Posted on 03/14/2016 10:42:00 AM PDT by Starman417
Back in 2008 Rush Limbaugh had a bit called “Operation Chaos” where he suggested Republicans in Ohio and elsewhere cross over and vote for Hillary Clinton in the Democrat primary. The goal was to keep Clinton in the race to blunt the lead of Barack Obama and cause more chaos on the Democrat side. Well, Operation Chaos was pretty much a failure as Obama steamrolled Clinton.
While Limbaugh is not calling for an “Operation Chaos” this year, something along those lines is definitely happening… but it doesn’t have anything to do with Hillary Clinton this time, but rather, Donald Trump.
The turnout for this year’s primary contests is surging with record numbers of voters participating on the GOP side. No doubt there are Republicans who sat out in 2012 and 2008 who are now participating. But that’s not the driver of the numbers. The driver is… Democrats. In Massachusetts as example, according to the Boston Herald 20,000 Democrats switched to the Republican Party before the primary. That works out to fully 5% of the GOP ballots cast. Interestingly, Trump’s 31% margin of victory in Massachusetts was the largest he’s has had.
In Pennsylvania the same thing is happening. According to CBS 46,000 Pennsylvania Democrats have already switched to the GOP to vote for Trump. If the participation in the Pennsylvania primary exhibits the same kind of increase Massachusetts did (up 12% over 2008, the last year with a lame duck president in office) then those 46,000 Democrats will make up 5% of the 900,000 GOP voters.
But of course that’s not the only way Democrats are influencing the GOP primary. In Massachusetts and Pennsylvania they switched because both are closed states in that registrants of party can’t vote in the primaries of another party. Massachusetts is officially open however as unaffiliated voters can vote in any party’s primary. That means that the only way Democrats in those two states can vote in the GOP primary is by changing parties.
But in a large number of states you don’t even have to do that. Those states have “Open” primaries or caucuses where voters can vote in either party’s primary, regardless of which party they are registered in. That makes a HUUGGGGEEEE difference. (And for course, Ohio is an "Open" primary.) To give you an idea of how big, consider the following:
There have been a total of 14 open primaries and caucuses where Democrats are able to vote in the GOP contest. Donald Trump has won 12 of them. At the same time, there have been a total of 9 primaries and caucuses in closed states… and Ted Cruz has won 6 of them, while Donald Trump has won only 3 of them.So in the states where only Republicans can vote in the Republican primaries and caucuses Ted Cruz has won 66% of the contests while Donald Trump has won 34%... and those are states where data shows that tens of thousands of Democrats are switching party affiliation for the specific purpose of voting for Trump in the GOP contest. At the same time however, in states where Democrats are free to vote in the GOP contest Donald Trump has won 85% of the time.
(Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net...
The MSM is doing their best to try to get liberals to stop Trump in the primaries, not support him. These are democrat voters that ill support in November.
people want strong leaders. Not panty-wearing trannies
Really really sad rationalization attempt.
Doesn’t explain Cruz being completely shut out in the South.
The fellow here is leaving out independents.
Why, I wonder?
I will take it up with him.
It’s strange actually. You would think all the hate and vitriol would be piled on Cruz. After all he takes the “Christian Right” positions on things the left hates. But it is though he doesn’t even exist.
It's just a good thing that the general election doesn't allow that. /snicker
I voted in the Michigan primary for Bernie Sanders, and yes, you're all welcome. I stated my intent and was told by some troll that it was a waste -- yet Bernie's victory shook Barad-dur to its foundations. He won by the same number of votes as were cast for other candidates, presumably write-ins, minor candidates, and those no longer in the race.
Had I not voted for Bernie, I'd have voted for Donald Trump.
Who won in Michigan? I forget.
It explains the 7 Southern states with open primaries (but not Kentucky or Louisiana).
Strongly doubt that statistically significant numbers of Dems vote in open GOP primaries with the intent of getting the weaker nominee elected.
This is little more than stupid tinfoil conspiracy nonsense.
This is one possibility. However, I am shocked with the number of libs I know who support Trump. He must be using some Jedi mind control on them or something.
In the general election, primary-crossover Dums vote Dum - ask McCain.
Which he lost
So you're against government ensuring that "everyone gets covered" and subsidizing ethanol?
Ted CruZ can single handedly hand the presidency to ANYONE on the left for 12 more years. He talks to "conservative" GOPers and no one else. He is a political train wreck,
This isn’t orchestrated nor unexpected...The democrats switching parties aren’t going from democrat to republican, they’re going from democrat to Trump. I don’t know why they think this is strange? Trump isn’t a Romney effete elite... he grew up in Queens, believe me it shows. Before some of the early primaries I heard voters stating they were still choosing between Trump and Sanders.. and none of them are closet socialists. They’re the blue collar dems the republicans try to court each election cycle.
Why? Trump is, by far, the easiest to beat.
Which he lost
Thanks, Captain Obvious.
“Strongly doubt that statistically significant numbers of Dems vote in open GOP primaries with the intent of getting the weaker nominee elected.”
Ditto. This isn’t going to happen, in the numbers we are getting, without publicity. Operation Chaos was public.
Claire McCaskill has publicly bragged about how she helped manipulate the outcome of the 20012 Republican primary to get the opponent she wanted (the idiotic Todd Akin). The low-key ‘RAT intervention worked and she went ahead to defeat the self-destructing Akin in the general election.
Who knows if something similar is happening now.
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