Are Closed Primaries "Democratic"? [View All]

In most states, the majority of voters end up being disenfranchised. And these voters, by and large, WILL end up voting for one of the two major party candidates.

Don't they deserve a choice in deciding the nominees they will eventually vote for?

And if our primaries exclude a majority of Americans because they are elections for the "party only", do we have the right to argue their "democratic" merits?

There has been much discussion whether caucus are indeed "democratic". However, I find it interesting that this question regarding closed primaries has hardly been explored on DU, considering it has direct bearing on the upcoming decision regarding Florida and Michigan.


I started thinking about this after listening to Hillary's speech today, where she said:



It was interesting to me how, here, she equated the primaries to the general election. But are the goals of these two contests really the same? Is the goal of each really democracy? To hear the voices of everyone who wishes to be heard?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. I would appreciate it if we could keep the discussion civil. Let's remember that we're all Democrats.

:grouphug:


Edited to place "Democratic" in parentheses in the title, lest people misinterpret that I am questioning the legitimacy of our primary elections. "Valid" and "democratic" are two different issues.