elites, known as “superdelegates,” will be able to vote.
Also on Tuesday, billionaire oligarch Mike Bloomberg, who once changed the rules to run for a third term as mayor of New York City, qualified for the Democrat debate in Nevada on Wednesday evening.
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