What has happened in the last twenty years or so is that a vocal, animated minority is able to influence decisions and elections far above their actual numbers.
In the electoral process we have effectively replace the old system of selectin candidates by party regulars with an unpredictable and easily swayed primary process.
If the primaries actually represented the will of the party it would be fine, but in todays age we still have very small turnout generally and the ones who turnout are often the ones that want something specific.
Of course we live in an age where voting should be easier but this system favors what might be best called a new elite. Activists who can motivate maybe 10% of an electorate can often sway poor turnout elections. Since activists often have strong opinions that may or may not represent the majority views this leads to candidates who are in fact less representative.
Parties should make it easier to vote for the nominee.
Even outside of politics we see vocal groups dictate many responses. For example something as silly as who should be the next host of a TV show, who should play a particular part in a Movie or whether some one is guilty of some infraction is now often determined by the twitterverse.
Obviously not everyone is on Twitter and not everyone on their posts about these things. Plus, influencers do well if they have a lot of followers so they need to get viral tweets and so they take controversial positions.
I'm often amazed at the amount of influence we give them but I guess its easier than just making an educated informed decision.
We have become more and more superficial.
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