[Twoller]

Originally Posted by Ayatollahgondola

I don't think it's a problem for the parties to have primaries, but I don't see why that should preclude a candidate from being on the ballot because they lost a primary. Why shouldn't everyone have a chance to vote for every candidate? The claim is that it makes for a confusing ballot when multiple candidates from the same party compete in a general election, but I don't see why that should be reason enough to withhold a candidate after having gone through all the necessary steps to obtain status.

You've really failed to grasp the situation. Your way of thinking corresponds to the notion of "open primaries".

The reason that everyone should not have a chance to vote on every candidate in a primary is precisely because a nominee for the primary is strictly an affair for members of a political party. The Republicans have nothing to say about who is nominated for the Democrats and the Democrats have nothing to say about who is nominated for the Republicans.

This is how bad the "two party system" has gotten. We have people unable to distinguish what the primary elections are even about. This is why reforming them with "open primaries" where everyone can vote for any of the candidates in the primary is completely insane. It makes no sense whatsoever.

We already have an election following the primary where people can vote for whoever they want outside of the political parties. This is the election following the primary where the whole purpose of the primary election is supposed to be fulfilled and the nominees run for the actual office. It is even possible that there be a candidate in this race who never even showed up in the primaries. There is no legal requirement anywhere in the United States that says a political party must participate in any primary election. Furthermore, it is not even necessary for anyone running for office to belong to a political party at all.

This is how ridiculous the notion of an "open primary" is. In the last primary election last June here in California, a proposition passed to run "open primaries". It is a legal absurdity and one wonders how it even made it to the ballot.

Originally Posted by ilbegone

Term limits got rid of the Willie Brown political machine in California, but greatly contributed to the problems we have now.

"Legislators" who won't talk to each other and shaft one another at every opportunity, are deaf to the populace and are happy to "solve" the budget crisis by allowing California to nosedive into irreparable financial doom, and waste time on insignificant pet legislation which harms employment when we need jobs most.

Maybe term limits would work every half generation to clean out the rats and snakes, but having career politicians on permanent lame duck status in every elected position they temporarily occupy is hardly productive.

And I'm not really wild about our new open primary as it has been created, I'm sure it can be manipulated to our collective harm.

There may be merit in being registered as "voters" rather than as party members. At least twice to my recollection my Independent registration has been changed to another party - once from independent to Republican and most recently I have been changed from independent to Democrat.

This last primary I wasted no time in paying back the Democrats for fraudulently changing my registration by placing a vote for every loser on the democratic ticket I could, and wrote in a few like Francis the Talking Mule and Mr. Ed as part of the "minority" ticket.

Friggin' Jackasses.

The "open primary" idea cannot last. All that needs to happen is that somebody step forward and run for an office here in California outside of a political party. Nobody who runs that way is going to run for two elections that would be the exact same race for that person. If term limits have had no positive consequence yet, then it is the primary system that is to blame and "open primaries" is a good way to try to cover up the culpability of the "two party system" in preventing the rot from flushing out of government. Sure we rotate the bad guys out, but the "two party system" remains and makes sure that the same kind of rot gets back in again when somebody is termed out.

But yes, there is a connection between the political primary system and the "two party system". They are two heads of the same monster that has taken over government throughout the US.

Get rid of the two party system. Term limits for all federally elected officials, at least, and criminalize recording party affiliation for purposes of voter registration.

It will work.