andrewducker | "This is how the American Primary system looks from the rest of the world" (Reply)

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Honestly, I think that's more the fault of the partisans and the media than the system itself. I mean, a few weeks ago they were all screaming, "It's all over, and Bernie has won!". Two weeks later, the same people are going, "Biden has it all sewn up!".

It's a nasty bit of FOMO, with everybody tripping over each other to look smart by prognosticating before the actual voting is anywhere near far enough along. As a result, people tend to *think* it's all over rather before it actually is.

That said, yes -- a single national primary date would make the whole thing vastly more sensible in some ways. It just has the problem that campaigning in the entire US simultaneously is outrageously expensive, and would favor candidates with deep pockets, and tend to lock out the dark horses who emerge as things evolve. I suspect Obama would never have been elected if that were the case...