I’m not sure of the best route, but I like the fact that there’s no “open” primary.
I’m worried about Dems going heavy for Mitty in open primary states, since they have no POTUS race (at least yet).
CLOSED PRIMARY!!!!!!!!
I wish Ohio had a closed Primary. If I had a choice in it that is what I would opt for. Needing to go and charge your affilation 30 days prior makes a lot of sense in the general you can vote for whoever.
As long as its closed, I don’t care much any way.
Closed primary.
I prefer a closed primary. I still think Iowa’s caucus system is crazy, yet it is the KO of the primary....
If you want to get rid of grass roots folks go to a caucus system. In Mn it is a total sham. Party elites decide everything
I’ve always been opposed to having to register with a party to vote but these days I think it might be a good idea. When there isn’t a democrat primary challenger, it frees up a lot of democrats to step on the GOP primary.
Open primaries are one of the dumbest ideas in politics. Why should Democrats choose the Republican candidate? Or vice versa? It’s just a feel-good sop to the self-righteous independents who feel they are superior because thay can’t articulate a political philosophy, they wear their ignorance like a badge of honor.
Convention. Less costly and you get people who are activists and know the issues.
I make an observation though, that a lot of comments here are based on affecting one particular candidate (Romney), and that's a shortsighted approach for a long term solution.
The solution should reflect the majority opinion of all Republicans in the state...no Dems, no "Independents" (whatever that means) and no rigging it to benefit or hinder individual candidates that may be running in 2012.
This system, if you change it, will most likely be used in 2016, and there is no idea who is going to be in that race.
Shirley Jackson-style lottery.
Closed primary. We should pick our own candidate; it’s all we have left. The msm is against us anyway.
I grew up in Michigan, graduated from MSU, moved out-of-state, and still hear from my very liberal college roommate regularly. She recently retired from her teaching job near Muskegon.
In 2008, she told me she voted for John McCain in the Michigan Primary - for the sole purpose of influencing who the Republican nominee would be.
Open primaries ensure that will happen again. Do we really want RINOs? Do we really want Democrats and/or the media choosing the Republican presidential nominee (again)?!
CLOSED PRIMARIES are the only way to ensure that only Republicans choose our candidate and that all Republicans across the state have equal opportunity to express their preferences in that process.
I’d love a closed primary, but won’t happen, Gov. Ricky knows he wouldn’t have had a chance if he ran in a closed primary.
Caucus —made in heaven for community organizers. Obama used it to steal a lot of votes from Hillary.
I am not from Michigan, but I would like to see a closed primary there and in every other state. Make sure that someone has been a registered Republican for at least a year before allowing them to vote. Why? Because it precludes the Dems from crossing over to affect the Republican nominating process. Why bother to call it a “Republican” primary if people other than real Republicans can vote in it?
What happened last time in South Carolina was a fiasco - McStain won big thanks to SC Dems, and had the field to himself thereafter. He turned out to be the weakest candidate for the General Election, exactly as the Dems planned. We CANNOT allow that to happen again.
A closed primary would work as long as you have to be registered well in advance of the election - big push on to allow unregistered people to vote the day of the election...very bad. It’s all about squirreling up the vote. Without ACORN, it will be hard to “get out the vote” as we saw in 2010.
Please freepmail me if you wish to be added or dropped from the mitten ping.
CLOSE the primary! Only allow Republicans to vote in the primary. If they register as a Republican for the primary, they also have to vote Republican in that election cycle.