Donald Trump has done his very best to undermine democracy (yes, I know it is not a pure democracy) in America by assailing the free press and attacking the integrity of our elections. While I think his real goal is autocracy, I agree with conservatives and liberals who think we could really improve our democratic form of government with two simple changes. In an article entitled "Democracy Die in Primaries" and publishes in conservative Rael Clear Politics, Nick Troiano lists them.
"The reason our elected leaders don’t seem to represent us is because, quite literally, most of us don’t elect them."
1) Open the Primaries Already. - In closed primary states like Pa, we see low turnouts that cater to party extremists. "So far in 2024, nearly a third of U.S. House seats have already been decided by only 3% of eligible votes in the eight states that have held primaries for offices other than the presidency. In 2022, 8% of voters elected 83% of Congress."
2) You Need a Majority to Win. - "Consider how the 2024 election might have been different had these principles been in effect. First, had the GOP required a majority winner in the 2016 primaries, Donald Trump might not have become the nominee with only a plurality (45%) of the vote. Second, without Trump’s victory that year, there would likely be no Biden rematch in 2024, and therefore no efforts to run candidates like Dean Phillips off primary ballots. Third, majority-winner elections using ranked choice voting would level the playing field for independent and third party candidates rather than dismissing them out of hand as spoilers."
22 comments:
Term limits and ditch the seniority tradition.
You point fingers at low voter turnout in places like Allentown and declare that, "democracy is dead." Now, Trump, with 75 million votes is destroying democracy? How many people voted in POTUS elections prior to Trump? Yeah. You've posted that Trump made voting great again. You would have made a poor lawyer had you stuck with it. Years in jail without trial isn't destroying democracy. Show trials in carefully shopped bright blue jurisdictions aren't destroying democracy. It's a guy you claimed made voting great again. Meanwhile, democracy is dead or something. I can't stand Trump. But strident liars are worse.
Advocating more chaos and more ways to undermine the process. What good is any political party if the other side can water down or manipulate the results.
In effect, you would rather the big boys pick the candidates, like they do every year in the undemocratic party, rigging for Hillary, over Sanders, Rigging for Biden over Sanders.
What you advocate is the citizens get a choice of 2 candidates who will support the corrupt existing system.
The exact system that we had before Trump came on the scene.
Nice article. Can't say I disagree. However, BO once again shows his hate and bias by disparaging trump before you get to the article. This could mislead weak-minded dems to think that primaries are all trump's fault. (Yes, there are dems just as dumb as the maga cult puppets).
Democrats and specifically Republicans all worship the same capitalist daddy, and we are seeing remnants of this system crumbling under its own weight. The closer the USA empire comes to falling, the more repressive they become to their own people. When they no longer can control the world they want to, the more they are clamping down on the rights of their people (ie women’s autonomy, tik tok ban). And yes, eventually what affects marginalized groups, will eventually come for your guns. I don’t give a shit how many tours you gone under this imperialist government, you and your AR-15s are no match for its military might.
And if Trump wouldn't have run for president, he'd be playing golf and breaking laws with reckless abandon. Uninterrupted.
Bernie, please list whom you believe are elected Democratic Party extremists? Are there two or four or two dozen? Who exactly are they? It's easy to make a general charge of extremism. How about some names?
Bernie, I agree with your suggestion of open primaries, but the issue that, more than any other, is harming democracy is gerrymandering. If we did not have "safe" districts for either party, we'd have less polarization and more common-sense governing.
Bernie please tell me how I can help get these things done? Where do I start? Help wanted. I can't do it alone.
3) Never elect Donald Trump.
Remember these dates December 7th, September 11th and January 6th. All attacks on American Democracy brought on by individual tyrants.
" ... in the 2016 primaries, Donald Trump might not have become the nominee with only a plurality (45%) of the vote."
Exactly. And some slippery spined RINO would have has his ass handed to him by Hillary. You're a party partisan who would love more pathetic Bob Doles and John McCains and Mitt Romneys, to guarantee Democrat victories. It doesn't work for either party. Where's your Scoop Jacksons and Sam Nunns? You haven't a single one left. The whole party is radical. Do you want Rs to fix your primaries? Lol. You have no clue.
"Bernie, please list whom you believe are elected Democratic Party extremists? Are there two or four or two dozen? Who exactly are they? It's easy to make a general charge of extremism. How about some names?" We have quite a few Democratic extremists and I can certainly name a few nationally and locally. In Congress we have Rashid Talid, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Jamaal Bowman (set off fire alarm) and Summer Lee. I believe AOC started as an extremist, but her views appear to have moderated.
Locally, we have Josh Siegel, CeCe Gerlach, Natalie Santos, Mark Pinsley and Taiba Sultana. Tara Zrinski started off as an extremist but has toned it down.
Gerrymandering is the true root cause of our dysfunctional government and truly needs to be fixed, but open primaries and rank choice voting would also take the temperature down.
Just reading the comments above this, too many "hard line" voters view the opposition with contempt and are attracted to and support candidates with similar views who pander to their anger.
No matter who is elected Representative, Senator or President, they are there to serve ALL citizens of the district, state and country, not just those who voted for them.
No, thanks. Plain and simple, you can register as a Democrat if you want to vote in the spring Democrat Primary, then change your registration back to independent after you vote. Likewise, if you want to vote in the Republican Primary.
Guarantee ONLY US citizens can vote.
Photo ID required.
Guarantee Voter Roll Books in every state are independently audited for accuracy every year.
Change of Political Party registration permitted only once every 2 years.
Specific Term Limits for every Federal office.
Except for the above, each State determines the method of voting in their state.
I'm an Independent by choice. I made that decision all by myself. I have no desire to vote in party primaries. It's not my fault the tribes are so screwed up. Leave me alone and fix your own wagon.
How about some REAL reform, like no more seniority system in the congress and senate. Why should some senator have more power than my senator? How about secret ballots for the congressmen and senators for speaker, leader and chairman. How about no stock portfolios while in office. / How about no jobs in the military ind complex for 10 years after office. Tampering with the primaries is just another distraction.
Federal government intrusion in our daily lives is already too much. A list of issues left for each state to decide needs to remain untouched, even enlarged. State sovereignty is critical. If one state makes decisions you don’t like you can choose from one of our other states. What can you do if our Federal government spreads its tentacles over even more issues and regulations? If it continues on it’s current path toward totalitarianism?
Our government is now too big and costly. Our freedoms and liberties already being reduced. Look around at what’s going on it there as it is.
Agree totally
I agree Bernie! Open the primaries they’ll be less crazies elected from both sides.
Our system is failing due to the politicians.
The solution to fixing our democracy is PAINFULLY simple. Overturn the flawed Citizens United ruling and get the money out of politics, enact transparency in campaign finance reform…
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