Hey there listeners for the past several months, we ve been researching the United States primary system and asking questions about why we do things the way that we do them so over the next few weeks we're gonna taken- in depth, work at the confusing and messy way we choose our candidates. This is the primary programme, the irish state, for its known for things like me or not, so we have regular foot long, double big in three core fruits on sticks, cattle competition. I am giving her utter. I was. We then take all the hair off. Then I'm gonna be able to expose that memory system for its full glory and amusement runs. Harry you know like bumper cars, teacups

tell the world a little old to be writing vets, the world. I don't see any other journalists on the right. You know it's a place where you can play carnival game with the people buying to be the leader of the free world. Like tolls, he gathered a congresswoman teamwork right, it's a simple photo, but it's also part of how we select or candidates to be pro how America Windows the world of presidential possibilities to basically to people. Well, that's. Why do mine register

also box and as many as two thousand five hundred events in this state of over three million people, folks, like Rick Edwards, will sign up the candidates in preparation to be the first stage in the nation, the way in which Europe a couple days and practices. Many unless we can are you in the middle of making up your mind, you I am like everybody else, I too can be dropped, and I want to hear I wanna- hear some ideas that I think are mainstreaming make it all I when I started, and the candidates will play right to the crowd. You do not need many islands to start a revolution. I have done the man you normally Keller, millions. Each ion is worth. One thousand California that's right.

This is how you start a revolution in Iowa, because all you need is forty thousand islands and then a vision sweeps that country. So what like and reinstated its here in Iowa, where you can catch glimpses of America's political future and the voter persuasion it takes to get there You know what we get a lot of the important things to me. Nobody talks about it's gonna be like in a hundred years, ITALY Andrea, aimed at it that, like the evolution of wreck Edwards who told me a minute ago. He wanted to hear mainstream ideas. Like I like this future. Every word you were different I would consider that right now president the elections in America are essentially a choice between two candidates, but the system that gets us. Those two candidates has

never been rigorously thought through. Modern presidential primaries are products of happenstance and reactionary decision. Again, most notably in response to a single, disastrous nominating convention in nineteen. Sixty eight in this serious will tell the story of how our system came to be and examine its influences on who competes for the presidency will also ask how things could be different in this episode will focus on that first question: how exactly did our system come to be? There's nothing in the United States constitution. This is how presidential candidates we picked by part. That's David farmer distinguish Professor History University of Kansas SOAP. For more than two centuries, the american people had been wrestling with how democratic the process should be which candidates are selected to represent their parties.

And it was really only in the early twentieth century that the modern primary system began. This was a system bright for change, and reform we'll get to those reforms in a minute? But first, let's clarify what system we're talking about how we select candidates today, for regular observers of politics in our system, feel natural, but in the world all the developed democracies, its unique, no one Does it quite likely you weapons there can always be exceptions and the press, this rule change from one cycle to the next, but here's how the prime a system to generally works, the primary cycle essentially begins the day after the last presidential election wants, it becomes clear for which party will control the White House possible contenders,

and the opposing party begin to assess what inflatable looking out of her favorite worse for now about run for President Anti. That's one thing tat: today, a potential candidate from the Bay area took you. They try to build up their national profiles by writing books standing out congressional hearings being active, social media making visits to really primary states and doing interview you probably not going answer me, but I'm gonna, ask you anyway, you're right, but on both counts but here we really arrests that, let me tell you when I present: they also rejected donors, fellow politicians and possible staff to see what kind of support there is for Rob. Once the midterms are over meaning two years for the general election. Can't start announcing their bids officially running the President of the United States, the year or more of campaigning before states actually begin voting in the primaries has traditionally been called the invisible primary.

Although its grown more visible, as the media has increasingly covered its ins and outs. What tonight democratic candidates are flocking to? I, what and the state fair with just six months until the first in the nation Caucasus for one or Joe Biden, show it involves fund, raising stacking up endorsements, building, a campaign infrastructure, lots of visits to early states policy, speeches, debates and, raised to gain support with the electorate and rise in the ports by late summer and fall candidates who have failed to launch begin dropping. With this in mind, I will suspend my campaign immediately. Voters finally way at the beginning of the year of the general election, the order

The states changes every cycle, but it always begins with Iowa, followed by New Hampshire. I reclined from ABC News here from I'll on that day then come Nevada and South Carolina and in some kind of succession, everyone in America and their off the first votes. Finally, here in the race for present. Most dates have a primary. Which is when voters go to the polls and cast a secret ballot, much like in the general election. Some states, though, have a carcass, which is a party meeting where attendees can go and try to persuade their neighbors over the course of ours to support their preferred canada- and I gotta tell you this race right now. It's all about her oftentimes, the winner of the primary, becomes clear first month or so of voting and the field at least windows down the two or maybe three candidates, somehow, through all the campaigning debates fund, raising an endorsement the parties eventually consolidate on winners. Will

breaking news in the race for the White House democratic primaries, drawing to a close, and I would contest in six days and help. Because Clinton has supported a decisive victory over Bernie Sanders in New Jersey, putting her well above the number of delicate she needs to make history. The four Can you to vote through June, even if the winner has already been decided. Then the party convention is the coordination of who already won the delegates needed to claim victory? Wilds of odd out you see, the guy addressed is able Lincoln, and then there was the Kansas Delicate, tat their their ruby slippers on those were great folks That is how we narrow down the world of contenders to be president to two people: It is my high honor this take privilege to answer do see you, the President Elect of the United States of America.

So why do we do things this? Why? Well, let's start at the beginning, That's a lane came on and beyond of primary politics, everything you need to know about how America nominated its presidential candidates, She is also a senior fellow at the Brookings institution and a member of the Democratic National Committee. For me, list of american history really from the eighteen thirty's all the way through nineteen sixty eight the nomination process was basically a semi public process or or private process that took place within the political parties. That means the party establishment. The power back. Then the parties generally used Caucasus, which

meetings of party insiders who would select delegates to eventually go to the national convention. The I'll get were generally well known. People within the parties they were now. Required to vote for any one candidate and they were often chosen before candidates even entered the ranks. Some of the more egregious examples in the fifties and Sixtys were the Democratic party. Had held some carcasses on trains and they weren't announced until after the train and left the depot. That's it, an stagger political science, professor, add to Paul University. Even after party. Farmers succeeded in implementing primaries in about a dozen states. In the early nineties, hundreds they didn't directly influence who the nominees would be most of the time in primaries. Who had what were called favorite sons, so say a governor or a popular senator from the state. They would run in the primary for president, even though they did intend to run for president

once one of those favorite sons, one estates delegates he could use that power to wheel and deal on the convention floor. Eventually, he would assigned those delegates to an actual can't yet for president, the other use for the primaries was for candidates to show party leaders they were electable Oh, the most famous story, of course, is Jack. Kennedy in nineteen sixty had to run in several primaries in order to prove to the party leadership that his Catholicism would not be a problem in the general election Do you want a man for president who season through and through, but that's a dog on season that he won't try something new and he had to actually run in a couple primaries to prove that, because the first place he thought he could prove that was Wisconsin, and while he won the Wisconsin primary in nineteen sixty, he won it by a huge turnout.

Mom catholic voters, so the party leadership said ah, no jack were still not convinced and then, of course, he went on to run and West Virginia, which, at that time had almost no catholic voters and he won a big victory. Their so called smoke filled rooms was how the Democrats selected their candidates The Republican Party chose its candidate. Similarly, but the story of how the process changed is mostly a story about the Democratic Party and that's because of what happened in nineteen sixty in nineteen. Sixty eight everything changed because the country was changing, there were assassinations. The Reverend Doktor Martin Luther King, thirty, nine years old and a Nobel Peace Prize winner,

The leader of the non violent civil rights movement in the United States was assassinated in Memphis tonight, war protests and insurgent movements within the Democratic Party holiday man died with got the by twenty three. American hundred thousand. They had made dark and thousands dies approve some questionable Huri deal in the past. You might have heard of the chaos of the nineteen sixty eight democratic convention in Chicago what the months leading up to that convention, we're just as significant if not more democratic party was extremely early. One thousand nine hundred and sixty eight A substantial number of Democrats had begun to lose faith both in their President Lyndon Johnson and most especially in its policies,

The war in Vietnam, Senator Eugene Mccarthy of Minnesota, was the first to enter the race as an anti war challenges to the incumbent president, after Eugene Mccarthy made a decent showing against president in first national primer in New Hampshire. We wonder about forty two percent of the vote. Johnson did win but narrowly at that point, Robert Kennedy Step forward, but we need in the United States is not division, What we need in the United States is not hatred, but his love and wisdom caution toward one another. That's from are of key speech after Martin Luther kings, assassination of course, March thirty. First, nineteen sixty eight Lyndon Johnson shock the nation by decided he would not run reelection. Certainly the centre did not hold so you have it

anti war activists following Kennedy, Mccarthy, and there was no actual establishment candidate for a couple of weeks. Finally, Hubert Humphrey Device Present United States with Johnson's blessing, began to feel that central place. Humor Humphrey, however, did not run in any of the presidential primaries. He already had inside your support, so he could get delegates without running in the primaries. Kennedy and Mccarthy didn't have insider support, so they needed to try to win delegates and Kennedy began to emerge, as has the likely winner of those few primer, but all of the primary of indicated it was the people in the Democratic Party and the people in the United States wants to change and that change can come about only if they, those who are delegate

in Chicago, recognise the importance of what has happened here and the state of California. What has happened in South Dakota? We want to deal with our own problems within our own countries and we want peace in Vietnam. That was the last speech he would ever get, Senator Robert F Kennedy, who won the California primary last night, just completed, making his victory speech in the ballroom of them ass. It our hotel, in LOS Angeles, when he was shot Kennedys assassination, which happened following a primary that he had one also sort of intensified the situation and heightened distrust. That's Kate. On Europe, I'm an assistant professor of political science at Virginia attack. The party was headed essential of being ripped apart by the events of nineteen sixteen, and so that need to do something to change the process so that it didn't

become so what divisive that the Democratic Party couldn't really survive on. Did you before we get to Chicago. Let's stop in Hartford, we'll start our trip in the north central part of another. In the capital city of argument, the changes to the Democrats, nominating process traced back to the Connecticut State Convention in late June of nineteen sixty eight weeks after our case assassins. It all starts there and that is literally the birth of this big reform movement. That's been Goodman, he's written extensively about the price system. You know what a group of activists in Connecticut came together and not we changed the way that we elect presidents but changed our national parties work. Change, however, President's govern and run the ashes.

Parties when they're in office by the time of the Connecticut Convention, Mccarthy was the remaining major anti war. Candidate mccartin supporters are finally as the really accepted for the candidate did it's real. The difficult to elect delegates. But the state party conventions, but then on to the national convention. Mccarthy AIDS were able to get enough support such that a quarter of the state's convention, delegates backed Mccarthy and therefore we too, point of view that entitle us to quarter of the delegates. There were The national convention that's Jeffrey Cowan, who was a Mccarthy supporter at the stake Convention and Yale law student at the time, but the chair of the Connecticut Democratic Party was only offering the Mccarthy eight nine of the forty four days. Gets to the national convention. Fewer than a quarter did chairman. John Bailey tries to get a compromise. Together and offers, and other sat a man of delegates to the Mccarthy AIDS, but

We are in no mood to compromise their insurgents. They ve had it the establishment and I say they're going to do something else. Right we walked out and walked over This, I think, looking at it, looks like a by five hundred people went to this new counter convention. A whale there, the Mccarthy AIDS nominated more delegates to the convention, but they went even further than we thought if we can create a commission that would set for some rules that could create a argument that could be how the rules committee as to why ARC Ardelia should be seated and so Cowen and his fellow activists reached out to prominent Mccarthy supporters around the country. They set up a commission and wrote a report arguing the delegates should be selected in portion to their popular support and then they get the governor of Iowa. Harold Hughes was the Mccarthy supporter to Chair the commission, along with Minnesota congressmen Don Frazier. So they get this together

and then they had in to the national. I am ready to change the rules and it just so happens that one of the Mccarthy Delegates from Connecticut who helped set up the commission was also on the rules committee at the National Convention in Chicago there. The Mccarthy rights would have the opportunity to present their report and argue for party wide reforms a few months after the Connecticut Convention. In August all the tumult of nineteen sixty eight came to a head at the Democratic national convent, in Chicago they were Anti war protests in the streets and the police responded with vines, Members of the Youth International Party, GPS. They call themselves converged on Chicago. They said they were there to protest the war, poverty, racism and other

the social ills merit Your daily vowed to keep a peaceful even if it force to keep the bee's knees was inside me invention? There was a similar kind of rancor. There were at least I was in delegates who believed that the Democratic Party had to repudiate the war in Vietnam, but they were outnumbered by those who were boil the President Johnson and his successor, Hubert Humphrey. Go alone. I the convention of the Democratic Party nominating tonight candidate for the presidency. Outside get most of the news, whether police, bloody and heads of demonstrators. There is tremendous bitterness, within the hawks self famous people get up on the podium of the Democratic Party platform and aid they could, hold out the violence on the streets of Chicago, and they said that. Ways. What was happening in the streets of Chicago mirrored what was happening in Vietnam,

famously a senator from Connecticut, talked about Gestapo tactics in the streets or Chicago, George Mcgovern as president of the United Nations. We want I that both back God, that's Senator Abraham Ribicoff from Connecticut, as you heard from his speech, he was backing yet another anti war candidate, George Mcgovern Mug, didn't enter the race until early August of nineteen sixty and he split the end Do our votes at the convention with Mccarthy one thousand. Sixty eight democratic convention was filled with scenes. I think they're just but mesmerized the american people and in many ways appalled, Peggy job. You intend to arrest me, don't don't push me. There's incredible. Images of reporters bring pummelled and pushed around with in the convention then rather famously

in the stomach well guarded got a man and we got your bodily pushed out of the waves of the kind of like a thing going on outside the personally. Let it happen inside and those reporters we're broadcasting to a tv audience, the size of which is unheard of. Today. Apart from the super, believe it or not. In those days, many many millions of people watch, I think, somewhere in the vicinity of seventy five. Eighty million people at points during the week the number actually reached and ass. They made ninety million, which was almost half of the american public in nineteen. Sixty eight, those tens of millions of Americans. What's that television is familiar Chicago, richer, J, daily mouthed, some quite straightforward, vulgar epitaph towards the stage with those comments for being May boys butted his eye, we don't know for sure, wasn't picked up by any audio, but Lip readers Seti said somebody ineffective,

are you? Jewish cocksucker go homer. You belong something to that effect Even all this turmoil. It was still pretty much guarantee that the establishment candidate Humphrey, would win the nomination Vice President Putin's Humphrey is an ominous of the Democratic Party, the presidency of the United States. They went over by some five and a half, both the third pillar, the thirteen hundred and eleven, and a happy needed, though the proud Humphrey supported Elite Goin while there, but it wasn't a total loss for the Democrats, Anti WAR faction and those looking to reform the system what these activists and again starting Connecticut, starts with kind of this core group, but with kind of Mccarthy support

we are now in Chicago, they pushed three reform commissions out of the sixty convention. Humphrey may have won the nomination, but the reform there is one in their own quieter way what was happening in the Committee is happening on the convention floor is, is one of the most. Consequential moments in american politics in in the last century. Now, what conventions are just where presidential nominees archers there, also where parties, meet to adopt a platform and make any changes to the rules of the party and the Mccarthy supporters led by the Connecticut delegation were focused unchanging, those The rules committee comes to the floor with a majority report can begin. The national convention citizens can adjust pass people not paying too close attention, but the Mccarthy supporters, quickly are able to get the minority report under the floor. A minority

The report is something like the dissenting opinion from a court, except in this case the delegate still get to vote on whether they want to implement it. And most delegates, don't really know what's going on, and they only here, the first part or. Firstly, in the first part of the resolution, amid the confusion, the governor of Missouri Warren Hearns cast his states. Seventy eight votes in favour of the minority report Ironically Missouri own delegation had not been selected and particularly democratic manner. Its debate whether hearts himself was lobbied by Mccarthy supporters or whether he was just truly confused either way those votes proved too. I said, and it passes out the this report from the Mccarthy operative new light. Siegel, who said quote the Democratic Party, reform movement was born out of confusion, thanks to the support of a governor who had preside over one of the most undemocratic systems of delegates election in the country, what poetic justice,

What also we came out of the nineteen sixty eight democratic national convention was a mandate. This study and implement? more of major changes to how the party selects its nominees. One of them was too, focus on participation without regard to race, color, creed or national origin. Another called for the examination of the unit whirl, which was a rule that gave them Georgie of States delegation the ability to cast the votes of the entire delegation, and then the third is the biggest. Which says all feasible. Efforts have been made to assure that the delegates are selected through an open and fair process, in other words, no more caucus meetings on trains. Instead, the delegate selection process would have to be open to all. A party members, but what happened next, of course, is I'm sure you know that I have already called Mr Nixon Nixon defeated Humphrey by a very narrow margin.

And the Democratic Party realized it had a very polarized electorate and a very polarized political establishment on its hands. And almost immediately when the new head of the Democratic National Committee took charge of the first things he did. Nineteen sixty nine was say we have to change the rules. In the wake of losing the nineteen sixty eight election, the Democratic Party put together the Mcgovern Fraser Commission, charged with deciphering the resolutions passed at the sixty eight convention and turning them into space. Traffic rules for the state parties to follow their waste. Debate, overly what exactly the resolution's meant, but they ultimately settled on dramatic changes to how the party would select candidates. Here's a lane came here is the rule

delegates from nineteen. Seventy two on we're supposed to fairly reflect the division of presidential preferences that was expressed. I either at the precinct caucus level or in the primary and vat, was just one the changes to the process. The Mcgovern Frazier Commission led out numerous new rules. The states how to comply with a primary was easier to sort of fulfil those requirements. Then it was to hold it. I guess that that those requirements, and so many states simply adopted a primary where that leads us from sixteen primary contests in nineteen sixty eight to thirty by night. Seventy six. So you you very quickly, and this becomes apparent in the nineteen seventy to contest you're very quickly. Going from the smoke filled rooms that we always hear about, choosing their democratic. Now many too tat it is state by state contests like we know today the reform

Was that came out of the Mcgovern Frazier Commission we're almost shockingly effective. No one intended this to happen, but what happened from that commission was that the party leadership took a backs in the nomination process and primaries became more and more important and so what you have by the nineteen seventy two convention, Ninety nine percent of all delegates have been elected through a transparent process, the percent Minorities heads substantially increased and every state had adopted new party roles, and while these weeping reforms started with the Democratic Party, Republicans worse wrapped up along with them, because the reforms were passed into state. One The rules would continue to change over the coming decades, but the post nineteen sixty eight reforms the most significant to this day, because

what happened in nineteen sixty eight, the Democratic Party, a stab men went a long way in removing itself from the process and letting in rank and file, for I am here today because I really want to get to know some of the candidates more. I have a hand all that are very high on my list that I'm interested in, but I dont know a whole lot of specifics about them. Right file boaters like carry forest all who use her downtime from selling ice cream at the irish state. Fair to listen to candidate speeches are what are you looking for when you watch ray, I look As someone who is not divisive, I look for as someone who has a wholesome image yet can be strong and kind. At the same time, While I was still uses a carcass as opposed to a primary carcasses, are open

to anyone who identifies as a Democrat, I am registered as a Democrat, so that I can participate in the carcass process. I tend to vote independently. I am socially illiberal fiscally conservative voter, I was particular status as the first state two way and is the product of happenstance since it has a lengthy delegates. Selection process went first in nineteen. Seventy two, the first elections under the new system. It wasn't clear, then that going first would give the states voters an outsider, saying something we'll get you more next. But once that became apparent, I will lobbied to keep its possession. They like the attention that the the voters, like the attention and the did officials like the attention? As a result, elected officials in both parties have fought very, very hard. To retain their first in the nation status and have largely been successful in doing so.

I think I'll take this role very seriously and If you like, it's part of my responsibility as an island to get to know these candidates more and a wise, intelligent decision, knowing that it influences the entire country, the posts. Ninety Sixty reforms opened up the process in a profound small de democratic way. That also means it gave people like three people loosely associated with the party, the power, Choose nominees based on things like a horse and image. The consequences of the reforms would continue to play out in both positive and negative ways for the parties. For years,

and given that this system is largely the product of reactionary decisions and happenstance, it's worth thinking through exactly what those consequences are because, after all, this is a big part of how we pay The leader of the free world in the next episode will explore those consequences. I think it's really telling that almost no other democracy chooses its party candidates in this sort of way in nineteen eighty, the establishment, kind of strikes back the strategy and upper reaches of the Republican Party, was simple. Until recently, the man unity behind George W take back the Democratic Party the internet is done is introduced into the process, had element

of this being a reality. Tv show, party elites were unable to come together and or less around a candidate, your voice, the primary school jack, was reported by me. Galen droop and produced by Jake Argyle Jake Arloeux. Also did the engineering and scoring are editor was checked. Like Matlin and Mayas. We learned the fact checking Tony it was our technical director if you want to learn more about how our primary system works had over to the five thirty eight new to channel can get in touch by emailing us at pod, set five thirty eight dot com. You can also, of course, tweeted us with any questions or comments. You're a fan of the show leave us a rating or review in the apple pie. Cast store tell someone about us in particular, tell your friends about the primaries project. Thanks for listening and will see us