It is always interesting when you see someone post an article that perfectly encapsulates what it is that you are thinking, but just can’t quite put into words. Superdelegates came up so often in the Hillary/Bernie arguments, that I kept giving it thought. We have these undemocratic mechanisms in our body politic, and they serve a function. But do they cause more harm than good. Bob Cesca today nailed it, and hit that balance of thought that I just couldn’t.
Donald Trump, a threat the Founding Fathers foresaw: He proves the need for the Electoral College — and is the best case for superdelegates
Go read the link: www.salon.com/…
In the best of times, having these archane structures impede good candidates from getting forward in our democracy. But in the worst of times…
As much as we like to think of ourselves as wise and rational people, we too often require protection from ourselves. Everything from traffic laws to food labels to term limits are designed as strictures against the human penchant for self-destruction. Indeed, the Constitution and the system of government it outlines is built upon checking the worst instincts of human nature — especially the unquenchable appetite for total power. The framers therefore constructed a system in which every structure is checked-and-balanced with the sole purpose of thwarting too much centralized power and fostering stability in the face of popular whimsy.
Democrats sought to prevent the need for this with their superdelegates. Whether it actually works, or just slows things down is debatable. But we can see what the Republican party has become without it.
The Republican Party, if it’s at all interested in blocking another Trump-ish fiasco, would do well to set up its own superdelegate system, even if it never has to use it. But it’s fair to suggest that many Republicans wish it had already been in place. Superdelegates, as controversial as they are, would’ve potentially thwarted Trump’s nomination and, with it, many bleeding ulcers. More importantly, it’d shield the rest of us from a similarly destabilizing character whose entire strategy is built upon pandering and ridiculousness. I’m not sure the GOP is self-aware or self-critical enough to appoint its own superdelegates, but the rest of the world would be more than grateful for it. Believe me.
Both these systems need an overhaul. But not an elimination in my mind. and the Republicans would take heed to adopt something too. These were always about less than filling the wishes of those in smoke filled rooms, and more about dampening the smoke of those with burning torches.
Bob Cesca lays it our far better than I could. check him out. www.salon.com/...