Frist versus Hillary in 2008 - do you vote in your primaries?

[Mr. Harley]

Haven't posted here in a while, because OT is bad for my blood pressure. But here's a thought. If Frist and Hillary end up the candidates in 2008, maybe, just maybe, the American electorate could become so fed up that they actually start paying hard attention to their party primaries. I switched from Independent to Republican over a decade ago for just that reason, though I may switch next time depending on which primaries look more interesting.

[Stuie]

I'll probably switch my registration to Democrat before 2008. I'm currently registered Green - so this is proof that our personal political views move to the right as we get older.

[MarkG]

wait 20 years and you'll arguing that Jenna Bush was right to start a war against Middle-East-Country-X for no reason at all....

[Arrian]

I've already switched from Independent to Democrat so I could vote in the '06 primary... and I'll vote again in the '08 primary.

The question is...which one?

I'll have to choose 3 months in advance b/c of the waiting period to go from Dem to Rep.

-Arrian

[MarkG]

Originally posted by Arrian
I'll have to choose 3 months in advance b/c of the waiting period to go from Dem to Rep.

IMIB* there is a waiting period for changing parties?


* ignore my ignorance but

[Arrian]

I do believe it's to prevent voting in multiple primaries in the same election year.

If you switch from Independent to a party affiliation, there is no wait. It's just from party to party.

-Arrian

[Pekka]

If Hillary will be the candidate, Republicans should have an easy time winning by choosing a candidate who is left leaning. McCane would whoop Hillary.

[DinoDoc]

Frist won't make it past the primaries anyway. He lost the right to make a legitimate run IMO for the weak willed way he dealt with the filibuster issue.

[Kuciwalker]

Re: Frist versus Hillary in 2008 - do you vote in your primaries?

How would Frist ever make it?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

It won't be Frist.

But, yeah, I'll vote in the promaries for the candidate I actually like (Feingold or Obama), then hold my nose and vote for Hillary in the general election.

[lord of the mark]

er, uhm, you assume folks would be more fed up seeing Frist v Hillary than Bush v Kerry? I for one, would find Frist v Hillary a much better choice. Not that Frist has a chance anymore. The whole Schiavo thing alienated moderates, without winning him support from the right. Hes toast.

I believe we have an open primary, and IF it were clear the Dems were nominating someone I consider unacceptable, I MIGHT switch over to vote for McCain in the GOP primary. I highly doubt that will be the case though.

And yes, waiting periods, etc vary by state.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Frist aint got a shot.


I'm actually hopeful that after introspection the GOP will realize they lost this round of midterms in large part due to the finally wise strategy the Dems employed. Namely largely nominating acceptable moderate (Conservative for Dems) candidates. The counting on the base turnout to carry the day won't work long term and requires having more centrist support. Lets hope both parties adopt a more sane primary approach rather than kowtowing to the Kos, Moveon.org on the one hand and the religious right on the other.

[Barnabas]

If hillary wins, that would mean many consecutive years ruled by 2 families (bushes and clintons)
what would that say about american democracy?

[DaShi]

That we see things out to the end no matter how damaging the consequences?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Brachy-Pride
If hillary wins, that would mean many consecutive years ruled by 2 families (bushes and clintons)
what would that say about american democracy?

It would say that of the choices offered, we happened to prefer these.

I mean geez, if I like Hillary Clinton, Im supposed to vote against her to prove to (with all due respect) some damned foreigner that the US is not monarchical? If Hillary wins, it will mean we want her to win. Thats all. Theres no secret police helping her forward, nor is there some sense of familial deference that would make people vote for her. Look at the illustrious careers of FDRs children, or Eisenhowers. Whats Amy Carter doing these days, anyone know? Hillary had a huge role in Clintons campaign and admin, and close ties to some folks who were in both. Its hardly surprising that folks who liked Bill would also like Hillary. And of course there are some folks who always would have rather been voting for her than for him.

Sorry to get rough on you Brachy, but Im suspecting we're going to be hearing this a lot over the next two years, and longer if she wins. It strikes me as frankly a silly line of argument.