CT's post is backwards.
The Republican Party elite decides who's going to be the candidate. The Democrats to their credit let the rank and file decide. And that to their detriment will cost them 2008.
The GOP elite made us swallow Ford, Reagan they didn't get their way, read my lips Bush, Dumb Dole and W. Lucky for us W is sticking to his promises to the base.
What a load of crap. The elite as you call them have to find a way for their candidate to win the primary election. You'll remember Reagan ran against Ford in 1976 and GOT HIS BUTT WHIPPED by FORD. Ford had gone after the volunteer workers in the party and had them sewed up. Reagan was playing Hollywood media star and Ford's party volunteers whipped Reagan's butt at the polls.
But Reagan learned his lesson. He spent 1977, 78, and 79 out there winning the support of the grass roots Republicans. Reagan campaigned for candidates and worked for the people who make up the party. The elite, as you call them, then supported Reagan in 1980. Reagan like all candidates had to win the support of those that do the actual work of winning elections.
Reagan did finally figure out how to do it. Goldwater did the same thing between 1960 and 1964. Worked his butt off to take over the party. Party officials get elected by party members and Goldwater got people to the Republican party elections to get his followers in charge of the Republican party. They got him the nomination in 1964.
Nixon did the same thing between 1965 and 1968. But Reagan was clueless in 1976.
As to your statement that Democrat rank and file control who wins Democratic primaries.. that has to be the one statement that proves how little you know about politics. The Democrats have always had fantastic grass roots efforts. The Democratic party elite, other wise known as Union Officials, vote the dead and the alive. They buy a lot of the alive and pay polling place workers to vote the dead. The union workers pick voters up .. tell them whom to vote for, and take them to the polls. Then they pay them with booze and money.
All you are saying is you are totally ignorant of how our two party system works. The elites, as you call them, do a lot to win primaries and general elections in both parties.. By your nomenclature.. I MUST BE A REPUBLICAN ELITE.
How do we Republican Elites control who gets nominated? It is simple .. We devote 10 to 12 weekends working phone banks and door to door to get our candidate enough votes to win the nomination. We campaign our tails off in the general election, and we win lots of elections.
Here in Ohio everyone agrees that Blackwell is the conservative Candidate for Governor. A Year ago I wrote his campaign offering to be volunteer. What I got back was a request for money. Blackwell did not want grass roots workers... he wanted money. He didn't get any money from me.
On the other hand the so called RINO candidate had her staff contact me. I did not contact her campaign.. Her campaign got the names of the Bush volunteers who actually worked a lot on the Bush campaign. That is she got the names of the people who won Ohio and reelected George Bush President. That was not hard to do. Blackwell and Petro could have done the same. She had her campaign contact every one of us.
She asked all of us in each of the 88 counties to meet with her in our county. She came to us. She went to all 88 counties in Ohio to ask for local party officials support. NO other candidate did.
She spent about a quarter of an hour talking to me.. Asking my views... looking for areas of agreement and emphasizing them. She asked for my support.
Guess what ... SHE GOT IT!.. She did not ask for money.. She asked me to get her votes in the coming primary. She got at least 25 of the local Republican ELITE as you call them to work for her. Blackwell on the other hand couldn't be bothered with actually doing anything other than send form emails begging for money. Blackwell could not be bothered coming to meet with we ELITE.. He just sent form emails saying SEND MONEY!!!.
That is why Blackwell, like many ignorant conservatives is likely going to get his butt whipped come primary election.
You whine and cry about how the party elite select candidates. All you are saying is you don't care enough to do what the elite do.. What we do is work the precincts and phone banks to get out the vote for our candidates.
You're guys either don't run or ignore the people who could elect them.. If you want to know why your guys nearly always get beat... look in the mirror.
You have yet to be correct about anything, in all of the years I have read your posts to FR, I am not surprised at all, that you neither agree with CT's post nor comprehend it. You have virtually NO political savvy or understanding.
The "elite" as you call them, have always and ever "picked" the presidential candidates. The Dems gave up on that with Clinton. He may have won, but he didn't help the Dems any, in the long run. And if you don't think that the Den "elites" had a hand in picking Kerry, then you're even more far gone, than I ever thought you are.