[Yashcheritsiy]

Exactly. The Cruzers and GOP-E hacks try to focus the question specifically on "Is the system rigged against Trump" so that they can just guffaw and snicker and chalk it up to Trump "not having a ground game" and "Trumpsters are too dumb to understand how the system works" and all that.

It's a distraction away from the fact that the system is endemically rigged to transfer authority away from the voters themselves and to a small group of party leaders and their hacks. It's essentially a state party version of what liberals have been doing vis-a-vis the states vs. the FedGov for a century.

[Fai Mao]

“so that they can just guffaw and snicker and chalk it up to Trump “not having a ground game” “

And that ground game is almost useless in the general election where voters can vote for either party. In the general election I’d think that Trump has an advantage in that he can motivate lots of voters.

There are no parliamentary maneuvers in the general other than outright voter fraud and endless recounts like Ted Gore tried in the 2000 election

[Roses0508]

Yes the caucus system is old. Needed in the day when communications and travel were slow and expensive. It's plus is that it does require real investment on the part of the voter.

I can't get over how people are focused on the right to vote and forget the privilege and responsibility pieces. They want voting to be easy, convenient. No registration, no ID, no waiting in line. No thinking.

Our founding fathers had a real fear of mob rule. When a population is under stress, that population often makes seriously damaging decisions. Think Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood and Germany with Hitler. Our founding
Father's searched earnestly for a system that would respect the will of the people and still guard against the dangers of the mob. They worked for a balance that would protect the small states interests as well as those of the larger states.

Before we go throwing a system away, we should spend at least as much thought on those same issues. Read “The Miracle at Philadelphia” to gain an understanding of what went on during the Constitutional Convention. Link to free PDF: http://www.steporebook.com/book/miracle-at-philadelphia-the-story-of-the-constitutional-convention-may-september-1787-24226-pdf.html. Study guides also available online.

[XEHRpa]

>>> It’s a distraction away from the fact that the system is endemically rigged to transfer authority away from the voters themselves and to a small group of party leaders and their hacks.

precisely. it’s still a smoke-filled room, with the veneer of representation attached to it. But this year, the mask comes off.