Close It Out

The Idahoan has news on the battle within the GOP over closed primaries:

What may surprise you is that after three votes to close the primary, the leader of the state GOP is beating his own drum — one that supports open primaries. In fact, Chairman Sullivan is quoted in this latest story as being not just ambivalent about closed primaries, but most clearly opposed. He said: “My first question is, ‘What is broke? ‘Why do we need to change the rules?”

Mountain Goat Report opines:

Closed primary supporters fire back saying that Sullivan “doesn’t represent the Republican Party,” even though he is the GOP chairman.

When Sullivan as Chairman isn’t following the express will of the party’s membership and last year’s convention, they have a point. Larry Craig has also come out against closed primaries, though I think mostly sentiment on his part.

Some of this opposition I can understand. There are many folks who think that the Mountain Goat Report should have as much say in the Republican nominee for US Senate as I do. I disagree. I am a Republican, a Precinct Captain, a volunteer, and a member of that party. MGR is not and has no right to pick my party’s nominee and cancel out my vote in my party’s primary. Too much nonsense and tomfoolery has gone over the years with this open primary and made people do some mighty dishonest things and intruding into choices they ought not have made. Sorry, it’s our party and if you like our nominee vote for them in the Fall, but if you’re not part of the GOP you shouldn’t be choosing our nominee. The way it operates now is absolute sham and injustice.

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