‘the Advantages of Primary Elections Far Outweigh Their Disadvantages in the Selection of Each Partys Presidential Candidate’, Discuss
Primary elections are elections held previous to a Presidential election to decide upon the presidential candidate from the two main parties. These are held in each state, each of which then goes on to sponsor the winning candidate of their primary at the national convention, where the party’s presidential candidate is announced. This method of choosing a candidate came about due to the McGovem/Fraser Commission of 1968 (where Mayor Daley refused McGovem the chance to run as he was too liberal). It replaced the old system of decisions being made in ‘smoke filled rooms’ where party bosses were all powerful and made the decision.
The alternative to the primary election is the caucus, which is more similar to the original version of candidate nomination. Delegates from regional parties attend a meeting in a town hall in order to discuss issues and the candidate’s positions on them, then ultimately decide upon one to support at the national convention.
There are many advantages to the primary election system. Firstly, the electorate are allowed to choose the best candidate for them, who they support on the most issues. This form of direct democracy is the best way for the populace to get who they want in power as they directly choose who they would like. This is not skewed, as a caucus may be, as every eligible person is entitled to a vote.
The primaries have the advantage of being able to cut out the weak from the strong, per se. It distinguishes a candidate with potential to succeed nationally from one who may be only popular in some areas. Some liberal Northern Democrat politicians may not translate well in the more conservative south and vice versa. This national popularity can make or break a candidate. In 2008, some analysts were sceptical about Barack Obama’s chances as they did not know how he would fare in the South, but having broken these states, he went on to become candidate and subsequently 2 term president. The hard going nature is almost like a dry
The alternative to the primary election is the caucus, which is more similar to the original version of candidate nomination. Delegates from regional parties attend a meeting in a town hall in order to discuss issues and the candidate’s positions on them, then ultimately decide upon one to support at the national convention.
There are many advantages to the primary election system. Firstly, the electorate are allowed to choose the best candidate for them, who they support on the most issues. This form of direct democracy is the best way for the populace to get who they want in power as they directly choose who they would like. This is not skewed, as a caucus may be, as every eligible person is entitled to a vote.
The primaries have the advantage of being able to cut out the weak from the strong, per se. It distinguishes a candidate with potential to succeed nationally from one who may be only popular in some areas. Some liberal Northern Democrat politicians may not translate well in the more conservative south and vice versa. This national popularity can make or break a candidate. In 2008, some analysts were sceptical about Barack Obama’s chances as they did not know how he would fare in the South, but having broken these states, he went on to become candidate and subsequently 2 term president. The hard going nature is almost like a dry