What Passes for Logic in Academia

I read an article entitled “Down With Primaries!” by some genius named Kevin D. Vallier who is an associate professor of philosophy at Bowling Green State University who wrote a book called “Trust in a Polarized Age.”

This learned scholar wrote the following:

“Most democracies don’t have democratic primaries. By and large, party elites choose candidates, and the people then vote for the parties or the candidates. American democracy, by contrast, relies on popular primaries: Ordinary party members select the candidates, or we have open primaries, in which voters can select candidates from either party.

Why do we do this? American anti-elitism. We see party elites selecting candidates as corrupt backroom dealing. We don’t trust parties to evaluate candidates themselves, to help us make a better democratic choice.

Americans are wrong about this. We should abolish democratic primaries.“

You see the party elites are the ones we should trust to look after our interests.  Think of the last few presidents before Trump and ask yourself how that worked out.  George W. Bush and Barack Obama are the shining examples.

And then he gives examples to “prove” his point:

“Consider some recent illustrations. In 2016, GOP party elders would have blocked Donald Trump from the outset. I’m sure that many people reading this are still happy that Trump broke through as he did. But for most Republicans, and most of the country, this proved to be a bad outcome.

If Republican Party elders had had their way in 2016, Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush would have been the nominee. I have no love for Rubio or Bush: They are too hawkish for my tastes. But Trump damaged the country’s democratic system in ways that Bush or Rubio would not have done. Conversely, had Democratic Party elders not gotten their way four years later, Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren might have been the nominee in 2020. If a strong left-wing candidate had become president, instead of Biden, most Americans would have regretted it.”

So from the author’s point of view Jeb Bush instead of Donald Trump would have been a win for democracy.  And Joe Biden instead of Bernie Sanders was also democracy in action.  Even though in each choice he is advocating for the less popular candidate.

Finally he sums it up:

“Backroom deals? They’re the stuff of democracies around the world – and of American democracy before the advent of the primary system. We should bring them back.”

It’s amazing what passes for political thought in universities.  So his thesis is that letting the parties give us the choices for president will make it more “democratic.”  Of course, what if the two parties are just two sides of the same coin; heads I win, tails you lose.”  Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle Dee work for the same masters and just act out parts that reinforce the script that we can change the conditions we live under.

Well, I have to assume “Professor” Vallier represents the pragmatic reality based side of academia and is considered a radical by the Bernie Sanders majority at his university.  All that tells me is that subcontracting to BLM to burn down the universities is a noble idea.