In practice… not really. The DNC (as well as the DCCC, in the context of congressional races) has very overtly leaned on the scales for the last decade and a half or so. The (infuriatingly imbecilic, almost always corporatist neoliberal) political consultants they can’t seem to stop hiring as advisors - despite successfully snatching defeat from the jaws of victory multiple fucking times in EXTREMELY pivotal elections continue to give the party and its head honchos (read: the Democratic party’s status quo establishment) absolutely pants-on-head stupid regressive idiocy as campaign advice. It’s a direct result of effectively uncontrolled political donations (basically: if you set up the correct corporate and PAC structures and follow the correct forms and procedures, the limit on political donations is effectively unlimited for both individuals and corporations).
Not really no. Last election they didn’t happen, the election before that they didn’t really happen as popular candidates for totally no reason whatsoever dropped out and endorsed Biden until he became the only one you were allowed to vote for, the election before that DNC super-delegates removed all choice in the primary, the election before that didn’t have a primary.
It’s been two decades since the democratic party has had a fair primary process. The median voter wasn’t allowed to vote last time anyone had any hope of a choice in who the democratic presidential candidate was.
Primary elections for candidates are a thing aren’t they? I’m Canadian but that seems to be pretty widely practiced.
Officially, yes.
In practice… not really. The DNC (as well as the DCCC, in the context of congressional races) has very overtly leaned on the scales for the last decade and a half or so. The (infuriatingly imbecilic, almost always corporatist neoliberal) political consultants they can’t seem to stop hiring as advisors - despite successfully snatching defeat from the jaws of victory multiple fucking times in EXTREMELY pivotal elections continue to give the party and its head honchos (read: the Democratic party’s status quo establishment) absolutely pants-on-head stupid regressive idiocy as campaign advice. It’s a direct result of effectively uncontrolled political donations (basically: if you set up the correct corporate and PAC structures and follow the correct forms and procedures, the limit on political donations is effectively unlimited for both individuals and corporations).
Not really no. Last election they didn’t happen, the election before that they didn’t really happen as popular candidates for totally no reason whatsoever dropped out and endorsed Biden until he became the only one you were allowed to vote for, the election before that DNC super-delegates removed all choice in the primary, the election before that didn’t have a primary.
It’s been two decades since the democratic party has had a fair primary process. The median voter wasn’t allowed to vote last time anyone had any hope of a choice in who the democratic presidential candidate was.