Republican Primary vs. Nomination by Convention

The Greenville (SC) Post ^ | Friday, March 29, 2013 | Article submitted anonymously

[Resettozero]

Greenville, S.C. | There are 2137 precincts in SC. 2137 state delegates could be elected by the county delegates to represent them. To get a 75% vote for nomination by convention process, 1603 would have to vote in favor of it. If this happened 2137 state delegates would vote for the Republican candidates. No Democrats would vote for Republican candidates. A group led by Good Ole Boy legislators and RINOs have worked hard using polls, websites, mailings and scare tactics to support Republican Primaries that allow Democrats to help elect Republican Candidates.

[Resettozero]

This is an Upstate prevailing view that reflects conservatives' desire to modify the S.C. Republican open primary process and reform it so that non-Republicans cannot help select Republican (i.e. conservative) candidates in S.C. Perhaps this may be of interest also to those in other States that have open primaries.

[muawiyah]

In Virginia we don't even have party registration. That stems from the days of iron fisted one party rule by the Byrd machine.

Since that time Republicans have been Democrat chattel.

[GenXteacher]

Closed primaries are the way to go.

[Resettozero]

Closed primaries are the way to go.

That sounds like the easy fix but how would non-Republicans be excluded from registering as Republicans, which is what they do now?

[GenXteacher]

No system is perfect- but usually the offenders will want to vote in the Democratic primaries too. It is a bit inconvenient to switch parties constantly if you have to keep changing your registration, so it slows the left-turn effect down.

[dfwgator]

No system is perfect- but usually the offenders will want to vote in the Democratic primaries too.

What does it matter when Obama ran unopposed.

[GenXteacher]

“What does it matter when Obama ran unopposed.”

Well, if you let the Democrats support the left-wing Republicans in the primaries, then you get candidates like Myth Romney, and then Obama gets an echo slightly off to his right.

[cripplecreek]

The problem is that democrats will just accept any candidate their party chooses and cross the line to manipulate the republican race.

[Resettozero]

I don’t think you see what has been happening here. Or perhaps I’m missing something.

Dems vote heavily for non-conservative Republicans (RINOs) in the Repub open primary. Then there are two non-conservative candidates on the ballot for the same office in the General Election, in which any voter may vote for any candidate. Thus, for example, we consistently receive both Lindsey Graham and a Democrat on the ballot in the GE against the wishes of all conservative Republicans. And there are plenty of us. That’s why the jury is rigged.

[Resettozero]

Yes. That is the problem. My question is: what is the best way to make the selection of candidates fairer in the Republican Party? In S.C., the party machines control all aspects of the government in Columbia, repeatedly bypassing the wish and intent of the voters.

[DoodleDawg]

What does it matter when Obama ran unopposed.

What about the other state, local, and federal offices? Did the Democrats have a single candidate for those as well? I'm just as concerned about who represents me in Jeff City and I am in D.C.

[DoodleDawg]

The problem is that democrats will just accept any candidate their party chooses and cross the line to manipulate the republican race.

Isn't that what Rush Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos" was about back in 2008? Only on the Democrat side?

[so_real]

Disagree ... Rather than trying to close the primaries, and discouraging participation, how about going the other way?

Why not have a single primary election for all interested candidates from all parties on the same day? Then you dip your thumb in the ink and you don't get to vote again for the rest of the day. The winner of each political party gets their name on the general election ballot.

When given the opportunity, the liberals will cast their votes for liberals. They don't play by any rules; so making more rules doesn't really help. For every primary, they have an opportunity to vote for a liberal, and so they do. It does not matter if it is "our" primary or "theres". It does not matter if it s a "closed" primary or an "open" primary. They don't care. It's an opportunity to vote for a liberal, and they will find the means to do so.

The trick, then, becomes to reduce their actions to a single choice -- waste their vote on a liberal "republican", or vote for the liberal "democrat" they want to see in the White House.

Reducing the opportunity for crime is more effective than increasing the opportunity for crime while trying to police the criminal activity expected.

[GenXteacher]

I think you might be missing something- I said upthread that I don’t like non-conservative Republicans getting Dem votes in the primary....

[GenXteacher]

I’d rather not give democrats a voice in selecting the candidate I would have to support, that’s why. A single primary day is a good idea though.

[Resettozero]

Thanks for straightening me out. I knew something wasn’t flowing logically.

[Resettozero]

A single primary day is a good idea though.

Nice thought. But if wishes were horses...