Close Down the Caucuses

[winterlight]

by Froma Harrop
Rasmussen Reports

Thursday, March 06, 2008
Advertisment

One can assume that the people brawling into the late hours of a weekday night are not representative of your broad electorate, even in Texas. Compare the orderly primary vote in Ohio -- where the results were known by bedtime -- to the weird "Texas Two-Step," which pasted a caucus onto a primary.

Actually, the primary part of the Texas process went smoothly. It was the caucus that led to the unseemly spectacle of pushing and shoving in overcrowded rooms. More worrisome, some caucus leaders apparently didn't understand all the caucus rules.

...

We can thank the Texas Two-Step for clearly showing how the caucus method of allotting delegates is cracked. The caucuses favored one candidate (Obama) mere moments after the wider electorate chose the other (Clinton). Democrats cannot truly open the process of choosing a candidate until they close down the caucuses.

[tekisui]

1. Close down the caucus, because Hillary can't win 'em!

x(


I do however wish the caucus and the superdelegates would be banished.

[earthlover]

2. I am sick and tired of trying to change the Democratic Party's rules mid stream

If you don't like caucuses, lets change them for 2012. Although i disagree. But only a cheat tries to change the rules in the middle of a contest. And a fucking whiner.

[winterlight]

5. The columnist does not say she wants rules changed "mid stream"

I think you are assuming she wants to change rules in the midst of the fight. She could be talking about 2012.

[susankh4]

8. Does that include the role of Superdelegates?

Cuz it sure looks like the Obama camp would like to change those.

[thunder rising]

3. Clinton was clueless. Barack opened every speech with instructions for the conventions

[NC_Nurse]

4. They went fine in Iowa and other states. Leave it to Texas to have both

and have a mess of it.

[papau]

6. I agree - if every there was an undemocratic process that allowed party professionals to control

outcomes - it is the caucus where just by choosing time and place you can eliminate working people.

[susankh4]

9. Correct.

American democracy is founded on the principle of "one person, one vote."

Not on consensus and coersion and god knows what other strongarming tactics are employed in caucuses.

[Diane R]

7. You know what's good about a caucus? They can't be Diebolded. No wonder Hillary can't win them.