Closed Primaries?

[DiveCon]

And the GOP continues to wonder aimlessly through the woods trying to figure out "what went wrong" ...

no, we know
and we dont need democrats or liberals to tell us



btw, there are democrats that want their primaries closed too

 

[Article 15]

no, we know
and we dont need democrats or liberals to tell us

I was with you guys up until 2004.

There's a reason for that ....

Well, many reasons.

btw, there are democrats that want their primaries closed too

If there is a candidate running who I want to see in the White House, regardless of party, then I want to do everything I can to get them in which includes voting for them in the primaries. I don't like the idea of sitting back and hoping they make it through the primary process without my vote.

 

[Chris]

I have voted for Democrats in local elections. Democrats here aren't Democrats in California nor NY. If you vote for a Republican in CA, you'd be voting for that same person as a Democrat here. A lot of these fireeaters don't seem able to comprehend that there is a very REAL geographical/regional difference as far as who is what.

I always said, if I lived in Mass., I'd probably be a Republican. But I live in Va., and I like our Democrats better.

I have voted for Republicans in the past, but I still consider myself a Democrat.

 

[DiveCon]

I was with you guys up until 2004.

There's a reason for that ....

Well, many reasons.



If there is a candidate running who I want to see in the White House, regardless of party, then I want to do everything I can to get them in which includes voting for them in the primaries. I don't like the idea of sitting back and hoping they make it through the primary process without my vote.

well, you can always change your registration

 

[Article 15]

I always said, if I lived in Mass., I'd probably be a Republican. But I live in Va., and I like our Democrats better.

I have voted for Republicans in the past, but I still consider myself a Democrat.

I live in MA. I'm am pretty much what passes for a Republican here.

 

[Article 15]

well, you can always change your registration

I dig having Independent status.

 

[DiveCon]

I dig having Independent status.

gee, life is rough

 

[Cecilie1200]

And the GOP continues to wonder aimlessly through the woods trying to figure out "what went wrong" ...

Nope. They know. They just aren't sure what to do about it, since there is no operation at the present time to attach testicles to wimpy little nancyboys.

On the whole, it beats the Democrat solution when THEY lose of throwing an eight-year screaming tantrum, complete with bedwetting.

 

[Article 15]

Nope. They know. They just aren't sure what to do about it, since there is no operation at the present time to attach testicles to wimpy little nancyboys.

On the whole, it beats the Democrat solution when THEY lose of throwing an eight-year screaming tantrum, complete with bedwetting.

So are you guys just figuring it out?

Because I thought it was obvious after the 2006 elections ...

 

[NOBama]

No wonder you people are so ornery. If I still lived in MA, I'd be ornery too.

Gunny’s right though, we should NOT have to tow a party line. Why would anybody not want the freedom to vote their conscious? It boggles my mind. There is no allegiance to a party, the only allegiance is to the Constitution.

When we lose our freedom to vote our conscious, which is what some of you people are advocating for, I don’t see the point of voting. That happens frequently in closed primary states because, for whatever reason, people didn’t reregister by the deadline. So, they just stay home on primary day - disenfranchised.

 

[glockmail]

I live in MA. I'm am pretty much what passes for a Republican here.

Anyone who lives in MA basically has no vote in national elections. The commonwealth has been solid Democrat for as long as I can remember. Hell they even went for McGovern in, what, '72?

 

[AVG-JOE]

well, you can always change your registration

In Florida, you must register as a Republican, Democrat or 'No Preference'.

I registered as an NP because I am an independent; consequently I don't get to vote in any primary. Personally, I believe I should be able to vote in either, but not both.

-Joe

 

[Article 15]

Anyone who lives in MA basically has no vote in national elections. The commonwealth has been solid Democrat for as long as I can remember. Hell they even went for McGovern in, what, '72?

Reagan '84.

 

[DiveCon]

In Florida, you must register as a Republican, Democrat or 'No Preference'.

I registered as an NP because I am an independent; consequently I don't get to vote in any primary. Personally, I believe I should be able to vote in either, but not both.

-Joe

why should you be able to vote in either, you chose not to join either
you get what you give
join a party(the give), vote in the primary(the get)

 

[Cecilie1200]

So are you guys just figuring it out?

Because I thought it was obvious after the 2006 elections ...

What "just"? I've been throwing it up in their faces for years. I don't see any reason to quit now.

 

[Cecilie1200]

No wonder you people are so ornery. If I still lived in MA, I'd be ornery too.

Gunny’s right though, we should NOT have to tow a party line. Why would anybody not want the freedom to vote their conscious? It boggles my mind. There is no allegiance to a party, the only allegiance is to the Constitution.

When we lose our freedom to vote our conscious, which is what some of you people are advocating for, I don’t see the point of voting. That happens frequently in closed primary states because, for whatever reason, people didn’t reregister by the deadline. So, they just stay home on primary day - disenfranchised.

It's "conscience", and what does any of this lofty-sounding bilge have to do with the question of primary elections?

Oh, and that last part? I'm supposed to be horrified because we didn't get the "benefit" of the votes of alleged adults who are too frigging stupid and disorganized to manage to get registered to vote and thus disenfranchised themselves? Presidential elections are FOUR YEARS APART. If they can't pull their heads out of their rectums long enough to get registered to vote in FOUR YEARS, they don't NEED to vote, and we don't need to hear from them.

 

[Cecilie1200]

In Florida, you must register as a Republican, Democrat or 'No Preference'.

I registered as an NP because I am an independent; consequently I don't get to vote in any primary. Personally, I believe I should be able to vote in either, but not both.

-Joe

WHY "should" you be able to vote in the primary of a party you chose not to join? Do the Kiwanis allow the Rotarians to come vote for their officers?

 

[glockmail]

Reagan '84.

Did they? RU sure?

 

[Tech_Esq]

How would you define 'active'? Wouldn't any subjective measure be used to exclude? People are active in different ways, some are not documentable.

I would scrap the two-party system... We could have several open votes, starting with internet polls based on resumes posted by interested candidates, moving from all to 50 to 20 to 10. The top 10 could be narrowed to 5 and then to 2 who face off in a general election. The most popular ideas, regardless of party affiliation, would be brought forward for public debate.

The two-party system rarely puts the best candidates on the ballot, and concentrates way too much power into the hands of the party elite and their corporate sponsors.

-Joe

It's cute to talk about scrapping a two party system until you look at places that have done just that. What that creates is constant instability. Look at places like France and Italy where the panoply of parties have traditionally created profound instability in government with governments falling as many as four and five times a year. I think there was one stretch in post WWII France where they have 56 governments in 10 years.

That kind of instability is probably not helpful. You would feel better represented by your representatives though.

 

[Lycurgus]

It seems that most of the people attending the Republican Governors Association Conference in November feel that the Republican Party needs to become more conservative in order to win in the future. To that end, many people in the party are looking at the idea of closing Republican primaries to anyone who is not actually registered as a Republican.

That's too bad. I'm not affiliated with any political party and refuse to ever be.