In her column today Montclair State University political science and law professor Brigid Callahan Harrison calls for New Jersey state GOP to disavow Donald Trump’s presidential run. Prof. Harrison asserts that Trump’s intemperate remarks about Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who was presiding over a lawsuit against Trump University, is enough reason for Republicans to abandon the Donald’s unorthodox campaign for the president.
At the end of her column Harrison quotes House Speaker Paul Ryan who states that the presidential campaign should be about ideas, not personal attacks. I totally agree. Presidential candidates should offer their “vision” for the Nation and let the voters decide who should occupy the Oval Office. So instead of two major political parties dominating the presidential campaign, let’s abolish political parties and have individuals run for the presidency on the vision thing. Let’s eliminate presidential party primaries and have candidates go directly to the people in a general election campaign.
In this year’s race for the White House we would have several Democrats and more than a dozen Republicans trying to win the hearts and minds of the American people. As far as how this will play out of in the electoral college is anyone’s guess. However, shortening the political campaign would be a great relief to the American people. And presidential candidates would be forced not to rely on the party bosses to grab their respective parties nomination but go directly to the American people for support.
With a substantial number of Americans unhappy with the presumptive choices who will be the Democratic and Republican nominees, abolishing political parties would create a more level playing field in the presidential campaign.