I agree with everything you said after the first sentence. However, holding a primary in all states on the same day would favor candidates with the most money and name recognition.
Having caucuses and primaries begin in small states like Iowa and New Hampshire, spread a week apart, allows lesser known candidates to canvas the states, participate in debates and become more familiar to the voter.
Perhaps, but all the conniving and crookedness has to go! It seems to me that to allow the political parties to use these methods and mechanisms that produce fraudulent and antidemocratic results need to go away. After all, the candidates that are selected do run through a general election that's supposed to be honest. Why then do we allow the parties selection process to be any less honest?
The other way to address the inequality of which you speak is to take much of the money out of the process. The commercial airwaves are government property that is licensed to the networks. They should be legally bound to provide sufficient air time for all for FREE as a condition of their licensure.
We, as a nation have been a bunch of fools for allowing this travesty to go on right under our noses. We've been like a bunch of effing sheep!