It is amazing how easily republicans can change their rules in some states but not change from OPEN to CLOSED primaries in others.
Yes, I know Florida is a CLOSED state but others should be able to more easily become CLOSED. I am tried of demos and liberals deciding the republican nominees.
The GOPe just makes rules that keep them in power. That’s what it’s all about to them — staying in power.
Mark Levin said Jeb plans to overwhelm our conservatives with mega money so we need to choose one person early. When Romney was in Fla. he would not go on any conservative radio at all. He just spent big money on ads to destroy the other candidates who could not spend that kind of money. Of course, Fox news did not help either.
I can’t speak for all open primaries. But in IL the open primary clearly empowers the anti-establishment voters.
In the ‘98 primary the establishment hated both R Peter Fitzgerald for Sen and D Poshard for Gov.
Massive numbers of pro-life Republicans crossed over to vote for Poshard while massive numbers of Dems crossed over to vote for Fitzgerald. Those Dems who crossed over were mostly the trades union Dems (riggers, plumbers, carpenters, etc).
In November influential anti-establishment conservatives made the mistake of supporting establishment pro-abort RINO George Ryan over pro-life Poshard and Ryan won...only to go to jail thanks to Fitzgerald also winning and being the anti-establishment clean up corruption person that the establishment feared he was.
In 2014 the pro-teachers union GOP establishment did not want Rauner. They desperately tried to recruit an establishment person (in either party) who could beat Rauner. They could not find that candidate and thus Rauner is gov, not the perfect gov by far. But a thorn in the side of the establishment.
Many other examples could be given where the open primary works against the establishment.