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Who Hijacked the Primaries?
Human Events ^ | 1/31/08 | Brian Winterble

Posted on 01/31/2008 5:27:28 AM PST by pissant

With John McCain’s all-too-easy road to the nomination paved through Florida and now nearly complete one thing is clear: The Republican Party has been hijacked. Over the past month a new Axis of Evil has emerged -- not one based in Damascus, Tehran or Pyongyang -- but instead in Cedar Rapids, Charleston, South Carolina, Derry, New Hampshire and Boca Raton, Florida. It is the liberal and “independent” voters in these 4 states that have nearly completed a deed that makes Kim Jong Il envious -- the near crippling of the American Electoral System. These four states have combined their native liberal populism with an imported liberal electorate and have forced the GOP to accept a nominee so distasteful that in more than one poll -- the numbers of voters choosing not to vote and those choosing to vote third party actually exceed those who will hold their nose and vote for Maverick, War Hero, Amnesty Supporter, John McCain.

I can hear you saying, “surely you aren’t saying that South Carolina has gone liberal -- are you?” Are you kidding me? Drive through the Carolinas and count the number of license plates from NJ, NY and Pennsylvania. There is not much Dixie in the Carolinas; it’s more like Trenton and Long Island with fireworks. “But”, you protest, “New Hampshire, is Live Free or Die, it’s been a backbone of conservatism since the 1950’s.” No longer my friends -- NH has become an exurb of Boston, with Boston’s sensibilities and, ugh, their voting tastes. NH hasn’t been reliably conservative since Reagan’s first term. These voters would rather be loved by the Boston Globe, than respected by the Union Leader.

But the evidence continues, you say, “Iowa, that’s America, with small town values and homespun sensibilities.” Wrong again -- Iowa is just a state brimming with farmers on the federal dole, college students and ex hippie professors looking to con, libs in training at Grinnell.

And Florida? As my bubbies would say in Bay Ridge -- puhleeeez. It’s the 6th borough and has been since the mid 1960’s. Liberals have been sliding down the I-95 corridor since Kennedy was elected.

Sadly these 4 states have done more than set the tone for the other 46 -- they’ve dictated terms. Frankly I could extend the analogy to include Nevada, which is down to about 13% native -- but why beat a dead horse.

What we have is the sick and twisted dreams of Pinch Sulzberger, Don Imus, Maureen Dowd, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews come true: the GOP has been forced to choose a nominee designed to cause the base to retch, and thereby not vote. Guaranteeing 4 years of Clinton score settling or Obama socializing entire corporate sectors.

Its time to simultaneously bring back democracy to the GOP and defang the left and her Rockefeller accomplices in the new Axis of Evil. It’s time for the nuclear option -- its time for the GOP to front-load the whole freaking process into one date. Make every state vote on exactly the same day. Make every candidate compete in EVERY state at the exact same time and hold every single GOP primary and caucus on Super Tuesday. When NH and IOWA complain, take a page from the Democrats and refuse to seat their delegates, or better yet, declare renegade states as straw polls.

This would balance our nomination process out. There will be no more “Big Mo”, no more singular precincts in obscure Iowa towns setting the tone for the rest of the country. If liberals from Englewood Cliffs NJ want to vote liberal, it’s going to get cancelled out by conservatives in Chattanooga -- who might actually get to vote for Fred. Its time to let Nebraska count as much as New Hampshire. Let Texas matter as much as South Carolina, let Florida be canceled out by California -- as it should be. The only two groups who have benefit from the current process are the media flacks selling the drama and John McCain establishment hacks. Does anyone think Fred Thompson got a fair hearing? Or Duncan Hunter? John McCain does not speak for me…or frankly for any one else, I know.

Folks, we have let the liberals and RINOS set the agenda. Open Borders, Higher Taxes, and surrender to Kyoto-worshipping technocrats. This is the Republican Party? But hey, the McCainiacs counter, “John McCain is a war hero -- right?” Let me be the first to say it’s not about what you did in the 60’s sir -- it’s about what you will do to America in 2009 and beyond.

This is our party, not John McCain’s or Mel Martinez's, or Lindsay Graham’s. The Republican Party is THE conservative party dammit. Let’s admit it and take it back. RINOS and Liberals have taken the GOP plane hostage, and its time for us passengers to revolt…and do what has to be done -- Let’s Roll.


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008; duncanhunter; election2008; fred; fredthompson
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To: Mr. Jeeves
Ronald Reagan's base of WWII veterans is long gone - the average voter today went to school in the Sixties and Seventies, sang "Kumbaya" and engaged in "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF", makes more money than he is worth

Reagan carried the youth vote. There was an army of us twenty-somethings in 1980 who became life long conservatives because of RR. We are not the WWII generation. However, we remain faithful.

41 posted on 01/31/2008 5:58:04 AM PST by outofstyle (My Ride's Here)
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To: pissant

They might have a problem with how things are going in November. A lot of folks (maybe me too, we’ll see) might not bother to make the effort on election day. I see so little difference between McCain and Hillary when it comes to policies that it’s tempting to just spend that day watching an old Ronald Reagan movie.


42 posted on 01/31/2008 5:59:04 AM PST by MizSterious (Deport all the illegals to sanctuary cities.)
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To: pissant

What hurt conservative, GOP candidates the most... was Huckabee and the Evangelical vote. Too many of them vote with their emotions... and not their brains.


43 posted on 01/31/2008 5:59:39 AM PST by johnny7 ("But that one on the far left... he had crazy eyes")
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To: pissant
These four states have combined their native liberal populism with an imported liberal electorate and have forced the GOP to accept a nominee so distasteful...

I've been saying the same thing. The nomination process has been hijacked. Non-Republicans got to pick the GOP nominee.

44 posted on 01/31/2008 6:01:47 AM PST by Aristotelian ("I have a million ideas. The country can't afford them all." Hillary Clinton)
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To: carola
Once George Allen was sidelined it was obvious that we didn’t have a single conservative with stature and name recognition who was not carrying heavy baggage.

RICK SANTORIM

I don't know if he has the name recognition outside of the North East. However, you won't find a better conservative. And he would make an excellent candidate. He has passion energy and youth.

45 posted on 01/31/2008 6:03:04 AM PST by outofstyle (My Ride's Here)
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To: ClearCase_guy

You must live in NH or Iowa. Personally, I’d like to have a say in who are choices are going to be. Building a following slowly? Sure, and fine lot of good THAT did—the best candidates are STILL not on the ballot.


46 posted on 01/31/2008 6:03:24 AM PST by MizSterious (Deport all the illegals to sanctuary cities.)
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To: Mr. Brightside
The problem was that conservatives split their vote between Thompson, Romney, Huckabee and Hunter.

Bingo

47 posted on 01/31/2008 6:04:31 AM PST by frithguild (Credentialed "Arbiter of Conservatism")
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To: livius
Many of them come from socialist countries as well. They really don’t understand home grown Americans. Some try, some don’t, but they have grown up in totally different set if circumstances.
48 posted on 01/31/2008 6:05:56 AM PST by mtnwmn (mtnwmn)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

It’s time for the nuclear option — its time for the GOP to front-load the whole freaking process into one date. Make every state vote on exactly the same day.


We’ll we can’t know the outcome of such a senario had this been the case this time. But I submit that Guiliani may have well been the nominee if this one day senario was the process that had been used this time. It’s for damn sure those down in the 1% ranks wouldn’t have been able to compete national due to lack of funding..... I think had this been in place this time it still would have been fought out between Romney, McCain and Guiliani. Speculation is fun but we’ll never know.

The time to make this process change is at the nominating comvention this fall. That is when the process for the 2012 primary will be adopted. But I don’t see that as likely this fall.


49 posted on 01/31/2008 6:06:19 AM PST by deport ( --5 days Super Tuesday -- [ Meanwhile:-- Cue Spooky Music--])
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To: MizSterious
".....when it comes to policies that it’s tempting to just spend that day watching an old Ronald Reagan movie."

Aw, c'mon...go vote and pretend that it counts. Besides you can get one of those cute stickers ("I Voted")that says you tried.

50 posted on 01/31/2008 6:06:39 AM PST by FixitGuy (By their fruits shall ye know them!)
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To: pissant

All the more reason to boot current RNC leadership. They still call me with their hands out, and I tell them after they get their crap together and start enforcing the laws on illegals, stop spending money like drunken sailors, and LISTEN to what the American people want and DO IT, then they’ll get my money. Until then, I support individual candidates, not the party.


51 posted on 01/31/2008 6:07:32 AM PST by OCCASparky (Steely-Eyed Killer of the Deep)
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To: pissant
All I know is we are in a bad place when conservatives get no traction, and the MSM still carries the day.

This the evil spawn of McCain Feingold. Restricting the free speech of the people elevates the power of the press. That is why nearly all of the big candidates announced their candidacy over some sort of popular media. It is no wonder that the MSM played the largest role in selecting our candidate.

52 posted on 01/31/2008 6:08:37 AM PST by frithguild (Credentialed "Arbiter of Conservatism")
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To: rhombus

But you gotta admit he nailed it when he said NH is a suburb of Boston...at least the Seacoast sure as hell is.


53 posted on 01/31/2008 6:09:05 AM PST by OCCASparky (Steely-Eyed Killer of the Deep)
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To: johnny7
What hurt conservative, GOP candidates the most... was Huckabee and the Evangelical vote.

I believe that this is completely correct. Maybe it is time to re examine what remains of the coalition. I think what could work is fiscal conservatism, strong national defense and a libertarian approach to social issues. A smaller, less intrusive government would work out best for "the evangelicals," even if they can't see that for themselves. The pandering that the party has done to the evangelicals has come home to roost. They have wagged the dog.

54 posted on 01/31/2008 6:09:27 AM PST by outofstyle (My Ride's Here)
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To: cake_crumb
I don’tlike Huckabee but he has won a lot of folks over with his personality.
55 posted on 01/31/2008 6:09:40 AM PST by mtnwmn (mtnwmn)
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To: antisocial

Utter Nonsense.

It’s the state themselves that set primary dates. Not the RNC. The RNC did try to hold back the flood of early primaries, but Michigan and Florida went early anyway. So much for the “control” of the RNC.

As for McCain, for media-hating conservatives the denizens of this site sure take the statements of the MSM as gospel.

John McCain has about 100 delegates. Over 1000 are needed to win. So the nomination will be decided by voters in the next 44 states.

Super Tuesday is not going to end the election. Therefore voters in states that come after Super Tuesday will have a very large role in picking the Republican nominee.

The facts are that McCain is doing better in lots of states. He’s doing better in the Northeast - in N.J., New York and Connecticut. And Huckabee is doing well in the Bible belt: he’s a little ahead in Missouri. Arkansas is his home state, but also doing well in Georgia.

We’ve got a tight 3 way race. Whoever wins it is likely that 2/3 of Republicans won’t have supported him. That’s the nature of 3 way races.

This is actually going to be one of the MOST INCLUSIVE GOP PRIMARY SEASONS ON RECORD.

By contrast the 2000 season was pretty much over after South Carolina. This may well go past Super Tuesday! (And even if it only gets to Super Tuesday that’s over 1/2 the states have had their say before an obvious delegate leader emerged.


56 posted on 01/31/2008 6:10:51 AM PST by Jack Black
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To: pissant
Just curious???/

Anybody wishing that Gingrich would jump in??

Kinda ambivalent about it myself

57 posted on 01/31/2008 6:11:05 AM PST by FixitGuy (By their fruits shall ye know them!)
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To: Hardastarboard
Of course, voting Democrat is like putting your hands in a bucket of sh!t.

If you plan was successfully implemented, it would be well worth it becuase the bucket contents will be thereafter served as a meal.

58 posted on 01/31/2008 6:12:05 AM PST by frithguild (Credentialed "Arbiter of Conservatism")
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To: mtnwmn

He’s a likeable guy, but in my opinion, completely wrong for President. Give him a late night talk show, where he can be clever, folksy, and as liberal as he wants.


59 posted on 01/31/2008 6:12:20 AM PST by MizSterious (Deport all the illegals to sanctuary cities.)
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To: servantboy777
-—————CFR-————

Glad I'm not the only one.

60 posted on 01/31/2008 6:12:48 AM PST by FixitGuy (By their fruits shall ye know them!)
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