Posted on 02/17/2015 9:19:19 AM PST by cotton1706
President Richard M. Nixon once advised his fellow Republicans, “Run to the right in the primary election, and then run to the center in the general election.” That advice may now be backward.
Today, relatively moderate contenders are more likely to win nominations. Then they move away from the center to rally the base in the general election. The new rule is: “Unite the party and divide the voters.”
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush says he won’t pander to the conservative base to win the Republican nomination. Bush told a meeting of chief executives in December, “Lose the primary to win the general without violating your principles.” In other words, run as who you are.
Of course, you do have to win the primary to be able to run in the general. Can a centrist candidate do that? Neither Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2008 nor Mitt Romney in 2012 was a favorite of conservatives. How did they unite the party? Both chose running mates to their right. Strong hostility to Barack Obama helped solidify conservatives’ support.
In the New York Times, Nate Cohn has written about “the surprising power of blue-state Republicans” in the nominating process. He explains that Republicans from states that Obama won (i.e., blue states) are “all but extinct in Washington, since their candidates lose general elections to Democrats.” But “blue-state Republicans still possess the delegates, voters and resources to decide the nomination.”
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.reuters.com ...
They have stacked the deck more over the years. Last time, all the more conservative states were proportional, while the more liberal were winner take all. No Conservative could pick up enough delegates to make it close, or they would make progress and some state like Michigan or Illinois would slam the Establishment guy back to the top.
And in return the conservative base won't vote for him....and another Marxist will be elected therefore....farewell America.
While states like CA, NY, Il, PA are reliably blue in general elections, they still have a vote in GOP primaries. Every state counts in presidential primary elections.
Since I live in CA and our primary is in June, it is usually settled long before I get to vote in the primary.
I thought this old commie died a long time ago. He is seventy and looks even older.
LibRATs love them some open republican primaries. It’s like free cheese.
“or they would make progress and some state like Michigan or Illinois would slam the Establishment guy back to the top.”
Yep, because MI and IL are exactly the same.
Both controlled 100% by Republicans, both are RTW, both allow everyone to openly carry handguns with no permits required, and both have conservatives solidly in control of the state courts.
Neither is the big problem the order of the primaries, the marathon structure or anything of the sort so much as it is the allocation of delegates.
A fairer system would award:
And, yes, Wyoming might actually end up with more delegates than Massachusetts under this formula. If it is unfair, then it is unfair to Wyoming, which has delivered 12 of 12 possible electoral votes to the GOP ticket over the last four election cycles whereas Massachusetts has deliverd exactly 0.
I might take it a step further. I would not necessarily mind going back to the idea of “brokered” conventions and smoke filled rooms-—as long as isn’t pot.
But instead we get Iowa-BLUE STATE!
Then New Hampshire-BLUE STATE!
To Choose our Candidates.
But no, The GOP loves the Dems choosing the candidates, it is a major peg of the Uniparty.
Democrats cross over in the Red Hampshire GOP primary to elect who they feel is the WEAKEST Republican candidate so their TRUE candidate has an easier time in the general. The Red Hampshire primary should be LAST.
Republicans follow a proven formula of allowing solidly democrat states - especially in the Northeast - to hold the early primaries so that the more “moderate” i.e. liberal candidates build up an early lead in delegates.
Blue states also tend to be winner take all states, so a liberal walks away with everything and a conservative walks away with nothing.
In a red, winner-take-percentage state, the liberal walks away with at least a few votes.
The GOPe also likes open primaries and now we are going to have millions of foreign illegal aliens able to vote
Well .. since the 2014 election, there are MORE RED states than they are blue .. and that means .. R Gov; R state houses.
So .. they’re dreaming if they believe all these R states are going to vote for Jeb Bush (who is the person they want).
But .. they’re not going to get their wish .. and I keep wondering if Jeb will even make it through the debates; especially against Walker and Cruz.
The GOPe is just happy to be at the prom....they don’t give a flip if they hold a majority. In fact, they act like they PREFER to stay the (fat and happy) minority...as long as their DC perks stay the same :(
And both have milquetoast Republicans in charge of the party.
MI governor is a RINO, but the rest in control of the state aren’t.
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