A spate of news articles on April 27 cover Rush Limbaugh’s recent boasts that he has influenced many Republicans to re-register as Democrats, in order to boost Hillary Clinton’s vote and thereby injure the Democratic Party. Here is an article from the San Francisco Chronicle. Although there is little evidence, the evidence that exists is significant. For example, an exit poll from Pennsylvania showed that 41% of the self-identified Republicans who had registered Democratic to vote in this month’s primary, and who had voted for Hillary Clinton, also said they would not be supportive of her in the general election.
This is a fertile field for political science and journalistic research, and it may influence court decisions when the constitutionality of open primaries is challenged by political parties.
One wonders with Obama getting half of those Repups, how many would be satisfied with him as the nominee.
It just seems strange to mention it for one candidate but not the other when they split the vote.
From CNN it looks like 82% would vote Clinton if she was the nominee, whereas only 73% would vote for Obama. If Obama is the nominee 15% of voters will vote McCain, 90% of these voters, voted for Clinton. If Clinton is the nominee, 10% will vote for McCain, 70% of these voters, voted for Obama.
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/epolls/#PADEM
Rush makes me ashamed to be a Missourian [also federal felon Congress Member Randy “Puke” Cunningham!
McDuffus “No Holiday for MLK” McCain makes me ashamed to be an Arid Zona resident.
Ahnold ‘Schwartz En Faker’ …….
MY FELLOW “BITTER”, STUPID, WORKING CLASS PEOPLE 🙂
If you think like Barack Obama, that WORKING CLASS PEOPLE are just a bunch of “BITTER”!, STUPID, PEASANTS, Cash COWS!, and CANNON FODDER. 🙁
You Might Be An Idiot! 🙂
If you think Barack Obama with little or no experience would be better than Hillary Clinton with 35 years experience.
You Might Be An Idiot! 🙂
If you think that Obama with no experience can fix an economy on the verge of collapse better than Hillary Clinton. Whose 😉 husband (Bill Clinton) led the greatest economic expansion, and prosperity in American history.
You Might Be An Idiot! 🙂
If you think that Obama with no experience fighting for universal health care can get it for you better than Hillary Clinton. Who anticipated this current health care crisis back in 1993, and fought a pitched battle against overwhelming odds to get universal health care for all the American people.
You Might Be An Idiot! 🙂
If you think that Obama with no experience can manage, and get us out of two wars better than Hillary Clinton. Whose 😉 husband (Bill Clinton) went to war only when he was convinced that he absolutely had to. Then completed the mission in record time against a nuclear power. AND DID NOT LOSE THE LIFE OF A SINGLE AMERICAN SOLDIER. NOT ONE!
You Might Be An Idiot! 🙂
If you think that Obama with no experience saving the environment is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose 😉 husband (Bill Clinton) left office with the greatest amount of environmental cleanup, and protections in American history.
You Might Be An Idiot! 🙂
If you think that Obama with little or no education experience is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose 😉 husband (Bill Clinton) made higher education affordable for every American. And created higher job demand and starting salary’s than they had ever been before or since.
You Might Be An Idiot! 🙂
If you think that Obama with no experience will be better than Hillary Clinton who spent 8 years at the right hand of President Bill Clinton. Who is already on record as one of the greatest Presidents in American history.
You Might Be An Idiot! 🙂
If you think that you can change the way Washington works with pretty speeches from Obama, rather than with the experience, and political expertise of two master politicians ON YOUR SIDE like Hillary and Bill Clinton..
You Might Be An Idiot! 🙂
If you think all those Republicans voting for Obama in the Democratic primaries, and caucuses are doing so because they think he is a stronger Democratic candidate than Hillary Clinton. 🙂
Best regards
jacksmith… Working Class 🙂
p.s. You Might Be An Idiot! 🙂
If you don’t know that the huge amounts of money funding the Obama campaign to try and defeat Hillary Clinton is coming in from the insurance, and medical industry, that has been ripping you off, and killing you and your children. And denying you, and your loved ones the life saving medical care you needed. All just so they can make more huge immoral profits for them-selves off of your suffering…
You see, back in 1993 Hillary Clinton had the audacity, and nerve to try and get quality, affordable universal health care for everyone to prevent the suffering and needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of you each year. 🙂
Approx. 100,000 of you die each year from medical accidents from a rush to profit by the insurance, and medical industry. Another 120,000 of you die each year from treatable illness that people in other developed countries don’t die from. And I could go on, and on…
OBAMA AIDE: “WORKING-CLASS VOTERS NOT KEY FOR DEMOCRATS” 😮
DEBATE! DEBATE!! DEBATE!!!…
DEBATE! DEBATE!! DEBATE!!!
It’s time for everyone to face the truth. Barack Obama has no real chance of winning the national election in November at this time. His crushing defeat in Pennsylvania makes that fact crystal clear. His best, and only real chance of winning in November is on a ticket with Hillary Clinton as her VP.
Hillary Clinton seemed almost somber at her victory speech. As if part of her was hoping Obama could have defeated her. And proved he had some chance of winning against the republican attack machine, and their unlimited money, and resources. In all honesty. I felt some of that too.
But it is absolutely essential that the democrats take back the Whitehouse in November. America, and the American people are in a very desperate condition now. And the whole World has been doing all that they can to help keep us propped up.
Hillary Clinton say’s that the heat, and decisions in the Whitehouse are much tougher than the ones on the campaign trail. But I think Mr. Obama faces a test of whether he has what it takes to be a commander and chief by facing the difficult facts, and the truth before him. And by doing what is best for the American people by dropping out of the race, and offering his whole hearted assistance to Hillary Clinton to help her take back the Whitehouse for the American people, and the World.
Mr. Obama is a great speaker. And I am confident he can explain to the American people the need, and wisdom of such a personal sacrifice for them. It should be clear to everyone by now that Hillary Clinton is fighting her heart out for the American people. She has known for a long time that Mr. Obama can not win this November. You have to remember that the Clinton’s have won the Whitehouse twice before. They know what it takes.
If Mr. Obama fails his test of commander and chief we can only hope that Hillary Clinton can continue her heroic fight for the American people. And that she prevails. She will need all the continual support and help we can give her. She may fight like a superhuman. But she is only human.
Sen. Hillary Clinton: “You know, more people have now voted for me than have voted for my opponent. In fact, I now have more votes than anybody has ever had in a primary contest for a nomination. And it’s also clear that we’ve got nine more important contests to go.”
Sincerely
Jacksmith… Working Class 🙂
This is a good example of why we need to “privatize” political parties (i.e. eliminate “official”, government sanctioned primaries).
Fully private political parties could issue their own membership cards to individuals who have paid party dues. They could then require a membership card to be able to vote in that party’s primary. It would be much harder for someone to subvert the vote in that case, because they would at least have to pay some money to be able to do so.
I agree with NE 100%.
But I’m also a little confused by the post; if these are people re-registering into the party they’re trying to vote in, how would it affect open primaries where someone didn’t go through that process?
jacksmith – You are going to be one sad, bitter person when Obama ties up the remaining superdelegate vote and secures the Democratic nomination. Are you part of Hillary’s not so secret campaign to trash Obama so he doesn’t win the election, thereby opening up a window for Hillary in 2012?
Fred C: … if these are people re-registering into the party they’re trying to vote in, how would it affect open primaries where someone didn’t go through that process?
Richard might be referring to the role empirical data could play in future constitutional challenges to open primaries. Such data can’t come from the open primary states themselves because they don’t (usually) have registration by party. So poll results such as this might be introduced to support the assertion that many crossover voters are motivated by their support of a different party. This assertion is, I think, important to establishing that open primaries do infringe on the free association rights of party members.
Personally, I could live with open primaries if (and, I think, only if) each party can choose in advance to treat them as non-binding beauty contests. Said another way, if the government wants to run open primary elections (nominating elections would be a better term) and if a particular party wants that for itself, then it’s fine. But parties should not be able to decide after election day that a particular vote was a beauty contest.
If the government wants to force all parties to nominate by (primary) election, then the primaries must be closed. California currently has a hybrid system where each party can opt to include non-partisan voters, but voters registered in other parties. There may be a way to make that work smoothly, but the current procedure is a major headache for election officials and — much worse — a source of confusion for many voters.
IRV would eliminate the motive for having open primaries.
Comment #4: “universal health care”= socialized medicine
You want the same outfit that runs FEMA, the IRS, and the postal “service” to run our health care system, which is 1/7 of the US economy? Every hospital would be like Walter Reed… the whole system would be like the V. A. system.
The health care “crisis” has been largely caused by government.
Besides, if we had socialized medicine, where would Canadians go for health care?
I agree with arguments against open primaries. I think the current duopoly privileged situation is totally unfair to the independent majority.
I would like to see the recent Washington State “open primary” with two exceptions. One, political parties not candidates determine use of party name, and instant runoff voting.
Dearest Jack Smith, of Room Temperature IQ:
So you think anti war, ‘peace’ candidate[s] vote to invade other nations, and do not ever apologize for their obvious lack of back bone?
And thus, YOU might be an Idiot……..
And her ‘negative numbers’ soar out of sight,
[as she and Chelsea ‘dodge sniper bullets’
while strolling off the air craft…….]
How about if we required voters to be registered with a party for 5 years before they voted in that party’s primary, contributed to a candidate of that party, had a yard sign or bumper sticker supporting a candidate of the party, voted in the general election for a candidate of the party. There would be no exception, including for those who are newly registered, even those whose new registration status is due to their turning 18, naturalization, ex-felon whose voting rights have been restored, or newly moved to the current registration address?
If we are going to have closed parties and closed primaries, shouldn’t they be closed in a meaningful and significant manner?
Again –
Uniform definition of Elector in ALL of the U.S.A. — with MAIL secret ballots.
Equal nominating petitions for [general] election ballot access.
P.R. for legislative body elections
Approval Voting for NONPARTISAN executive / judicial offices.
—-
NO Stone Age caucuses, primaries and conventions by EVIL party hack extremists are needed.
Everybody ready for a 269-269 tie in the timebomb Prez Electoral College on election night ???
Oops … I wrote at #9 above: California currently has a hybrid system where each party can opt to include non-partisan voters, but voters registered in other parties.
That should say “… but not voters registered in other parties.” I apologize for the error.