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.

US signals readiness to escort tankers through Hormuz as traffic thins but no mission launched

FLASHBACK: Dem Senate nominee called illegal aliens ‘constituents,’ gave advice on evading ICE

Hegseth Honors Americans Killed in Action as Operation Epic Fury Enters Second Week: ‘Their Deaths Will Not Be in Vain’

Tourist’s bird-brained Vegas stunt with flamingo lands him behind bars on felony charges

BREAKING: GOP Rep. Nancy Mace Plans to Investigate Outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem: ‘We Need to Hold Our Own Accountable’

Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Nancy Guthrie’s clues, Luigi Mangione’s evidence, Idaho murders tarot cards

Democrats pressure Mike Johnson to keep House in Washington over ‘rapidly developing’ Iran operation

Newsom declares ‘Trump is in retreat’ after Noem ouster, demands Miller be ‘next’

Pentagon Declares Major AI Company a Threat to Military Supply Chain

Trump Lays Out His Demands to Iranian Leaders, Vows to ‘MIGA’ If They Comply

Farage heads to Mar-a-Lago to reinforce Trump’s opposition to Chagos Islands deal

Khamenei’s secret bunker under Tehran destroyed by Israeli military jet bombardment

53 Dems vote against declaring Iran a state sponsor of terror

Capitol Hill Dems hail Trump’s DHS ouster of Noem after heated Senate hearing

FBI Agents Search New Home in Nancy Guthrie Disappearance

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