Two weeks ago the Republican Primary was a mess: nine candidates appeared in the Fox News debate, folks were still searching for new entrants and the inter-party conflicts were getting worse and worse over basically nothing. I was one more debate from losing my mind and an book reference from coma.
And now? Holy hell has erupted.
Florida has moved up their GOP primary to January 31st: several weeks before it was supposed to be held, South Carolina has responded by rescheduling their primary to January 21st and New Hampshire is seriously threatening to hold theirs sometime in late December - right around Christmas.
This has led me to be convinced that the current formula for selecting presidential nominees is flawed and that the primary system should be scrapped. We should return to the convention system.
Yes, I'm advocating for the days of old - national conventions convening in April of the presidential year and elected delegates selecting the party nominee. Foregoing the resource draining, and conflict stirring primaries that have become media circuses since the major parties adopted the current system, while allowing wisdom and council to prevail.
The presidency of James Polk, one of America's more accomplished leaders, would have been impossible if the primary system dictated the Democrat nomination in 1844, because he was selected as the compromise candidate to settle the fierce nerves of Van Buren and Cass delegates. And let us not forget about Abraham Lincoln - he would never be selected by a primary system today.
Unity within the ranks would be stronger under a convention system because there wouldn't be a long twelve month process where Republicans are tearing one-another apart and voters/donors are literally invested in their candidates; not their party, succeeding.
What say you?
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