I’m not sure party membership is all that important in a general election. But the problem is that the people most unhappy with party leadership are making it even easier for them to install the candidates they want. In CA my understanding is that unaffiliated voters can vote in the Democratic primary, but that is not true in most states where primaries are closed.

After spending some time on the local committee of the Democratic Party, I’m starting to change my opinion of whether or not political parties should indeed choose their own candidates rather than allowing uninformed voters do it. People pick shitty candidates all the time.

The more unengaged voters are with the political system, the worse it is for democracy. You can’t be more unengaged than refusing to join a party you’re going to vote for anyway. I remain skeptical that anyone votes for candidates and issues rather than party when the candidates themselves are so polarizing.