Angry Republican leaders ready to shut door on open primaries

[Geee]

Washington Times:

CHICAGO — Any party that allows its opponents to help pick its candidates in “open” primaries is a PPINO — a “political party in name only” — say many Republican officials at their annual summer meeting.

 

Republican National Committee members and activists are still seething about reports that longtime Sen. Thad Cochran, Mississippi Republican, enlisted Democrats to help him win his tough primary contest this summer against state Sen. Chris McDaniel, who was backed by the tea party.

 

They would seem to have an ally in the GOP boss, but the sentiments of the entire party and the prospects for changing state laws are unclear.

 

At least one committee member plans to press the issue at the RNC meeting, which opened Wednesday.

 

[Valin]

@Geee

 

I've been advocating this for years.

 

 

 

Falling party membership

Membership in both major parties has been dropping as voters migrate to the independent or “no party” column. Open primaries may have something to do with that, some Republican leaders said.

“It’s self-evident that members of a political party joined that party for the very reason that they wanted to nominate candidates of their choosing, specifically and clearly excluding folks in other parties from participating,” said Missouri GOP Chairman Ed Martin. “This mushiness of open primaries accounts for the severe drop in party affiliation of late. There is no ‘value’ in belonging to a political party.”

 

Exactly correct.

Stand by for the Paulbots to scream and holler.

[Cyber_Liberty]

FTA, from RNC Standing Rules Committee Chairman Bruce Ash of Arizona:

 

“How could anyone in America today be truly politically independent if they have a brain or a heart?” Mr. Ash said. “If someone cannot make up their mind which side they are pulling for today, they probably lack a brain, a heart and can’t be trusted to cast a ballot intelligently.”

Well stated. I was glad to see Mr. Ash is from AZ.

 

I think this comes down to who's paying for the Primary Elections. If the State is footing the bill, it's going to be pretty difficult to get the Rats in the State legislatures to close the Primaries. After all, the open primaries are working out pretty well for them. If the Republicans are willing to pay for their own Primary, then they can set the rules themselves, screw the Rats.

 

As long as the GOP is willing to take the States' money to run the Primaries, then things will only get even worse for them. I disagreed very strongly with almost every word Haley Barbour said in this article. Of course, he's in a difficult position, since he has to support old Thad, even though he cheated to win the runoff election.

[Cyber_Liberty]

 

@Geee

 

I've been advocating this for years.

 

 

 

Falling party membership

Membership in both major parties has been dropping as voters migrate to the independent or “no party” column. Open primaries may have something to do with that, some Republican leaders said.

“It’s self-evident that members of a political party joined that party for the very reason that they wanted to nominate candidates of their choosing, specifically and clearly excluding folks in other parties from participating,” said Missouri GOP Chairman Ed Martin. “This mushiness of open primaries accounts for the severe drop in party affiliation of late. There is no ‘value’ in belonging to a political party.”

 

Exactly correct.

Stand by for the Paulbots to scream and holler.

 

I find the tears of Paulbots delicious.