“If you close the primary and you only have people who have been in the
Democratic Party for years, what you are doing is effectively shutting
the door on the millions of people that Bernie has brought into the
political process during this election,” she said.
Shutting the door for millions of people? Really? Voting shouldn’t be a thoughtless process. If you feel motivated to vote for someone, you should at least take arduous two minutes and find out how the voting process actually works. If it requires changing party affiliation, in most states that’s a very easy task. If you weren’t paying any attention to the election until a month before the primary, and find that the easy to learn rules prevent you from voting in a party election, than I have no sympathy for you.
The general election is where everyone gets a vote.
I don’t think it’s unreasonable for a Party to limit voters to party members. Otherwise, you give your political opponents an opportunity to tamper with the results.
For example, I might crossover and vote for Cruz in the Republican primary knowing he would be weak in the general.
This is a state issue and many states have adopted closed primaries to prevent mischief on the part of members of the other party. It also helps assure that individuals do not vote twice in competing primaries for the two parties. Bernie Sanders is running as a Democrat. As such, he (and his followers) are subject to the party rules in each state primary. In other words, stop whining, get of your butt, and find out what you need to do to support your candidate.
Tell ya what sweetie, next time we’ll amend the process just for you!
What she is advocating is the dissolution of the two party system. IOW let’s have regional primaries open to one and all, say one regional per week for 5/6 weeks, then the top two remaining face off in the general. So we end up with 5 weeks of electioneering prior to primaries, 5 weeks of primaries, then 5 weeks later the general. Sorry, will not work, look at the job loss, look at the advertising revenue loss, look at the power loss, look at the lost opportunity to bribe/purchase influence. Yea would make me happier but my opinion only counts at the ballot box, when I choose whom I would like to represent me.
Actually, in the party system the membership of each party selects the one membership feels best represents their viewpoints. To therefore involve individuals who elect, as myself, not to affiliate with a specific party a say is not justifiable. It is not all that hard to inform yourself as to your local election laws and to ask that within the year of an election to choose to modify your affiliation is not asking all that much. Thinking specifically about NY and the six month cutoff on affiliation changes, if I remember correctly from the time I resided in Upstate NY, the deadlines are mentioned numerous times in ads and news programs, so fault clearly lies with the individual.
“Rules are only good when we can use them for our own benefit” —
Jane should never be allowed near Michelle’s garden —
Yet, not a word of concern over caucuses ,which simply reward the loudest mob.
Sweet Baby Jesus of the Hanging Chad, she is a fucking clown. It’s called a PRIMARY, fool – it’s not a general election. And amazingly, for all her whining about an undemocratic process, she fails to mention that without the undemocratic caucuses, Bernie would have been done and dusted months ago. This is just more of the onslaught of innuendo from the Sanders camp trying to de-legitimize Hillary. Hey, Jane – if you can’t switch to a gracious tone now that Hillary has pulled away from Bernie, then please just shut up and go away.
In the meantme,
Well said and I totally agree. We have closed primaries in California too and we are a very progressive state
Jane if voters actually cared enough about Bernie they should have cared enough to register as Democrats in order to vote for him. You are blaming the system for the laziness of some of your supporters.
earth to Jane - the Democratic primary is to pick the DEMOCRATIC candidate who will run AS A DEMOCRAT for the POTUS. Not the I am a pretend Democrat who hates the Democrats slightless less than I hate Republicans so let me pretend to e a party member then spend the campaign whining and bitching about the rules. Say goodnight Janie
Whether agree or not, calling for open primaries is an opinion that may deserve our respect. But the fact that Jane Sanders, and her husband’s campaign, conveniently ignores the very undemocratic nature of caucuses (on the contrary touting their wins there while dismissing “South” votes) makes them just a bunch of hypocrites.
These people have no problem with anti-Democratic Primary rules when it puts the thumb on the scale for them. Urban, minority voters make up a huge share of the Democratic Voting base, but they don’t get to have their voice heard until March, getting shut out of the process in February as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina go first. Is that “Democratic”? The Sanders voters would claim it has to be intentionally rigged that way, otherwise the urban, minority voters in large delgate states would overwhelm and drown out the rural white voters in small population states at the outset. In otherwords, to the back of the line minorities, white people come first. The DNC fundamentally built a system that favors Bernie supporters and allows their “movement” a foothold. They never mention that part in their concerns for “Democracy”
That woman really needs to shut up. Trying to defend her husband is all fine, spouses are supposed to do that. But she goes way beyond that and just keeps vomiting crap. Annoying and toxic is an understatement.
Yes, unlike the title of the piece, small “d.”
It is less Democratic to allow open voting. I’m pretty sympathetic to the idea that Democrats alone get to vote in Democratic primaries. The mixed systems where ideological parties and independents can vote is acceptable to me but it makes perfect sense to me for merely registered party members to vote in primaries.
But, just having everyone vote is what we do in November. And, I have already seen someone who is a Democrat say they voted for Trump to make trouble. This sort of the gaming of the system can very well be avoided by election laws.
Absolutely, the process is inherently favorable to candidates like Sanders. It gives upstarts a level playing field that they otherwise wouldn’t have. Team Sanders would’ve never gotten off the ground if the process was actually fair to Democratic voters.
Attended a democratic party caucus and that is the perfect description. The Bernie supports were certainly passionate, and for the most part well behaved. However there were enough screaming loonies to make the experience very unpleasant. Some Bernie Bros were even screaming for a flat tax of 10 percent and the rest of his supporters eventually chimed in about what a great way to rein in spending. When asked a question they all seemed to be masters of the gish gallop. Wow, some were nice others just came off as self righteous smug assholes.
Goodbye Jane. No one is listening to you babble on.