Primary Election System Continues to Fail Americans

Divided though they may be, Americans at present seem to be united on at least one thing: When they step into the voting booth during next year’s presidential election, they wish to see neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump featured on the ballot. Per a series of polls, up to 70 percent of Americans want Biden to decline to run for reelection in 2024, while 60+ percent hope Trump will retire. On this, voters are consistent and bipartisan. This week, Biden’s approval rating was measured at 31 percent, which brings him perfectly into line with Trump, whose number is the same. Loudly, and repeatedly, the customers are speaking. Their request? Less cowbell, please.

In response, America’s primary voters have decided to flip them the bird. Currently, Joe Biden is winning the Democrats’ primary by 50 points, while Donald Trump is winning the Republicans’ by between 30 and 40. Nothing — nothing — seems able to change this. Not the recapitulated pleading of the battle-weary public; not the news of widespread contempt and disapprobation; not the advent of devastating federal indictments or nascent crisis-inspiring scandals; not rampant inflation or disastrous right track/wrong track numbers or concerns about age, honesty, and criminal conduct. Nothing. The data come in, and they’re bounced away as swiftly as they arrived. “No” is taken to mean “Yes.” Antipathy is recast as enthusiasm. Contempt is worn as a badge of honor. In theory, the role of a political party is to discover and then to promote a candidate that can secure a winning coalition. In practice, all that seems rather quaint. This time around, both parties seem determined to interpret popularity as weakness, competence as vapidity, and comity as perfidy. Today, to win is to betray. To persuade is to surrender. Irritation, not advancement, is the aim of the day. In private enterprise, the news that one’s business competition is making a series of suicidal decisions is considered an opportunity. In politics, it is an excuse to continue one’s own bad behavior. “If their guy is hated,” the contemporary thinking seems to go, “then our hated guy will have a better chance.”

About the Author

Charles C. W. Cooke

Charles C. W. Cooke is a senior editor at National Review and the host of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast.

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Divided though they may be, Americans at present seem to be united on at least one thing: When they step into the voting booth during next year’s presidential election, they wish to see neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump featured on the ballot. Per a series of polls, up to 70 percent of Americans want Biden to decline to run for reelection in 2024, while 60+ percent hope Trump will retire. On this, voters are consistent and bipartisan. This week, Biden’s approval rating was measured at 31 percent, which brings him perfectly into line with Trump, whose number is the same. Loudly, and repeatedly, the customers are speaking. Their request? Less cowbell, please.

In response, America’s primary voters have decided to flip them the bird. Currently, Joe Biden is winning the Democrats’ primary by 50 points, while Donald Trump is winning the Republicans’ by between 30 and 40. Nothing — nothing — seems able to change this. Not the recapitulated pleading of the battle-weary public; not the news of widespread contempt and disapprobation; not the advent of devastating federal indictments or nascent crisis-inspiring scandals; not rampant inflation or disastrous right track/wrong track numbers or concerns about age, honesty, and criminal conduct. Nothing. The data come in, and they’re bounced away as swiftly as they arrived. “No” is taken to mean “Yes.” Antipathy is recast as enthusiasm. Contempt is worn as a badge of honor. In theory, the role of a political party is to discover and then to promote a candidate that can secure a winning coalition. In practice, all that seems rather quaint. This time around, both parties seem determined to interpret popularity as weakness, competence as vapidity, and comity as perfidy. Today, to win is to betray. To persuade is to surrender. Irritation, not advancement, is the aim of the day. In private enterprise, the news that one’s business competition is making a series of suicidal decisions is considered an opportunity. In politics, it is an excuse to continue one’s own bad behavior. “If their guy is hated,” the contemporary thinking seems to go, “then our hated guy will have a better chance.”