Why Dem primaries?? Let's save the $ and run the front man

[theivoryqueen]

Listening to this debate brings back the point that we are all more closely aligned than drastically seperated. Why couldn't our candidates accept a "draw"and fall behind the front man? Is anything gained by dragging this process out - perhaps setting the eventual candidate up issue-wise? This money is definately best spent fighting GWB. Not each other....

[DrBB]

1. Since "front man" is based on polls and money, not votes

...at this point, I'd just as soon pretend I live in a democracy and do a little voting first. But I admit, it's just a personal prejudice on my part.

Although it does have one advantage: Judging by polls and money, guess who's far ahead of any of our guys right now? That's right, that guy.

Still sure you want to try this?

[blondeatlast]

2. Some of us aren't to happy with the front man . . .

Me, for instance. If the front-runner turns into chosen candidate, he will get my vote.

But I won't hand it over; besides, it should be a GREAT convention!

[theivoryqueen]

3. I love the democratic ideal and also love a great party..

but doesn't infighting play to the enemies goals? Especially in the kind of money-oriented dogfight we are now engaged in?

[Tinoire]

4. I have a better idea. Let's just have a lottery

Let's just throw the names of all US politicians in a fish bowl and have a lottery drawing. That would save a lot of time and trouble and would be 100% fair. We wouldn't even need to research a thing that way.

Huge advantages there!

[theivoryqueen]

5. love irony, tho' this is deeper than the jest acknowledges...

We, as democrats, are engaged in a potentially exhausting political selection process. I know, realistically, that there is no way around this mess... but I wish it was less damaging to all involved.

** Must now motor next door to catch last of OU/LSU GAME. Luck and new year salutes to all at DU!

[Tinoire]

6. Lol- Glad you took that well n/t

[Bucky]

7. 1. It's the law. 2. It's democracy. 3. We will be united. 4. Plenty of $s

1. It's the law

Primaries and conventions aren't optional things. They aren't window dressing. They aren't unnecessary arguing. They're encoded in the law. There is no single authority available to decided to just scrap the whole process. We only have a single Democratic nominee because we have a naitonal Democratic convention to inform the states who goes on the ballot. If there's no primaries, then there's no convention, in which case there wouldn't be anybody to actually name the nominee.

If we changed the nomination process to having, say, a congressional caucus to pick our nominee (which is the only alternative to there being a primary/caucus system and the system they used from 1804 to 1824) we sure wouldn't have the front runner we have today. The national leaders wouldn't have picked a Dean (or a Carter or a Clinton). But all this goes to point 2.


2. It's democracy

We actually have to vote. But democracy is much more than just voting. Democracy is a bunch of people--all those who care to, not just those who get selected at random by pollsters--voicing their opinions and fighting and bickering a bit before they come up with an answer like "Person X will be our next president." Messy? Sure, there's millions of us. The process of democracy takes some time and patience and mess and heat to come to a final decision. The alternative is tyranny. Any good cook will tell you you can't avoid a mess if you want to make the full recipe work.


3. We will be united

Democrats always bicker among ourselves. This doesn't weaken us. It doesn't keep us from being united in November. It doesn't hurt our chances. It actually serves to (a) toughen up our eventual leader for the fight to come, (b) give those of us who wouldn't pick our current leader fell that the nominee somehow earned his place at the top, and (c) makes sure we pick our best guy. Howard Dean is a much stronger candidate now than he was just a few weeks ago. He's learning his limitations and his personal foibles as a candidate. So are Clark, Edwards, Gephardt, Braun, Lieberman--all of them. Kucinich is a much much sharper arguer now than he was in the first debates. He's honed his message and rallied his people and brought new people into the process; they all have done this.


4. Plenty of money

We're not gonna run out of money. Dean has shown us that. We'll be out funded by the GOP, but we always are. By the time November rolls around, a few million here or a few million there won't make a difference. Bringing more dough into the system, while unfortunate, does tend to invest a lot more people in the final outcome. This too is building to a head on election day.

Be patient. We'll get through this and be in good shape in November. At the end it'll all come down to fundamentals: the right candidate, the right message, and a strong organization. All these factors are fed by the things you're worrying about. Forget the trees; look at the forest. It's growing.

[truthspeaker]

8. elections are legitamate. Opinion polls are BS

That's why.

[LWolf]

9. There is no front man.

Despite what you hear/read in the media, no one gets to be in front until they start counting votes. IMO, the media skews the starting line with their constant reporting on "who's leading" when the starting gate (voting booth) hasn't opened. That's a crime, IMO. The worse crime is when voters are swayed by it.

It's the votes.

The current front man is my 6th choice. Why would I even enter the race if I were going to concede on the way to the gate?

Even if my preferred candidate was considered the "leader," I wouldn't want to nominate him without a vigorous campaign, plenty public debate and discussion, and the participation of the voters.