News Opinons Politics

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.


‘Christian’ University Under Fire Over Grant to ‘Foster Inclusion’ of ‘LGBTQIA+ Individuals and Women’ in the Church
WaPo Defends Alleged Hounding of Intel Officials: Tulsi’s ODNI Strikes Back with Cutting 3-Word Response
Xi Jinping’s surprise no-show at BRICS Summit fuels speculation about China’s global standing
Trump on a roll, back-to-back victory weeks: White House Report Card
North Carolina governor vetoes Republican-led anti DEI and trans legislation
Parents desperately seeking answers on missing campers after Texas flood
Republicans praise ‘big, beautiful bill’s’ work requirement for Medicaid: ‘We’ve got to get back to work’
Revolting: Pop Star Laughs and Sings About Murdering ‘4 or 5’ of Her Own Children Via Abortion
Past Comments Come Back to Bite Hakeem Jeffries After Record-Setting ‘Filibuster’
One dead after fireworks explosion sets Los Angeles home on fire
Trump White House calls out Smithsonian for pushing ‘one-sided, divisive political narratives’
Deadly social media trend threatens kids, homeowners defending themselves: ‘children are going to get killed’
Where the ceasefire negotiations stand ahead of Trump-Netanyahu meeting
NYC temporarily shuts down Queens beaches after sharks swim dangerously close to Fourth of July crowd
Human remains discovered days after devastating California fireworks facility explosion

See also  HHS faces transparency lawsuit over race-focused organ transplant reforms under Biden

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.


‘Christian’ University Under Fire Over Grant to ‘Foster Inclusion’ of ‘LGBTQIA+ Individuals and Women’ in the Church
WaPo Defends Alleged Hounding of Intel Officials: Tulsi’s ODNI Strikes Back with Cutting 3-Word Response
Xi Jinping’s surprise no-show at BRICS Summit fuels speculation about China’s global standing
Trump on a roll, back-to-back victory weeks: White House Report Card
North Carolina governor vetoes Republican-led anti DEI and trans legislation
Parents desperately seeking answers on missing campers after Texas flood
Republicans praise ‘big, beautiful bill’s’ work requirement for Medicaid: ‘We’ve got to get back to work’
Revolting: Pop Star Laughs and Sings About Murdering ‘4 or 5’ of Her Own Children Via Abortion
Past Comments Come Back to Bite Hakeem Jeffries After Record-Setting ‘Filibuster’
One dead after fireworks explosion sets Los Angeles home on fire
Trump White House calls out Smithsonian for pushing ‘one-sided, divisive political narratives’
Deadly social media trend threatens kids, homeowners defending themselves: ‘children are going to get killed’
Where the ceasefire negotiations stand ahead of Trump-Netanyahu meeting
NYC temporarily shuts down Queens beaches after sharks swim dangerously close to Fourth of July crowd
Human remains discovered days after devastating California fireworks facility explosion

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.


‘Christian’ University Under Fire Over Grant to ‘Foster Inclusion’ of ‘LGBTQIA+ Individuals and Women’ in the Church
WaPo Defends Alleged Hounding of Intel Officials: Tulsi’s ODNI Strikes Back with Cutting 3-Word Response
Xi Jinping’s surprise no-show at BRICS Summit fuels speculation about China’s global standing
Trump on a roll, back-to-back victory weeks: White House Report Card
North Carolina governor vetoes Republican-led anti DEI and trans legislation
Parents desperately seeking answers on missing campers after Texas flood
Republicans praise ‘big, beautiful bill’s’ work requirement for Medicaid: ‘We’ve got to get back to work’
Revolting: Pop Star Laughs and Sings About Murdering ‘4 or 5’ of Her Own Children Via Abortion
Past Comments Come Back to Bite Hakeem Jeffries After Record-Setting ‘Filibuster’
One dead after fireworks explosion sets Los Angeles home on fire
Trump White House calls out Smithsonian for pushing ‘one-sided, divisive political narratives’
Deadly social media trend threatens kids, homeowners defending themselves: ‘children are going to get killed’
Where the ceasefire negotiations stand ahead of Trump-Netanyahu meeting
NYC temporarily shuts down Queens beaches after sharks swim dangerously close to Fourth of July crowd
Human remains discovered days after devastating California fireworks facility explosion

See also  Joey ‘Jaws’ Chestnut regains title in annual hot dog eating contest

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.

Story cited here.

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter