Posted on 03/26/2008 6:41:14 AM PDT by K-oneTexas
Reorganization of the 2012 presidential primaries will be at the top of the agenda at next week’s meetings of the Republican National Committee. First the Rules Committee, beginning on April 1, and later the “committee of the whole” will vote on plans offered by Ohio, Texas, Michigan (and others) to change the system that many party leaders concede has failed this year.
Those party leaders are rightly concerned about the undue influence the small states that lead the primary schedule -- Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in particular – have on the nomination process.
In his March 24 memorandum to the RNC (a copy of which has been obtained by HUMAN EVENTS), Ohio Republican Chairman Robert T. Bennett cites the conflict between the “form” -- the style and timing of a state’s primary or caucus -- and the “function,” to nominate a candidate for national office.
Bennett’s “modified Ohio plan” divides states into three “pods” which will rotate their primary dates every 4-year election cycle. The first would hold primaries in the third full week of February (February 19, 2012) but no earlier. The second would hold theirs during the second week of March (March 11, 2012) and no earlier. The third would hold theirs in the first full week of April (April 1, 2012) but not earlier.
But under Bennett’s plan, four of the smaller states -- Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada -- would retain their ability to hold primaries as early as January 8, 2012.
Bennett’s plan moves things around, but fails altogether to deal with the disproportionate weight that these small states now have in the race. It still magnifies their influence at the expense of bigger states and ones that may be much more important in the fall elections.
Other versions of Bennett’s Modified Ohio plan -- one offered by Texas, another from Michigan and, according to one source, another from South Dakota -- all reportedly offer different versions of essentially the same plan. (The Texas plan, which we have not seen, may be quite different.) The Michigan plan would divide states into regions and then hold a lottery to assign primary dates to groups of states. It proposes such a lottery every four years to set the order of common primaries in each region. Alternatively, the Michigan plan offers a one-time lottery to set the order of the regions with the results being rotated in order every four years afterward.
Only the Michigan plan, according to our sources and documents obtained by HUMAN EVENTS, could include New Hampshire and Iowa in the groups of states that would rotate their primary dates every four years.
Some of these plans enable states to opt out of the groups to which they are assigned. Advocates of the several plans are now lobbying Rules Committee members to gather votes before next week’s meetings.
But the major issue to conservatives isn’t even on the agenda. Though Huckabee won Iowa in 2008, McCain's margin over Mitt Romney -- according to exit polls -- was again attributable to cross-over votes.
As I wrote back in January, “According to a Fox News exit poll, 32% of the Michigan Republican primary voters identified themselves as independents or Democrats. Another Fox exit poll showed 20% of the South Carolina Republican primary voters said they were either Democrats or independents. In Michigan, Gov. Romney won with 39%, Sen. McCain was second at 30% and Gov. Huckabee third at 16%. In South Carolina, John McCain won with 33% of the vote, Mike Huckabee had 30% and Fred Thompson had 16%. Given those margins, it’s pretty clear that the Dems and independents controlled the result in both states.”
In New Hampshire, the results were the same. According to Fox News exit polls, 39% of New Hampshire’s independents were voting GOP ballots. Sen. McCain won by about 5.5% over Gov. Romney in New Hampshire. Again, the independents apparently controlled the results.
By allowing cross-over voting, the Republican Party is enabling liberals to choose its nominee. Just as conservatives demand our borders be secure against illegal aliens, conservatives insist that Republicans -- and only Republicans -- choose the Republican nominee for president.
Just as America cannot be a sovereign nation without secure borders, the Republican Party cannot claim to be an political entity that stands for any principle if it permits its political opponents to control its nomination process.
The March 20 Pew Research Center poll showed that in the first two months of this year, only 27% of Americans identified themselves as Republicans. People will not identify with a political party that has no identity.
The Democrats long ago solved this problem. The DNC rules say specifically:
“Participation in the delegate selection process shall be open to all voters who wish to participate as Democrats. Democratic voters shall be those persons who publicly declare their Party preference and have that preference publicly recorded.”
and
“No person shall participate or vote in the nominating process for a Democratic presidential candidate who also participates in the nominating process of any other party for the corresponding election.”
The RNC should be most concerned about ignoring their Conservative base.
But do you think the new head of the RNC, Joe Lieberman will agree....
Could anyone here give us some hints? who are the top 20 or 50 power brokers in the Gop? WHO RUNS THE REP PARTY?
Without knowing who is who is hard to figure out what "their" goals really are.
Contrary to popular belief the RNC did not ‘anoint and appoint’ McCain. McCain won at the polls based upon the system as set up.
That means we MUST change the system, the system is seriously flawed.
Oh yeah, and F#ck New Hampshire and all the little piss-ant states that think they have a right to go first in perpetuity. No offense to any denizens of those states, but the sense of entitlement (and the outcome) sickens me.
The failure is NOT the influence of the small states.
The failure is OPEN primaries. Independents and other mischievous interlopers picked John McCain.
The Michigan plan is the same idea that I sent to my State Party committee with a strong mention of closing the process so Republicans choose the Party’s candidate.
I am glad to see others are seeing the same problem and addressing it. With luck in 2012, unlike this year, we will not be afflicted with a candidate who is more readily identified as a democrat/independent than a republican.
And, we used to be called "conspiracy theorists" for asking that question.
The Times They Are A'Changin'///
But the primaries must all be closed primaries, where only registered Republicans can vote. The delegates from States whose primaries are open should not be allowed to vote at the Convention.
Agree with you. The system is terribly flawed. I understand that McCain did not win enough true Republican votes to win any primary until Super Tuesday. It makes no sense to have independents and democrats voting in a Republican primary unless you want independent or democrat nominees.
But, if McCain wins, I doubt you will see any changes.
It seems to me both parties should have the same set of rule...but that’s just me. I also think we should have a six month campaign period and then vote and be done with it. If you can’t make up your mind in that amount of time, than you’re an idiot.
The Republican primary system is as much of a mess or worse than the democrats. This idea that Republicans don’t have super delegates is B.S. 100% of Minnesota delegates are super delegates in that they are all party elite or chosen by the elite. I’m sure many other states are the same.
why do we keep letting states that have no voice basically start and set the tone. It should be based on a percentage of Republicans that voted in the last general. The states with the most per capita Republicans who voted get to go first the next time.
THEN you’re an idiot. If I’m going to be calling other people idiots, I should at least spell correctly!
Good, I hope they change it. My state never gets a say in the nominee.
While their at it the GOP should plan to ensure all candidates are on all televised debates so conservatives like Duncan Hunter aren’t given the hook before the show begins.
We need closed same day primaries for every state. Here in Indiana we might as well forget about the primaries...nomination is done...why waste the gas on something that means absolutely nothing.
In New Hampshire, the results were the same. According to Fox News exit polls, 39% of New Hampshire’s independents were voting GOP ballots. Sen. McCain won by about 5.5% over Gov. Romney in New Hampshire. Again, the independents apparently controlled the results.
By allowing cross-over voting, the Republican Party is enabling liberals to choose its nominee. Just as conservatives demand our borders be secure against illegal aliens, conservatives insist that Republicans -- and only Republicans -- choose the Republican nominee for president.
I insist!
Hmmm, I guess then we wouldn't need a convention. They're an anachronism anyway, just an excuse for the elites to have a big party.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.