I think there should be a Two Stage Primary.... One with no candidates.

[Armstead]

I'm totally fed up with the Tiger Beat rah, rah, High Schooll Tong War bullshit of this primary.

The fucking issues have gotten lost. Just a lot of personalized crap and opportunistic marketing masquerading as positions.

Here is my Modest Proposal.

Remember that character on TV, The Unknown Comic? He got up and performed with a bag over his head?

We should have a primary primary on that basis. Coalitions would be organized to set up platforms, to "run" in this campaign. They would create pkatforms to represent competing visions of What the Democratic Party should be, what positions it should represent, what its message and agebda should be and specific goals it should pursue.

They would submit these anonymously. Then hire some actors to perform as surrogates. The Unknown Politicians. They would campaign and debate representing these platforms merely as presenters.

Voters would pick which symbolic candidate/platform they would prefer. The Results would be a binding set of requirements on all candidates.

Then politicians woukd run campaigns as to which could present these ideas in the General, and govern based on them if they win. That's Where we can indulge in the CLass Election, Cool Kid antics......The difference is that we would knowledge that thevissues and basic message and goals have already been decided.

OK I know its a ridiculous idea. But no more ridiculous than what we have now.

[elleng]

1. I like it.

Let's try this platform:

15 Goals to Rebuild the American Dream
https://martinomalley.com/category/15-goals/

Addiction treatment and prevention
https://martinomalley.com/policy/addiction-treatment-and-prevention/

Criminal Justice Reform
https://martinomalley.com/policy/criminal-justice/

Making College Debt Free for all Americans
https://martinomalley.com/policy/make-college-debt-free/

Holding Wall Street Accountable
https://14d2r744okfe40r1ug1oqm6y-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/OMalley-Wall-Street-Reform.pdf

Expanding Social Security
https://martinomalley.com/the-latest/expanding-social-security/

Homeland Security
https://martinomalley.com/vision/homeland-security/

Immigration
https://martinomalley.com/the-latest/immigration/

National Service
https://martinomalley.com/national-service/

Environment
https://martinomalley.com/climate/iowa/
https://martinomalley.com/climate/
https://martinomalley.com/climate/agenda/

Foreign Policy
https://martinomalley.com/policy/truman-national-security/

Gun Reform
https://martinomalley.com/policy/preventing-and-reducing-gun-violence/

Trade Policy
https://martinomalley.com/policy/trade-policy/

Campaign Finance Reform (Restoring our American Democracy)
https://martinomalley.com/the-latest/restoring-our-american-democracy/

Why We Need a Constitutional Amendment to Secure the Right to Vote:
https://martinomalley.com/the-latest/news/right-to-vote/

Veterans and Military Families
https://martinomalley.com/policy/veterans/

[Armstead]

2. Ohhhhhh, you're goooood

That deserves a

[elleng]

3. Thanks, Armstead.

So are you, and Governor O'Malley is better than both of us.

If your suggestion were adopted, we might have a primary based on these REAL issues, with a candidate who could REALLY perform.

[jmowreader]

4. You wouldn't be saying that if your candidate hadn't just lost by nearly 50 points

[Armstead]

6. Yes I would...I've been fed up by the substitution of....

.....Personality for substance in the Democratic Party for a long time.

I afmire Bernie personslly, true. But that is far overshadowed by the importance of the message and values he represents.

[jmowreader]

8. I don't seem to remember much screaming from your side...

...when Bernie ran up a 20-point victory in New Hampshire. And I'll hear even less when he scores YOOGE in Vermont.

Unfortunately for Bernie's revolution, the only ones who seem to want it are 21-year-olds who studied something you can't get a job doing, and ran up a $40,000 bill in the process. After South Carolina came in with such a huge win for Hillary, I saw all SORTS of crap...the SC primary shouldn't count because it's a red state, SC voters don't know what's good for them, SC is a virtual slave state...that Hillary won the primary because SC voters don't like Bernie's platform was never considered. Nope, the process is broken and Southerners are stupid people.

[That Guy 888]

10. Don't forget to drink up during the next debate n/t

[BainsBane]

5. A parliamentary system would dispense with a lot of that

Personality thing. That isn't what out constitution provides, howeve.

I disagree, however, it should be based on "presenting." That assumes what politicians say are more important than what they do. I couldn't disagree more.

[Armstead]

7. Lock them into positions previously chosen by voters.

That would presumably eliminate candidatescwho are not comfortable or supportive of the agenda chosen by voters.

Anyway it's just a damn pipe dream, so not worth arguing abput

[hill2016]

9. what's to stop the platforms from pandering to voters

i promise to give a tax refund of $5k to every voter... I promise $10k! $15k!

Voters will select the highest benefits they are promised without a way to challenge whether they are realistic

[Armstead]

12. Well the realists can still sponsor the We All Die Platform

You can still run a platform to quash all hope and aspirations for change

[Vattel]

11. I was at a Chinese New Years party on Saturday.

I overheard two friends, both far to the left on politics, talking about how they would vastly prefer Sanders to be president instead of Clinton, but for fear of Trump, they hope Clinton gets the nomination. Because they don't pay that much attention to politics, they were surprised when I told them that polls showed Sanders doing better than Clinton against Trump. My in-laws live in Virginia and will be voting for Clinton this week. They think Sanders won't be able to get things done due to Republican obstructionism in Congress. Have they really thought that argument through? No, but these are the kinds of considerations that will leave us with a bad choice in November.

Most politicians are followers, not leaders. That's why the revolution will begin with a revolution in popular opinion. A revolution in attitudes about gays and lesbians resulted in Clinton abandoning her stupidity about gay marriage. When the revolution comes, politicians will have no choice but to follow even if they are not fine human beings like Bernie.

Sorry, this is all tangential to your OP.

[Armstead]

13. Thats okay...My Op was tangential

Just pipe dreaming

[djean111]

14. Where my grandson works - very large grocery store - he tells me that they are now forbidden

Last edited Mon Feb 29, 2016, 10:47 AM - Edit history (1)

to talk politics in the break room, but all the young people are for Bernie, the managers are for Trump, and he says that if Clinton is the Dem nominee, most are not going to bother voting, or they are going to vote for Trump and get the crash over with, not draw it out.

All the pissy little retorts in the universe won't change their attitude, because it is their skin in the game, it is them who would go to war, it is them who can't afford college, or don't want to start life with a huge debt that keeps them from buying a home or whatever. They see Hillary as just a slightly lesser evil, as the old way that got us into our current mess. None of her campaign blather reaches them, they look stuff up.

[Vattel]

15. Yeah, all the dishonesty coming from the Clinton camp

hasn't been as effective with those for whom internet searches are second nature.