How to avoid another RINO nominee? Eliminate primaries.

info please ^ | 2008 | Republican Party

[Brookhaven]

Iowa

Rebublican Caucus Results: Mike Huckabee 34.3%, Mitt Romney 25.3%, Fred Thompson 13.4%, John McCain 13.1%, Ron Paul 10.0%, Rudy Giuliani 3.5%, Duncan Hunter 0.4%

New Hampshire

Rebublican Primary Results: John McCain 37.2%, Mitt Romney 31.6%, Mike Huckabee 11.2%, Rudy Giuliani 8.6%, Ron Paul 7.6%, Fred Thompson 1.2%, Duncan Hunter 0.5%

Michigan

Rebublican Primary Results: Mitt Romney 38.9%, John McCain 29.7%, Mike Huckabee 16.1%, Ron Paul 6.3%, Fred Thompson 3.7%, Rudy Giuliani 2.8%, Duncan Hunter 0.3%

South Carolina

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 33.2%, Mike Huckabee 29.9%, Fred Thompson 15.7%, Mitt Romney 15.1%, Ron Paul 3.7%, Rudy Giuliani 2.1%, Duncan Hunter 0.2%. South Carolina broke Republican National Committee rules by holding an early primary, and the RNC plans to strip the state of half of itss delegates to the national convention.

Nevada

Rebublican Caucus Results: Mitt Romney 51.1%, Ron Paul 13.7%, John McCain 12.7%, Mike Huckabee 8.2%, Fred Thompson 7.9%, Rudy Giuliani 4.3%, Duncan Hunter 2.0%

Florida

Rebublican Primary Results: John McCain 36%, Mitt Romney 31.1%, Rudy Giuliani 14.6%, Mike Huckabee 13.5%, Ron Paul 3.2%, Fred Thompson 1.2%, Duncan Hunter 0.1%

Maine

Rebublican Caucus Results: Mitt Romney 52%, John McCain 21%, Ron Paul 19%, Mike Huckabee 6%

Alabama

Rebublican Primary Results: Mike Huckabee 41%, John McCain 37%, Mitt Romney 18%, Ron Paul 3%

Alaska

Republican Caucus Results: Mitt Romney 44%, Mike Huckabee 22%, Ron Paul 17%, John McCain 16%

Arizona

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 47%, Mitt Romney 34%, Mike Huckabee 9%, Ron Paul 4%

Arkansas

Republican Primary Results: Mike Huckabee 60%, John McCain 20%, Mitt Romney 13%, Ron Paul 5%

California

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 42%, Mitt Romney 34%, Mike Huckabee 12%, Ron Paul 4%

Colorado

Republican Caucus Results: Mitt Romney 59%, John McCain 19%, Mike Huckabee 13%, Ron Paul 8%

Connecticut

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 52%, Mitt Romney 33%, Mike Huckabee 7%, Ron Paul 4%

Delaware

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 45%, Mitt Romney 33%, Mike Huckabee 15%, Ron Paul 2%

Georgia

Republican Primary Results: Mike Huckabee 34%, John McCain 32%, Mitt Romney 30%, Ron Paul 3%

Illinois

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 47%, Mitt Romney 29%, Mike Huckabee 17%, Ron Paul 5%

Massachusetts

Republican Primary Results: Mitt Romney 51%, John McCain 41%, Mike Huckabee 4%, Ron Paul 3%

Minnesota

Republican Caucus Results: Mitt Romney 42%, John McCain 22%, Mike Huckabee 20%, Ron Paul 16%

Missouri

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 33%, Mike Huckabee 32%, Mitt Romney 29%, Ron Paul 4%

Montana

Republican Caucus Results: Mitt Romney 38%, Ron Paul 25%, John McCain 22%, Mike Huckabee 15%

New Jersey

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 55%, Mitt Romney 28%, Mike Huckabee 8%, Ron Paul 5%

New York

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 51%, Mitt Romney 28%, Mike Huckabee 11%, Ron Paul 6%

North Dakota

Republican Caucus Results: Mitt Romney 36%, John McCain 23%, Ron Paul 21%, Mike Huckabee 20%

Oklahoma

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 37%, Mike Huckabee 33%, Mitt Romney 25%, Ron Paul 3%

Tennessee

Republican Primary Results: Mike Huckabee 34%, John McCain 32%, Mitt Romney 24%, Ron Paul 6%

Utah

Republican Primary Results: Mitt Romney 90%, John McCain 5%, Ron Paul 3%, Mike Huckabee 1%

West Virginia

Republican Convention Results: Mike Huckabee 52%, Mitt Romney 47%, John McCain 1%, Ron Paul 0%

Kansas

Republican Caucus Results: Mike Huckabee 60%, John McCain 24%, Ron Paul 11%, Mitt Romney 3%

Louisiana

Republican Caucus Results: Mike Huckabee 43%, John McCain 42%, Mitt Romney 6%, Ron Paul 5%, Rudy Giuliani 1%

Washington

Republican Caucus Results: John McCain 26%, Mike Huckabee 24%, Ron Paul 21%, Mitt Romney 17%

District of Columbia

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 68%, Mike Huckabee 17%, Ron Paul 8%

Maryland

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 55%, Mike Huckabee 29%, Ron Paul 6%

Virginia

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 50%, Mike Huckabee 41%, Ron Paul 5%

Washington

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 49%, Mike Huckabee 22%, Ron Paul 7%

Wisconsin

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 55%, Mike Huckabee 37%, Ron Paul 5%

Ohio

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 60%, Mike Huckabee 31%, Ron Paul5%

Rhode Island

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 65%, Mike Huckabee 22%, Ron Paul 7%

Texas

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 51%, Mike Huckabee 38%, Ron Paul 5%

Vermont

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 72%, Mike Huckabee 14%, Ron Paul 7%

Mississippi

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 78.9%, Mike Huckabee 12.5%, Ron Paul3.9%

Pennsylvania

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 72.7%, Ron Paul 15.9%, Mike Huckabee 11.3%

Indiana

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 77.6%, Mike Huckabee 10%, Ron Paul 7.7%

North Carolina

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 73.5%, Mike Huckabee 12.1%, Ron Paul 7.8%

West Virginia

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 76%, Mike Huckabee 10.3%

Kentucky

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 72.3%, Mike Huckabee 8.2%

Oregon

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 85.1%, Ron Paul 14.9%

Puerto Rico

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 90.8%, Mike Huckabee 4.8%

New Mexico

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 85.9%, Ron Paul 14.1%

South Dakota

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 70.1%, Ron Paul 16.6%

[Brookhaven]

It has puzzled me as to why the Republican party continually not only fails to nominate true conservatives, but nominates candiates that much of their own party can't stand (Bush I, Dole, McCain.) The culprit becomes perfectly clear when you look at the nomination results: PRIMARIES.

This last cycle there was a clear difference between the types of candidates that won primaries and they type that won caucuses.

Caucus winners were more conservative, and had a stronger appeal to the base/grass roots of the party. Primary winners were more moderate and had a more centerist (RINO) appeal.

I haven't gone back in time, but I expect I would find the same thing. I also expect you will find this same phenomenon at other levels as well. Senators (congressmen, govenors, etc...) that go through a primary lean more RINO than those that go through a caucus.

What this tells me is that one of the keys to moving the Republican party back to the right is eliminating primaries and going to a complete caucus system for nominating candidates.

[TNLawyer]

And who did you want to be the nominee in 2008?

[rightwingextremist1776]

If we don’t elect RINOs to begin with...they won’t rise to the top....DON’T vote RINO EVER...Let the ‘Rat win if you must. Tell the RINOs to take a hike.

[Perdogg]

some one has to run. We cannot force people to run if they don’t want to.

[Vaquero]

caucuses gave us Obama over Hitlery.

all things considered we would have been better with Hitlerly. Might have even been able to beat Hitlery in the general...

caucuses are anti-individual. It goes against conservatism and the rugged individualism that built this country.

[PeteB570]

It would also help to limit voters in primaries to be Republicans.

[buffyt]

BUT, WE VOTED AFTER THEY ALREADY ANNOUNCED THAT McCAIN HAD WON IT! Texas I voted for Ron Paul even though I KNEW that McCAIN had been CHOSEN.

Republican Primary Results: John McCain 51%, Mike Huckabee 38%, Ron Paul 5%

[Abby4116]

I think primary elections are fine provided:

1. they are all held on the same day; and

2. states eliminate cross-over primaries.

Given the full party slate in each state, and voting on the same day, I think we would arrive at the strongest candidate.

[Dixie Yooper]

Congratulations! You just posted the weakest field of Republican candidates ever put forth in a presidential election. We can only hope they all step aside for Sarah Palin in 4 years so she can save her money for the election.

[Styria]

The caucus system is what allowed Obama to win, through the use of out-of-state thugs coming in to intimidate people and swarming the caucuses at the last minute.

[UCFRoadWarrior]

Good idea....we must not elect RINOs in the first place.

The GOP could fix this “McCain Problem” of the primaries by doing away with winner-take-all primaries.

The DNC got a lot of media attention for their drawn out campaign...giving Obama and Hillary much more air and face time than McCain.

[pineybill]

It would probably be difficult to eliminate primaries, but Republicans should at least change the rules on all those early primaries that are totally open to Independents. R’s only! It’s our party, let us choose.

[EscapedDutch]

It would also help to limit voters in primaries to be Republicans.

Yes, and they'd have to be registered as such for at least one year.

JP

[Brookhaven]

You’re missing the point.

If you compare the winners of the primaries and the caucuses it is clear there was a difference in the type of candidates chosen.

The primary heavy schedule gave us McCain.

If we have had 50 caucuses, it looks from the results as if either Huckabee or Romney would have one. What is clear is that McCain would not have been the nominee.

[mabelkitty]

I agree. They can start their own party.

[FreedomProtector]

Republicans don't do their job during primaries. They vote based on name recognition and don't do their homework.

A candidate does not need to be well known before the presidential election to be a household name within a week or two.

For example, Sarah Palin was a very strong candidate. Most Americans (thank the MSM promoting RINOs) (many FReepers where promoting her 6 months before McCain picked her) didn't know of the America's most popular Governor before McCain picked her.

We have to overcome the corrupt MSM both in the primaries and in the general election. This hurdle was huge this year when positive stories for Obama outnumbered those for McCain 8 to 1 or 9 to 1. This happens in primaries as well. Conservatives who have a real chance of winning are poo-poo’ed by the corrupt MSM.

[Yo-Yo]

What we need to eliminate are open primaries. Only Registered Republicans get to vote in the Republican primary. Independents get to sit out the primaries.

[The_Reader_David]

The problem is less primaries than it is open primaries. Even if the party has to spend it’s own money rather than letting some Secretary of States office fund the process, we should not allow non-GOP voters to have a hand in the nomination process.

[muawiyah]

Closed primaries or caucuses would pretty much eliminate the difficulty with Democrats crossing over to screw things up.

Shooting, stripping, dressing out and packaging the meat from a Democrat who crossed over in a primary would have the same effect and would disturb all of us much less.

DNC's got it's hands full with this one.

[saganite]

You don’t need to eliminate primaries, you just need for all primary states to restrict voting to registered in state Republicans. (I put in state as a requirement because incredible as it sounds New Hampshire allows out of staters to vote in primaries)