I mean that is in fact what has basically happened. The amount of people who have been able to coast on incumbency for decades now is far higher now than it ever was at any other point in our history.
And I think our voting system is largely to blame for it, save for safe districts, primarying the incumbent is always going to be seen as weakening a candidate who’s already won the district multiple times. With really most non FPTP systems (but IMO especially with STAR and especially especially with multi-seat STAR) where you can just skip the primaries altogether without worry that in party competition will endanger making it easier for the opposition to rally against a divided voting base.
Really all the freaking out about Biden IMO is mostly him just becoming a magnet for everyone’s frustrations about these forever incumbent politicians who have been able to keep being re-elected not necessarily on merit but on the implied threat that if it isn’t them it could be the other side!
I mean that is in fact what has basically happened. The amount of people who have been able to coast on incumbency for decades now is far higher now than it ever was at any other point in our history.
And I think our voting system is largely to blame for it, save for safe districts, primarying the incumbent is always going to be seen as weakening a candidate who’s already won the district multiple times. With really most non FPTP systems (but IMO especially with STAR and especially especially with multi-seat STAR) where you can just skip the primaries altogether without worry that in party competition will endanger making it easier for the opposition to rally against a divided voting base.
Really all the freaking out about Biden IMO is mostly him just becoming a magnet for everyone’s frustrations about these forever incumbent politicians who have been able to keep being re-elected not necessarily on merit but on the implied threat that if it isn’t them it could be the other side!