Power to the People Means Ripping It from the Party

Just how would the populace go about it, if it were to decided to reclaim the political parties? If the people to be in charge of the parties, not the party leadership in charge of the people, how could that be achieved?

1.) Diminish the role of the leaders. It is the old adage that that government governs best which governs least. Take as many decisions as possible away from not only the party chair, but from the party delegates.

2.) Or, erase the party delegate system altogether. If this is to  be a party of the people, let every person registered in that party participate in a convention. Power to the people.

3.) Minimize the party platform. The fewer the planks, the fewer times party leaders are imposing their will on the people. A smaller platform leaves greater the freedom of choice for the candidates and for the party members. You don't have to follow rule from above because you are no longer letting the party dictate what you shall believe.

3.) Put some restrictions on how many people can be eliminated from the ballot in convention. Even if you let everyone in the party attend the convention, there will be even more party members who choose not to attend. They should not be disenfranchised. Always assure that there are at least two or three candidates on the primary ballot. The right to vote doesn't mean you only have the right to approve the candidate the party selected (albeit that's the way the Soviet Union did it), it means you have a choice of candidates. An election with only one person on the ballot is not an election. 

4.) Here is one responsibility you do not need to rip from the party chair and other party leaders: Let them be responsible for seeking out additional candidates for each primary election. Make it their obligation to ensure that there are at least two candidates in every race. This does give the party leadership some influence on whether there are quality candidates on the ballot. In the end, you want not just to have a preponderance of people running for office, but quality candidates. You will not have quality elected officials unless you have quality people running for office.

5.) But, do not put restrictions attempting to wean out those who might be extreme in their political views. Let them run. It becomes the voters' choice to eliminate the crackpots and kooks.