I've had February 1st marked on my calendar for months...the official start of the 2016 Presidential Primary Race and the beginning of election season. I can't wait...
How about you?
actually, I'm mortified on how broken our system is right now.
Okay, here's the thing. Only about 17% of voters participate in primary elections. But it gets worse than that. After New Hampshire and Iowa last year, the possible choices were reduced to Santorum, Gingrich and the Weird Mormon Robot with the Establishment doing all it could to get the Weird Mormon Robot nominated, even though only about 25% of the electorate wanted him.
some of the turnouts in these races that followed were abysmally low. -
2012P - United States Elections Project
17% in South Carolina, 12% in Florida, and it just got worse as time goes on. So essentially, you have a candidate very few people actually wanted.
The primary elections are more likely to be attended by the most extreme voters on both sides. Which is why you have candidates in the general trying to walk back all the crazy shit they said in the primaries.
This year, a Reality TV Rodeo Clown is set to hijack the GOP nomination because more of us can name the contestants on
The Bachelor than can tell who your state's two senators are. Trump may well get the nomination because we are a country that mistakes celebrity for merit.