Let's all support the primary process

[sandnsea]

Could we get behind that? Voting and caucusing and such. I think allowing the process to work without heavy-handed candidate pressuring tactics is the democratic way. What does everybody else think?

[floridaguy]

1. I agree

You're absolutely right. Let people discuss the candidates and issues, and then when it comes time to vote, let them decide who is the best candidate. The process is a good one, if we let it work.

However, I think it's important that people realize that winning the primary is not the ultimate goal. Beating George Bush is the goal.

Keep your eye on the goal - Wes Clark for President.

[poskonig]

2. Perhaps we can get the candidates

to respect the primary process by attending the requisite debates.

[maddezmom]

7. pot shot

:)

[OKNancy]

11. "requisite"

requisite = necessary, essential.

No debate is required, or even essential. Each candidate can decide what is essential to their best interest.

Perhaps being on a nationwide network program, watched by millions, and talked about by important people is essential to a certain candidate.

[sandnsea]

3. We don't support the primary process?

Hmm, interesting lack of response. What's a person supposed to think!

[JI7]

4. completely agree

i'm supporting my candidate until the end.

[WiseMen]

5. Sadly, Study of some Recent Primaries Leaves a lot Cynicism

Basically the Democratic party has become an empty shell, pretty bankrupt as an ideological force at the grass roots. Primaries were supposed to be the new Party nominee selection process, but, unlike the selection process in most other countries, there is almost no management of the process so as to allow an thorough examination of fundamental issues and a coalessing of public support behind well understood elements of a Party platform/adgenda.

Note the failure of the Party to put before its members:

1. a small number of nominee options to choose from -- 9 is beyound any reasonable limit of optins for thoughtful Leadership selection.


2. forums for thorough debate. At this point there should have been several indepth debates rather than endless "beauty contest" TV shows. I, and most folks I know, have found past 9 or 10 "debates" entirely useless beyound their entertainment value.

Conclusions:

1. campaigns and partisans are really driven to act outside of a normal primary contest as a way of affecting the results of caucuses and primary elections. The Dean campaign has been very creative to its benefit.

2. the primary dynamics are increasingly controlled by Mass Media forces independent of the political party. These media are significantly "cued" by their Global Corporate ownership and a big challenge of each campaign is how to either co-opt or con these agences into boosting you candidate. Unfortunately, these forces which largely determing outcomes have little to do with the interest of the political Party or party members.

At some point the Democratic Primary process has to be reformed or the Democrats for sure are going to continue to be at a disadvantage as compared with the Corporate-aligned Republicans.

My Opinion. Of course I could be wrong.

[sandnsea]

9. The media

I disagree that there are too many candidates. I actually think it takes that many candidates to show the wide variety of views in the Democratic Party. The media is another story. How many times have they reported 5 words one candidate said about another and ignored the entire point of the remarks on the whole. Scandal sells better I guess. And that's our fault if we buy it. Perhaps Dennis' remarks to Koppel will make the next debate more focused on the issues. How inspiring was "a chicken in every pot" for crying out loud???

[last1standing]

6. I didn't know anyone was trying to subvert it.

At least not here at DU. I did read in the AJC that Gephardt's campaign and a few others might try to use cell phones to move votes around in an attempt to bring down Dean's percentage of the vote, but there's little we can do about that.

For what it's worth, I say let the primaries go on unimpeded and may the best person win.

[sandnsea]

10. That's caucusing

People have always been allowed to support a different candidate if their first choice didn't get 15%. I haven't given up hope that we'll get an actual debate on the issues before this is all over. I don't want to see a runaway primary where most of the public really doesn't have all the information yet.

[mouse7]

8. Stop all voting! End all caucuses!

We can't have that voting stuff happening! ARRRRR! /sarcasm off

(so what did you think people would respond?)

[Cheswick2.0]

12. who is calling for an end to the promary process?

Is there a point to this?