The Presidential Nominating Process: A Place for Us?

As we gear up for Election 2004, veteran political analyst Cook asks a timely question: Why does the United States rely on dysfunctional presidential primaries that give such a small percentage of voters disproportionate influence in choosing the two main contenders? In his crisp appraisal of presidential nominating processes, the former Congressional Quarterly writer underscores a key paradox: although some 150 million voters are eligible to participate in state presidential primaries and caucuses, only the""kingmakers""--voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and the states that vote soon afterward--actually anoint the Democratic and Republican nominees. The overwhelming majority of voters are mere""confirmers,"" who ratify the kingmakers' choices midway through the primary season, or""rubber stamps,"" who weigh too late to make any difference. Cook surveys the evolutionary""stages"" that brought voters to this point, from the Founding era's congressional caucuses to the 19th century's national party conventions to the current presidential primary scene. The""steady progression of political Darwinism"" has shortchanged voters, Cook says, replacing yesterday's party bosses with today's kingmaker early birds. He scours six other countries (Great Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Mexico and Israel) for clues in their streamlined, less expensive nomination procedures and finds at least one mechanism travels well: the single nationwide primary. Though some proposals suggest national, rotating regional or population-based presidential primary, Cook concludes there is""no consensus"" on reform among national and state government and party officials. Will greater numbers of voters ever play a real role in future nominating contests? That's hard to know; even the author concedes""incremental evolution wins out in the long run."" Bolstered by Cook's authoritative primary election statistical analyses, this plain-speaking work delivers a concise, even-handed overview of one of the most contentious areas in contemporary American politics.