Republicans moving to overhaul 2016 primary process

CNN ^ | December 11, 2013 | Peter Hamby

[kobald]

A handful of Republican Party officials is quietly advancing a new batch of rules aimed at streamlining a chaotic presidential nominating process that many party insiders viewed as damaging to the their campaign for the White House in 2012, multiple GOP sources told CNN.

In a series of closed-door meetings since August, handpicked members of the Republican National Committee have been meeting with party Chairman Reince Priebus in Washington to hash out details of a sweeping plan to condense the nominating calendar, severely punish primary and caucus states that upend the agreed-upon voting order and potentially move the party's national convention to earlier in the summer, with late June emerging as the ideal target date...

[kobald]

Oh, what a surprise... the GOPe crowd starts rigging the rules to shove their insider down the party's throat.

[Paine in the Neck]

All rules to make it difficult for a grasroots candidate to get momentum. Big money insider candidates favored. Surprise, surprise, surprise.

[ilgipper]

yep, that’s it. The problem in 2012 was ‘the rules’, not the lack of candidates. Romney was a terrible option...although he probably was the least terrible option in that field. The same rules worked fine in 2000 and 2004, and before that when we were winning. The difference today is a lack of candidates and a lack of testicular fortitude to be aggressive against their opponents in the other party.

[nascarnation]

The one thing they DON’T need is endless debates moderated by Journ-0-lists.

[Cicero]

During the last several elections I’ve been saying that either the Republican party reforms, or it will die like the Whigs and be replaced.

I’m afraid we’re past the point of no return. Not a chance that the GOP can be saved.

They’ve been stacking the primaries for years with early voting in liberal and open primary states, making it easy for the Democrats to come in and cheat—as Hillary regularly did, busing her supporters into New Hampshire.

Now that’s not enough for them. They have to stick it to the base even more. NO WAY that they will ever wake up and smell the roses. Too much pork and perks are at stake. They are the Party of Corruption.

The Corrupt Bastards Club, as Sarah Palin named them in Alaska—before she shoveled them out and jailed a few of them. (But now they’re back in Alaska, in the person of Lisa Mudcowski.)

[C. Edmund Wright]

No, but they do need a lot of debates moderated by real conservative media types….THAT’s very instructive, and debates are a good way for a non monied candidate to rise to the top.

[C. Edmund Wright]

Reform should start by nixing this idiotic Iowa/New Hampshire start.

[Red Badger]

Limiting choices and regulating the process so that only favored candidates can afford to run or are even allowed to run.......sounds very communist party to me...............

[gdani]

The current system, where the same states have their primary & caucus elections first every election cycle, needs to end.

I doubt the GOPe agrees.

[Red Badger]

Bingo. There should be a single primary day for everyone. Or at least regional primaries of several states that are connected.......

[C. Edmund Wright]

Sorry, can’t agree with a single primary day. That would be terrible for many reasons, including playing into establishment hands.

[cripplecreek]

Its not exactly new. Rick Santorum tied Romney in Michigan so the Credentials committee got together and changed the rules in the middle of the night.

The Michigan Republican Party (MRP) Credentials Committee voted 4-2 last night to give Mitt Romney both of the state's at-large delegates, State Policy Committee Chair Mike Cox told MIRS today.

Cox was one of two "no" votes on the committee which met via telephone, along with attorney Eric Doster The "yes" votes included GOP National Committeeman Saul Anuzis, a Romney supporter, and MRP Chair Bobby Schostak.

That would put the delegate split at 16 for Romney and 14 for Rick Santorum, after each candidate won 14 delegates apiece in those divided by Michigan's 14 congressional districts.

As MIRS first reported on Wednesday, the MRP was delaying a final decision on the delegate split until after consulting with attorneys.

Cox said that according to the MRP rules, Santorum and Romney should each get one of Michigan's two at-large delegates based on their take of the popular vote.

"I supported Mitt, but the vote was clearly wrong," Cox said of the Credentials Committee. "It's kind of like Third World voting. We published rules and then we voted to change the rules."

http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2012/3/1/163521/7207

[TomGuy]

condense the nominating calendar

Good.

In both 2008 and 2012 my state primary was so late in the spring that the nominee was already selected by the time of the state GOP primary. Thus, the voting for candidates was irrelevant.

[pie_eater]

This could be good for a small candidate. The late convention always means that you can raise limited funds to spend during the primary season, so until you are officially the nominee you can’t spend general election funds. When the candidate is basically chosen and has to sit for a few months unable to raise or spend money, you end up with either a situation like we have had in the past where you mortgage the computers in the office for money, or you can only run and compete if you’re rich. All the while the democrats spend union money and get free press accolades all summer.
A small candidate can win if they’re good enough. Herman Cain was ahead for a while until he imploded. Santorum competed for a long time. It’s not the insider fix that gets RINO candidates the nomination, it’s the fact that other candidates either don’t hold up well under the lights (Rick Perry) or they can’t win in the states that have the early primaries.
Stop putting goofy Iowa and New Hampshire at the front of the line, don’t let independent voters and democrats vote in your primaries, and get out of the way.

[Nifster]

yup the losers want to change the rules so they can keep on losing

[Resolute Conservative]

Amen. Plus have the mall within 45-60 days of each other so more candidates stay in so I am not left voting for left overs.

[cripplecreek]

I think a better primary system would be 5 ten state primary dates with states from each region chosen on a rotating lottery system.

On each date you would get 2 western, 2 eastern, 2 northern, 2 southern, and 2 central states.

[Jane Long]

I don't trust "rule changes" by these clowns.

Didn't the Romney folks try to change the rules to keep grassroots groups from "influencing" the presidential primaries? I'll have to look for info about that.

Also, too bad we gave the DNC permission to commit fraud with the 1982 Consent Decree. It basically says RNC cannot prevent voter fraud....

http://www.truethevote.org/news/summary-of-the-1982-new-jersey-consent-decree

[gitmo]

Our primary last time was one week after the election.

[Zathras]

If they wanted to do something useful they could arrange to have closed primaries at the state level.
Of course McCain and Linda would be opposed to it.