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
Eye-popping haul amid trials has Team Trump closing fundraising gap with Biden Legendary Comedian Bravely Attacks Sharia Law – Highlights How Some Cultures Are Superior Car Drives Straight into White House Perimeter Gate, Resulting in Deadly Crash Utah hunter finds skeletal remains of man missing since 2019 in remote mountains Republicans believe college campus chaos works in their favor War veteran in crucial battleground race expands campaign, sets sights firmly on vulnerable Democrat White House looks to convince Americans of ‘Bidenomics’ with Kamala Harris tour Laws protecting children from online porn are winning in some states as activists push nationwide solution Crash outside White House security barrier leaves 1 dead: Police Class Warfare: IRS Promises to Increase Audits of ‘Wealthy’ Taxpayers by at Least 50% – Report Stock Drops Like a Rock After Woke CEO Says He’s ‘Eager’ to Hire Anti-Israel Protesters ‘Irrevocably Shaken’: Why Columbia Law Review Editors Are Demanding Cancellation of Exams Jack Smith’s Team Admits They Tampered with Key Evidence in Trump’s Case, Misled the Court About It GOP Governor Declares War on Lab-Grown Meat, Signs Law Making Distribution, Sale, Manufacture Illegal Columbia president calls last 2 weeks ‘among the most difficult’ in school’s history amid anti-Israel protests
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.