The presidential nominating process for both major political parties continues with all the heated rhetoric we have come to expect. As Hillary Clinton closes in on the Democratic nomination, we are reminded that a major portion of her lead in committed delegates comes from "at large" delegates that can be used by the powers-that-be to swing the nomination to the candidate of their choosing. In spite of Sen. Sanders' grassroots fund-raising and enthusiasm for his cause, her lead is approaching the magic number. In the Republican Party there are more questions than answers about who the nominee will be, but the likelihood of a convention without a primary process winner looms on the horizon.
One thing that we are witnessing, however, is the unveiling of the flaws in our two long-standing political parties' primary processes. If Donald Trump has done nothing else, his pursuit of the Republican nomination has forced many of us to acknowledge our lack of understanding of the inner-workings of the process of both parties. Some of it is disappointing and much of it seems intended to produce a result more favorable to the leaders of the party than we were taught in our high school government or civics classes. In the Wall Street Journal Friday, April 15, 2016, Trump was quoted as equating the (Republican) party's nominating procedure with the "unfair trade, immigration and economic policies that have also been rigged against Americans." That is a pretty tough stance.
We have seen Ted Cruz's campaign use a much different approach to gaining delegates by going directly to them, in some states, and gathering support without a popular vote. All these holes in the system would not be made public were it not for Trump's presence in the Republican primary race. He has a way of using the media, primarily television and social media, to point out the successful methods others are using to attain support. Cruz has proven to be a much more studious candidate, taking advantage of what some call loop-holes in the process amplifying the fact we as voters actually have very little input into the final decision. My vote for Gov. Kasich doesn't register anywhere in the count of delegates.
There is no doubt we need to take a short course in how our party (either one or even a minor party) goes about the actual practice of electing and sending delegates to the national conventions. And, if we successfully wade through our state process and the by-laws, we need to accept the fact that not all states are the same. My experience with county politics provides only a glimmer of what it takes for a state to participate in the national process. One of the most obvious things I learned is how much time is required to be a meaningful part of the local election scene. Someone must be willing to contribute many hours to keep the party alive whether one of the two primary parties or a fledgling party supporting a relatively unknown organization.
It is essential for us to keep abreast of political activities but few of us will ever have occasion to fully understand the complexity of the rules that are the guidelines that will determine the eventual winner of the presidential nominee for either party. In the April 18th Northwest Arkansas Section of the Democrat Gazette, Ron Kaufman, a longtime member of the RNC (Republican National Committee), was quoted as saying "to be fair, it's complicated for everyone, and I understand why someone who's never done it before, and hasn't taken time to learn it, gets frustrated." He was talking to the candidates and their staffs. If the "real professionals" who benefit from the system don't understand, how are we as the people who believe in the system supposed to react when we find much of our faith in the system has been misplaced?
Score another one for Trump. Not only has he taken up the mantle against the Washington establishment, he has also pointed out some of the short-comings in the organizations (the political parties) we are asked to support with our time and our (small by Hollywood standards) donations. Blessed are the candidates that seek transparency in the system.
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Editor's note: Leo Lynch is an award-winning columnist. A native of Benton County, he is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Editorial on 04/27/2016