Trump assault on primaries disempowers the people

Respecting the voice of the people is an essential electoral element to a functioning democracy. Since the Progressive Era at the turn of the 20th Century, primary elections have been a vehicle empowering everyday U.S. citizens in the selection of party nominees for office. People-oriented primary elections reduce the influence of the powerful, the vested interests and political insiders.

It was no surprise to see that the powerful within the National Republican Party have begun removing state presidential primary elections for 2020 as a means of ramrodding Trump's re-election candidacy. Heave...