In MO the Republican controlled legislature wants to change MO’s primary system from open to closed. I know that I don’t like change, but I don’t see any reason why we need to do this. The Republican’s argument is that it will prevent Dems from asking for Republican ballot, so as to pick the weakest candidate, and vice a versa. But this then negates Independent’s from the process, which I find totally unfair.
I’ve thought about doing what they say is happening, but then I don’t. I have faith in the Republican voters to choose their weakest most vile candidate all on their own.
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But was that guy really from Utah, or was he from MA or CA? Where did he declare his official domicile for that election anyway?
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If they implement it in a way that people without registered party affiliation can have the ballot of their choice, it won’t make a lot of difference.
Ohio has open primaries, but I usually vote in Democratic primaries because I want to vote for my preference. The exception was the 2016 primary: I voted in the Republican primary because TMFWSNBN scared me enough that voting for anyone not him (Kasich, in my case–and I had to visit the vomitorium afterwards) was more important.
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Touché.
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I’d be perfectly happy if this meant no more accepting of goods, services or money from ALEC.
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I think we’re obliged to, by this argument:
“Anything that helped that election run smoothly and effectively and cleanly is now the target for attack.”
(Rick Hasen.)
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Like any politician Mitt went where the advantages were. His time in MA was over.
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A classicist!
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That’s what we do here. We ask for which party’s ballot we want.
Judging by the picture of Todd “legitimate rape” Akins picture accompanying the article in the St. Louis-Post Dispatch this move by the Republican controlled lege is in reaction to McCaskill’s campaign against Akin for the senate seat she won. And yet what Claire did was to use her campaign funds to support Todd as the Republican candidate for Senate. Akin, used to be my Rep. he wasn’t seen as an off the wall crazy loon, well until he made his “legitimate rape” comment on a local interview program. Which was given when the contest was between Claire and Todd.
It had nothing to do with Dems crossing over in the primary to pick Akins.
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That’s basically a map of the top states by population:
| Rank | State | July 2019 Estimate | Percent of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 39,512,223 | 11.91% |
| 2 | Texas | 28,995,881 | 8.74% |
| 3 | Florida | 21,477,737 | 6.47% |
| 4 | New York | 19,453,561 | 5.86% |
| 5 | Illinois | 12,671,821 | 3.86% |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 12,801,989 | 3.82% |
| 7 | Ohio | 11,689,100 | 3.52% |
The most notable distinction is that Florida is 3rd largest by population, but 4th largest by GDP. NY is punching above its weight with respects to contributing to the US economy.
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Your Lege could add the twist that people with a registered party affiliation can only vote in that party’s primary.
The crossover thing was a big deal in California in the 1950s and early 1960s (known from having to take the California Constitution test when I was in 8th grade, not from lived experience), when R’s thought the D’s were crossing over in the open primary to nominate weak candidates, and that’s how the D’s were controlling Sacramento. So they closed the primaries. The D’s still control Sacramento.
Taking that test in the spring of my 8th grade year was the scariest thing I had to do, until I took my doctoral comps. We moved from Hilo to California in November, and my classmates had been getting California history/civics from 6th grade. I had to get up to speed and pass the test, because you couldn’t graduate from junior high without passing it. I had visions of being held back a year. I passed…
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At my final oral exam… I’m waiting in the hall while the committee voted… My Mentor walked out showing his “long face”…my emotions began to crash with visions of continued poverty. Then he said (with a huge smile) “You Passed!!”
Cruelty mixed with humor…
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At my final orals when I was dismissed, I was told, “Go out in the hall, but don’t go far.”
So I went out into the hall and paced. After a while, I felt something in my suit pocket. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a Matchbox bulldozer. That immediately centered me: it didn’t matter what the committee did, because I still had my family and a good job. If they passed me, I got to be “Doctor” (and move to new job as a university professor). If they failed me, that part of my adventure was over. None of the important things would change.
About the time I’d put that together, my advisor came out into the hallway and said, “Dr. Strad, I presume?” Subjective time is weird: It was no more than 10 minutes, but it seemed like hours.
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Only Republicans support Capitalism! Everyone else is against it, especially checks notes CAPITALISTS!
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They know we can see them, right?
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I don’t think they do, Squirrel, I don’t think they do.
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Wish I’d had that Matchbox bulldozer…
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You know I’m not going to assert that crossing over to vote in the other party’s primary doesn’t happen, but unless they can show me the data I don’t think it makes that much of a difference.
And I never hear about this going the other way. My theory is the Dems in MO take any candidate that they can to run for office in this red state.
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Amusingly enough, we came to know, sometime after the election, that Clare McCaskill’s campaign contributed to Todd Akin’s primary campaign. Obviously, by her calculus, Akin was relatively easy to beat.