It's Not Democracy

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

The accumulation of delegates who will vote in the Democratic National Convention and select the party's candidates for President and Vice President begins today with a Democratic presidential primary election in the state of South Carolina.  Republicans have already begun selecting their delegates with a caucus in Iowa and a primary in New Hampshire, and this week there will be a primary without a purpose as well as a delegate-awarding caucus for Republicans in Nevada. 

Those are fairly meaningless endeavors because, as every American with even a half-a-wit of intelligence knows, the ultimate nominees of both major parties are already self-evident.  We have not been presented with the eventual candidates so much as we have been handed stacked decks that will produce the two candidates whom we already know are destined to receive their party's nominations.

The system is rigged, or as Politico put it in the opening sentences of its lead article this morning by Steven Shepard:

"Joe Biden and Donald Trump spent many months manipulating their 'parties' presidential nominating processes in their own favor.  Their maneuvering helped to produce a rematch that most voters don't want.  This week will show just how richly their efforts have paid off."

Both decks have been carefully stacked, and barring any pesky surprises (like a coronary thrombosis or a Mitch McConnell moment), November will host a rematch between two geriatrics, both of whom have been well past their prime for more than a decade. The rigging is all in place and just waiting for the show to start.

Call it what you will, but please don't confuse the upcoming presidential candidate selection process with democracy.  That's a whole different deal.