Article Review
Snyder, Stephanie. Open primary 'business as usual,' observers say. California Watch. (June 18, 2012)
The article by Snyder (2012) titled, open primary ‘business as usual’, observers say, tries to bring out the difficult political situation in California were moderate candidates cannot get a chance to run in the general elections in November. This is true because in the traditional primaries, the candidates that end up in the ballot box come November are either liberals who are democrats, or conservatives who are Republicans. Either way, both sets of candidates are extremes who frustrate approval of budget until one compromises.
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The main research presented in the article is that even if the traditional system of conducting primaries is changed to the open one, through the open primaries, it still would not make it easier for moderates to find their way to the general election. Gabriel Lenz, a political scientist, also asserted that extreme candidates still benefited from the open primary system. He concluded this from a research study, which concluded that the new system only boosted support of moderate candidates by (6 to7) %, which is insignificant.
The article applies to my course as it has proved first hand that redistricting process, in California state, has affected the extent and nature of leadership and representation achieved in respective counties. I chose the article because it has clearly highlighted the consequences of traditional primaries, and even the effect of introduction of open primaries with an aim of giving moderate candidates a chance. Research has also been incorporated, in the article, to prove that the alteration has no effect on the electoral system. Therefore, it is a very distinct source in describing politics in California State.
I liked the article very much as it was precise and accurate in proving that politics in California needs to be restructured. This is to give moderate candidates a chance to compete in general elections. I also liked the notion that whenever extreme candidates competed in the general elections and won, they frustrated the state budget, hence affecting development. This was like a rallying call, to reject extreme politicians. However, questions are still raised concerning the authorship of the article, seen as subjective and siding with moderates. Also, the criticism in this article is seen when it tries to erode the democracy of Californian system by pushing for unpopular leaders to the ballot box in November just because they are moderates.
Work Cited
Snyder, Stephanie. Open primary 'business as usual,' observers say. California Watch. (June 18, 2012). Retrieved on 19th June, 2012. Available on:
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/open-primary-business-usual-observers-say-16541
