I saw something very disturbing this morning and I want to share it with you. It left me both angry and concerned. Here’s what I saw on Facebook this morning from our friends over at Backroom Knox.
I looked through a number of the comments and was surprised by how many people saw nothing wrong with this. I’m not sure I understand that perspective. Maybe I’m too new in politics — or too idealistic – but I don’t believe this is how our Founding Fathers intended things to work.
Florida Picks the Vols’ Starting Lineup??
Since this is a conservative website, let’s look at it from that perspective.
It seems to me that having open primaries – where Democrats can cross over and vote for the least objectionable Republican – is a bit like letting Florida pick the Vols’ starting lineup in a matchup between the two teams. I’m no football expert, but I don’t think anyone in their right mind would be ok with that.
So why is it that when we suggest closing the primaries, so many people push back so strongly – including many Republicans?
The Bill That Died From Friendly Fire
In fact, there was a party affiliation bill before the Tennessee House this session that would have ensured that “closed” primary elections are actually closed. That bill died in the House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee on Monday. Some Republicans voted against it. That caused a tie vote, and it died in subcommittee. You can read more about that here.
I won’t venture a guess as to why some Republican leaders were so adamantly opposed. I’ll leave that to you, the reader. I trust you are capable of drawing your own conclusions.
But what about the everyday Republican voter? Are they truly opposed to closed primaries – or is something else going on?
We Aren’t Communicating Properly
Here’s my theory: we’re using the wrong language.
This seems to happen often within the Republican party – we allow the Democrats to shape how issues are discussed. We can’t seem to communicate so the rest of the world can understand what we are saying. Republicans need to take back control of the conversation. Not only on this issue, but on so many others. But I digress – that’s a discussion for another time.
Anytime you describe something as “closed” people naturally bristle. “What do you mean it’s closed?” Americans value fairness, and the word “closed” suggests exclusion or unfairness – even when that’s not the reality.
In my opinion, the Tennessee Republican party has a messaging problem. If we reframed this issue to show that closed primaries simply allow each team to pick its own players, most voters will understand the logic.
Of course, there will always be those voters who cross over to the other party and vote for the “least objectionable” Republican (in their opinion) in the hopes of changing the outcome. In my view, that is dishonest.
If you really believed in your party’s candidate and platform, why would you vote in the opposing party’s primary?
One possible answer: you don’t think your candidate can win.
Just For You
So, here’s my question – feel free to reply in the comments below or on our Facebook page:
What do you think about closed primaries vs open primaries? Would you vote in another party’s primary?
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