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.

Trump hammers AOC Munich stumbles as ‘not a good look for the United States’

Election integrity groups press Supreme Court to require ballots by Election Day

Alert: Hillary Just Signaled a Massive Narrative Change on Immigration – Remember How They Tried to Steal ‘No Tax on Tips’ From Trump? They’re About to Try the Same Move Again

BREAKING: Trans Bombshell in Hockey Shooting – Murderer Robert Dorgan Went by ‘Roberta,’ – This as Reports Killer Wore Women’s Clothing Already Circulating

Georgia father on trial, accused of giving son rifle before school shooting

Rhode Island ice rink shooting suspect’s gender identity was source of past family conflict: docs

House Dem’s graphic chicken decapitation ‘horrified’ her college roommates: ‘Blood went everywhere’

What Republicans do, and don’t, want to hear from Trump at State of the Union

Cruz calls Newsom ‘historically illiterate,’ posts clown emoji after governor fires back

Oil-Rich California Relies on Fuel Imported from the Bahamas as Gas Prices Surge

Trump says ‘this is a Democrat shutdown’ as he touts low inflation, falling murder rate

Teen killed after protecting friends in ‘senseless’ shootout as locals raise alarm over rising crime in Bronx

Trump withholds endorsement for Texas Senate GOP primary

Thune guarantees voter ID bill to hit the Senate despite Schumer, Dem opposition: ‘We will have a vote’

Swalwell’s ‘I should be working’ gym, pool videos resurface as Dem rival hammers his missed House votes

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