Yesterday’s binding decision to leave the European Union was the second in what seems likely to be five votes (and possibly six) during the next couple years—none of which would be imaginable in American political system. 1. Last September, the Labor Party chose a left-wing radical, Jeremy Corbyn, as its leader. The party’s recently created process began with Corbyn and three other candidates receiving a modest number of signatures from Labor members of the House of Commons, who then were voted on by an odd electorate consisting of party members who paid 25 pounds per year in dues, “registered supporters” who paid 3 pounds just to vote in this election, and “affiliated supporters” who voted for free because they belonged to a labor union or socialist society. In contrast, the nominating process used by the Republican and Democratic parties—flawed as it is—has evolved over a long period of time based on many decades of experience and adjustment: first came conventions, then a spattering of state primaries, then the current system of primaries and caucuses to choose convention delegates. 2. Yesterday’s Brexit vote—a
Subscribe Today
Our subscribers have first access to individual race pages for each House, Senate and Governors race, which will include race ratings (each race is rated on a seven-point scale) and a narrative analysis pertaining to that race.