Our dubious Constitution (continued)

[Lawrence Solum]

Warren G.. Harding?
___

Lawrence B. Solum
John E. Cribbet Professor of Law
University of Illinois College of Law
504 East Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820-6909
http://lsolum.blogspot.com
lsolum at gmail.com

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...... Original Message .......
On Sat, 18 Mar 2006 21:35:51 -0600 "Sanford Levinson" 
<SLevinson at law.utexas.edu> wrote:
>
>What has the consequence of shifting to primaries instead of "smoke-filled 
rooms" with regard to competence?  One might argue that professional 
politicians would weed out rank incompetents, even if they also tended to 
weed out people who might rock the boat too much.  
> 
>sandy
> 
>
>---------------
>From: conlawprof-bounces at lists.ucla.edu on behalf of guayiya
>Sent: Sat 3/18/2006 8:18 PM
>To: John Bonine (U of O)
>Cc: CONLAWPROF at lists.ucla.edu
>Subject: Re: Our dubious Constitution (continued)
>
>
>Prevention is better than cure.  So, the overlooked question seems to
>be, how can a constitutional design make it harder for an incompetent to
>be elected?
>The electoral college was certainly aimed at this goal, but it did not
>work as planned.  For many years, party elites and public opinion, not
>electors' expert judgment, have been the key factors.
>Not only have inept presidents have been elected, some have been reelected.
>Do we get inept presidents because they encounter challenges for which
>they could not have been prepared--or was their ineptitude visible all
>along?  Should there be additional qualifications?
>Insofar as the ignorance or gullibility of voters are the problem, what
>is the remedy?
>
>Daniel Hoffman
>
>> 
>>
>
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