2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: We Should Only Let Democrats Choose Our Nominee [View all]BlueMTexpat
(15,369 posts)screw them! The choice between the parties is pretty stark and it was especially clear for this election where one candidate was exceptionally qualified and universally respected around the world, if not appreciated by too many in her own country, while the other was neither. If people STILL can't see that, then it will literally take an Armageddon for them to. Too many people in key states chose to go with the person who preached bigotry, racism, misogyny and xenophobia - all because they wanted people to think that they were "Independent" and Hillary still only lost by about 80,000 votes in three of those states! But the Dem (and US) majority - by nearly three million votes - saw through the con man.
It is very easy to register as a Dem to vote and then change back if it's that important to someone. But the voting in Dem primaries should be limited to Dems. Otherwise, why even bother to have primaries? Just go straight to the general and save a lot of time and money. Do as the French do. If one candidate does not get 51% in the first round; then limit a second round to the top two so that one of the candidates WILL get 51%.
Too many people seem just to have woken up to what our political system is for the 2016 election and too many of them - especially whites (of which I am one) - have come to the wrong conclusions, based on what too many are still saying.
But I do agree that our system is a mess. Personally, having studied and taught complementary political systems, I much prefer a parliamentary system to the botched-up and complex two-party mess that was foisted upon us by the Founding Fathers who wanted to ensure that the elites stayed in control. If anyone has any doubt that the elites will be in control for the foreseeable future, you are woefully mistaken.