Evaluate the extent to which the process of selecting presidential candidates is deeply flawed. Flashcards
Introduction - Themes
- Sequence
- Quality of Candidates
- Length of Process
Introduction - Argument
The primaries process to select presidential candidates is deeply flawed - it has developed into a process which requires insane amount of funding and given unrepresentative states far too much power
Not Flawed - Sequence - Point
It can be said that the process is not flawed due to the fact that the current sequence of the primaries appears to be working, and those who argue it is not cannot agree on which other sequence to adopt
Not Flawed - Sequence - Examples
- It is within New Hampshire’s state law that they must be the first primary, and the Iowa Caucus is traditionally the first caucus
- Alternatives have been proposed such as the Rotating Regional Plan and the Delaware Plan, both of which would stop the influence of New Hampshire and Iowa. However, there has been little agreement or uptake in implementing a new sequence
Flawed - Sequence - Point
Despite no concrete plans to change the primary’s sequence there is definite agreement that the influence of the smaller states is massively flawed
Flawed - Sequence - Examples
- Both New Hampshire and Iowa are unrepresentative states. In Iowa, 90.1% of residents are white and it is a rural population. Similarly in New Hampshire, 92.8% are white
- The problems with the Democratic Iowa Caucus in 2020 whereby the results were only released 3 weeks after the intial caucus illustrates the immense problems within the process
Not Flawed - Quality of Candidate - Point
The fact that the process is conducted by the states rather than on a national level means that each candidate has to make much more of an effort to demonstrate their campaign skills
Not Flawed - Quality of Candidates - Examples
- By Iowa, a smaller state with few delegates, being an important decider in the votes this mean ‘retail politics’ makes more of an impact. There were many images of Obama talking to many individuals within Iowa
- Elizabeth Warren performed well in a debate against Biden in October 2019, and this led to a spike in the polls for her
Flawed - Quality of Candidates - Point
It is so incredibly expensive for candidates to run in the primaries that this means many quality candidates drop out due to their inability to raise sufficient funds - this favours billionaires
Flawed - Quality of Candidates - Examples
- In December 2019, Kamala Harris had to drop out of the presidential campaign due to not having sufficient funds to continue -despite raising millions of dollars
- Billionaire, Michael Bloomberg, was able to restart his campaign in November 2020 as money was not an issue to him and he could easily launch a nationwide billboard campaign
Not Flawed - Length of Process - Point
It can be said that the length of the primary process allows for a long cmapaign period from which the voters are able to gain a strong understanding of the candidates
Not Flawed - Length of Process - Examples
- During the current invisible primaries. Trump has lost a sexual assult case in New York even though the primaries are not for some time this will still have an impact
- Biden announced his bid for the 2024 presidency on the 25th of April 2023, this has given him a 9 month campaign period before the primaries begin in February 2024
Flawed - Length of Process - Point
The length of process has more negative implications than positive. The time it takes means that some states have much more influence than others and it also leads to vote apathy
Flawed - Length of Process - Examples
- The last states in the 2020 primaries were Montana, South Dakota and New Mexico - by them it was apparent that Biden was going to win and so their outcome was essentially irrelevant
- Turnout for primaries in low and not many people concern themselves in the process due to how long it is dragged out. Turnout acorss states ranged from 2.6% to 45.7%
