Krist Novoselic had some good points

Krist Novoselic posts a diary on Washblog.com today, and I'm happy that he's putting out there issues that as Democrats (and Republicans for that matter) pretty much ignore. We allow out state party to sue over the primary election, but we don't discuss much a system we'd rather see. I know Republicans would rather not see tons of people vote or get involved, but as Democrats we should more seriously our role in politcal life and how we can increase participation, not just in voting but in general.

I like this graph the best, but read the entire thing for yourself:

The grassroots of the major parties are weak. Their abdication only makes more room for initiative peddlers, media, political consultants and the special interests that fund the whole enterprise.

The solution is more participation based in the notion of people coming together for the common good. The party rank-and-file can and need to resolve the current crisis by holding precinct nominating conventions and endorsing Ranked Choice Voting. The alternative is continued irrelevance.