Posted on 04/12/2016 2:49:54 PM PDT by snarkpup
... But it is alledged that it might be employed in such a manner as to promote the election of some favourite class of men in exclusion of others; by confining the places of election to particular districts, and rendering it impracticable to the citizens at large to partake in the choice. Of all chimerical suppositions, this seems to be the most chimerical. On the one hand no rational calculation of probabilities would lead us to imagine, that the disposition, which a conduct so violent and extraordinary would imply, could ever find its way into the national councils; and on the other, it may be concluded with certainty, that if so improper a spirit should ever gain admittance into them, it would display itself in a form altogether different and far more decisive.
The improbability the attempt may be satisfactorily inferred from this single reflection, that it could never be made without causing an immediate revolt of the great body of the people,- headed and directed by the state governments. It is not difficult to conceive that this characteristic right of freedom may, in certain turbulent and factious seasons, be violated in respect to a particular class of citizens by a victorious and overbearing majority; but that so fundamental a privilege, in a country so situated and so enlightened, should be invaded to the prejudice of the great mass of the people, by the deliberate policy of the government; without occasioning popular revolution, is altogether inconceivable and incredible.
(Excerpt) Read more at consource.org ...
by confining the places of election to particular districts,
Primaries are not elections they are selections. Groups (Political parties) are selecting a candidate to possibly be “elected” Political parties have no incorporation into our constitution, they are a private enterprise. They set their own rules.
In the last election, the Ron Paul people lied about who they were supporting, and many of the rest who were selected in my last caucus weren't sure who they would be supporting. So no, I have no confidence that any delegate I vote for will represent me well.
That is despicable. So it seems the real problem is the idea of “soft” delegates that are not bound to the candidate they say they support. Not the idea of delegates themselves.
Maybe a party without any of those pesky rules? Where the will of the Dear Leader is the only "rule" that counts? What a terrific idea! Lunga vita al Duce!
But please, don't anybody tell the Trump fans.
In a real primary, where all members of the public can vote for known candidates by name (instead of unknown delegates by name), and the delegates to the national convention are selected by the candidate (from people they know to be reliable), the original voter's intent is carried directly through to the end. Inserting any additional levels of delegates into this process is like the "telephone game" and does nothing but distort and corrupt the message.
“In a real primary, where all members of the public can vote for known candidates by name...”
So now we are back to Madison’s “...be invaded to the prejudice of the great mass of the people.”
The people ultimately need to be able to vote or we have a dictatorship with no public input.
In Colorado's current system, we start with "the prejudice of the great mass of the people" and then subject it to roughly three levels of completely pointless, telephone-game-like distortion and corruption. These extra levels of distortion and corruption prevent public input from effectively influencing the result; and we have a dictatorship.
Again, this is why Colorado is on fire.
No, in today’s Colorado system you have a system of neighborhood, then county, then state “caucuses” to elect delegates to vote on a candidate to represent them as president. These delegates should be chosen as much for their wisdom and experience as much as their preferred candidate. So it isn’t the “...prejudice of the great masses” at that point.
That comes later during the National Election (sort of, thank God for the Electoral College!). Which gave us President “Free health care and cell phones for everyone” Obama.
from the net:
Fraser Tyler, author of The Decline and Fall of the Athenian Republic authored more than 200 years ago said it best. “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.”
Here's an example:
Under regulations established in the 1980s, delegates cannot take money from corporations, labor unions, federal contractors or foreign nationals. But an individual donor is permitted to give a delegate unlimited sums to support his or her efforts to get selected to go to the convention, including money to defray the costs of travel and lodging.
From the Washington Post, 4/11/16.
Not wrong FEC and state laws may govern, but primaries are not “elections”.
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