“The Weakest Link” is a television game show breaking the mold in its humiliation and trivialization of players. The show is hosted by Jane Lynch (her name ironically is well suited). Eight contestants initially compete for illusory pie in the sky winnings of up to $1 million. Weak link participants are “eliminated” round by progressive round, until only two remain. The ousted depart with a deprecating fair thee ill. Each round of questions has a base of $1,000. Possible winnings in the first round start at $25,000. Following rounds progressively climb to $500,000. Players must correctly answer trivia questions by climbing Jacob’s Ladder of accumulating winnings which may be “banked” as retained amounts. An incorrect answer breaks the chain. Winnings not prior “banked” plummet to $1,000. The players initially cooperate in order to accumulate as much money as possible by voting to eliminate players with weak trivia savvy. Toward the end of the game, after the trivia duds have been eliminated, the weakest link metrics flip-flop. The strongest link correctly answering more questions and banking the most money strategically becomes the weakest link in the final round in which only the two surviving players vie against each. The player answering more questions correctly in the final round gets the relatively modest loot accumulated. The loser gets zilch, nada, with a dash of Homo Lynchiens ridicule.
In the domain of entertainment, “The Weakest Link” has its political counterpart in Colorado primary election laws. The quiz show is however dwarfed in comparison with the Inquisition of primary election politics. The two major political parties conduct primary elections in advance of general elections in November. Separate primary elections are held to nominate a party’s candidate to run for the office of president (voters actually vote for electors to represent them in the Electoral College). Primary elections are semi-closed. Political party local precinct caucuses are the first round, followed by a second round of state assemblies. These are closed (restricted to registered party members). At the assembly stage, up to two candidates per elective office may be placed on the political party’s primary election ballot. These proceedings cull the weakest candidates. Up to two strongest-link aspirants for each office are then placed on the party’s primary ballot in the third and final round of a primary election. A political party’s winners vie for office at a general election. The winner gets the office sought. The loser gets zilch, nada, with a dash of shame coming from defeat.
As in “The Weakest Link” game show, the primary elections game flip-flops in the third round. Unaffiliated registered voters may cast a ballot for candidates of either party, but not both. They can strategically launch biases by voting for the weakest link of a political party’s candidate they oppose. The infusion of unaffiliated blood into the veins of a political party coagulates and clots the party’s circulatory system of genuine party adherents. This threatens the integrity and viability of our nation’s two major party political system which has long served as a cornerstone of political continuity and stability. Countries with multiple parties having a consensus breaking leverage in their nation’s political destiny often vacillate and become unhinged due to unstable or fragile coalitions.
A PAC (political action committee) pools campaign contributions to fund political campaigns which advocate the election of their party’s candidates. In the latest Colorado primary elections, they stealthily expended gobs of money directed against candidates of the opposing party deemed the strongest link, or favoring its weakest link, enhancing the odds that their party’s candidates will prevail in the general election. They pushed divisive prejudices or single issue hot buttons directed at candidates of the opposing party. Such psychological gerrymandering transmogrifies political debate by harboring a manipulative undercurrent. This practice, as territorial gerrymandering, constitutes a subterfuge inimical to electoral integrity based on open and transparent debate inherent in democracy. Legitimate political advocacy occurs when political parties place their cards on the table face up for the voters to consider, touting the merits of their candidates and the key issues they advocate, rather than debasing the opposition with up the sleeve jokers which even would cause Jane Lynch to blush with acute embarrassment.
Ralph Josephsohn is a longtime resident of Longmont and a semi-retired attorney.
