E.J. Dionne and I are of like mind. In his latest, he laments the internecine bloodshed practiced by some Democratic pols, whose political ambitions supersede the ultimate goal of 2020: "Kicking Trump out is the important thing. Fights over how to do it shouldn’t get in the way." Writes Dionne:
"Trump is not a political genius. He is president because of our outdated and undemocratic electoral college. What he is skilled at is taking advantage of his opponents’ weaknesses, sowing division in their ranks….
"And since Democrats seem to relish attacking each other, they may give him a hand…. [T]he Democratic presidential candidates will debate this week. Judge them not by the points they score but by who among them best understands that removing this reprehensible president from office is far more important than any of their individual ambitions — and that nothing will make Trump happier than an opposition tearing itself to pieces."
Joe Biden was the first, and possibly only, presidential candidate to understand and practice the political strategy of singularly attacking Trump. His answer to reporters' questions about variously proposed policy initiatives was, "Beat Trump, beat Trump," without which, idealistic proposals are just so much wind.
But Biden was assaulted in a Democratic debate, and his gentlemanliness was instantly rendered as weakness. So now he too, in the next debate, must join the howling pack of wolves — sowing yet more division in Democratic ranks.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Give me the old days of smoke-filled rooms in which political professionals and partisan leaders chose their presidential candidate. Because this primary system, in which millions of politically unaware dunderheads vote is a scourge on democracy.
To quote (extended) from my post of 9 February 2005:
"From the NY Times of 1912 comes a sublime, prophetic passage, quoted (p. 695) in Doris Goodwin's The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism. In that presidential election year, American politics was just beginning its turbulent love affair with the 'preference' primary system (into which we can lump Iowa's caucus routine), designed to sideline the party bosses and elevate the common man's voice. The Times' editorial board looked on in unqualified horror":
"This is our first presidential campaign under the preference primary plan. We hope it may be our last. The spectacle presented by the fierce fight for the [Republican] nomination is one that must be amazing to foreigners, it is one that should bring a blush of shame to the cheek of every American…. [In the primary system] we are no longer a people, but a mob."