Reforming the Nomination Process — Again.

While President Ronald Reagan sat unopposed in the White House, enjoying the incumbent's privilege of acting statesmanlike and above the fray of mere politics, the Democrats took potshots at each other along the primary trail. Having reformed the nomination process to give representation to all its various minorities and interest groups, the party had discovered unforeseen snags in 1980 and subsequently tinkered with the rules again. Among the reforms was a requirement that all delegate selection, whether by primary or caucus or open meeting, take place within a three-month period — an attempt to reduce the cost of drawn-out primary-season campaigns and lessen the impact of media reporting on later contests. The states were also given more flexibility in the methods by which they selected delegates. To avoid dividing up delegates among many candidates with only...